Howard Zinn on Democratic Education (Series in Critical Narrative) [Paperback]

Howard Zinn (Author), Donaldo Macedo (Author)

Book Description

Series: Series in Critical Narrative | Publication Date: March 2008

Perhaps no other historian has had a more profound and revolutionary impact on American education than Howard Zinn. This is the first book devoted to his views on education and its role in a democratic society.

Howard Zinn on Democratic Education describes what is missing from school textbooks and in classrooms - and how we move beyond these deficiencies to improve student education. Critical skills of citizenship are insufficiently developed in schools, according to Zinn. Textbooks and curricula must be changed to transcend the recitation of received wisdom too common today in our schools. In these respects, recent Bush Administration and educational policies of most previous presidents have been on the wrong track in meeting educational needs.

This book seeks to redefine national goals at a time when public debates over education have never been more polarized -- nor higher in public visibility and contentious debate.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Living near Boston, Howard Zinn is a historian, political essayist, playwright, and activist. His earlier experience as a bombardier in World War II and his later experience in the southern movement for racial justice propelled him into a lifetime of searching for larger truths in his writings, research, and activism. Among Zinn's many influential books, his A People’s History of the United States, which offered an entirely new perspective on American history, has been widely translated, serialized, and adapted to multiple editions for various audiences, including young readers. More recently Zinn's appearances on stage with such figures as Kurt Vonnegut, Viggo Mortensen, Alice Walker, Danny Glover, Marisa Tomei, and others have brought his Voices of the People's History (edited with Anthony Arnove) to many new audiences internationally.

Donaldo Macedo is Distinguished Professor of Education at the University of Massachusetts, Boston.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Paradigm Publishers (March 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594510555
• ISBN-13: 978-1594510557
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #156,672 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Howard Zinn (1922-2010) was a historian, playwright, and activist. He wrote the classic A People's History of the United States, "a brilliant and moving history of the American people from the point of view of those ... whose plight has been largely omitted from most histories" (Library Journal). The book, which has sold more than two million copies, has been featured on The Sopranos and Simpsons, and in the film Good Will Hunting. In 2009, History aired The People Speak, an acclaimed documentary co-directed by Zinn, based on A People's History and a companion volume, Voices of a People's History of the United States.

Zinn grew up in Brooklyn in a working-class, immigrant household. At 18 he became a shipyard worker and then flew bomber missions during World War II. These experiences helped shape his opposition to war and passion for history. After attending college under the GI Bill and earning a Ph.D. in history from Columbia, he taught at Spelman, where he became active in the civil rights movement. After being fired by Spelman for his support for student protesters, Zinn became a professor of Political Science at Boston University, were he taught until his retirement in 1988.

Zinn was the author of many books, including an autobiography, You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train, the play Marx in Soho, and Passionate Declarations. He received the Lannan Foundation Literary Award for Nonfiction and the Eugene V. Debs award for his writing and political activism.

Customer Reviews

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0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Howard Zinn on Democratic Education, February 12, 2010

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This review is from: Howard Zinn on Democratic Education (Series in Critical Narrative) (Paperback)

This book is very good. It is required reading for a college level course. The book came in good time and is in excellent condition.