Howard Zinn: A Radical American Vision [Hardcover]

Davis D. Joyce (Author), Noam Chomsky (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2003

One of the most popular alternative histories of America is "A People's History of the United States" by Howard Zinn. This first-ever biography of Zinn traces in broad strokes the story of his life, placing special emphasis on his involvement in both the Civil Rights movement and the Viet Nam War protests. Besides discussing the major shaping events of his life, biographer and historian Davis Joyce summarizes each of Zinn's books within the context of his life, analyses the evolution of Zinn's ideas, and concludes with a preliminary assessment of his life's work.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

It may be, as Chomsky writes in his foreword, that radical historian Howard Zinn has taught us "that objectivity is... problematic in historical writing," but a little more objectivity would have improved this study of Zinn's life and work. Zinn, now 81, is best known for A People's History of the United States, a look at American history from the point of view of the "dispossessed." Joyce comprehensively charts Zinn's life: the son of working-class Jews in New York City, Zinn served in the U.S. Army during WWII before getting his doctorate in history from Columbia. Joyce dutifully details Zinn's career as an activist/academic, his activism (for civil rights, against the Vietnam War) creating problems for him in his academic life. In fact, he was fired from Spellman College in the early 1960s for his activism, and later, while teaching at Boston University, he battled with the school's conservative president John Silber. There's little doubt that Zinn's life and work have taught and inspired many. But while Joyce (professor emeritus of history at East Central University in Oklahoma) occasionally takes issue with some of Zinn's more radical positions, such as his desire to abolish all U.S. prisons, Joyce's stated admiration for Zinn gets in the way of a balanced biography. Much of the book is based on Zinn's own recollections or those of friends and others sympathetic to him. As a result, this book's appeal is likely to be limited to the historian's fellow travelers.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"...a must read..." -- Oklahoma Observer, December 10-25, 2004

"...an engaging and informative biography...a useful overview of Zinn's oeuvre and social activism..." -- History: Reviews of New Books, Summer 2004

"should be read by both non-historian and professional...glimpse at the constricted nature of the present discipline of history." -- Tulsa World, March 7, 2004

"the same readable, jargon-free style that has made Zinn's books as popular with general readers as they are with historians." -- Foreword

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 275 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books (October 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591021316
• ISBN-13: 978-1591021315
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,803,028 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars biography at its best, December 7, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Howard Zinn: A Radical American Vision (Hardcover)

Publishers Weekly complained about this book: "...a little more objectivity would have improved this study of Zinn's life and work." This is the standard criticism, even dismissal of socially conscious intellectuals by mainstream gatekeepers in the United States. And what an outrage by that standard is a biography of the "people's historian" written by one of his ilk, and to top it off, an introduction by that radical Noam Chomsky! But, in fact, this is the combustion that makes the book exciting and enlightening and will lead readers to read all the works of all three socially conscious scholars.

Dr. Davis Joyce is an Oklahoma historian, one of the few in that state who is knowledgeable and writes of that state's radical roots. Joyce edited "'An Oklahoma I Had Never Seen Before': Alternative Views of Oklahoma," a book in the Zinn mode of "people's history," a great gift to Oklahoma readers and students. For readers not from Oklahoma, the book would be enlightening for those who assume that Oklahoma is about as "heartland" and conservative as a state can be. As Joyce, Zinn, and other socially conscious historians have demonstrated, there are deep socially and politically radical roots in every nook and corner of the country, many of them embedded in the most oppressed communities.

Howard Zinn, as a young scholar, learned that about his country when he went South in 1956, staying 8 years with deep involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. Afterwards, that experience informed his scholarship and teaching and raised a model for a generation of aspiring scholars, that of the activist-scholar, making knowledge and critical skills available to the people.

That Davis Joyce admires Zinn is no secret. Clearly, Joyce took on the biography project to delve more deeply into the sources and motivations that created such an amazing citizen of the United States. The presumed "objectivity" of mainstream biographers amd historians more often than not mask support for oppressive structures and the status quo. Anyone who does not do so is then labeled "unobjective."

Read this book and judge for yourself, trust your own judgment.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Howard Zinn fan, August 12, 2004

By 

Kevin M Riley - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Howard Zinn: A Radical American Vision (Hardcover)

I am a Howard Zinn fan and was thrilled to find that someone had written a biography of this amazing man. After reading Mr. Joyce's biography, I find myself even more thrilled, more in awe and deeply respectful of Howard Zinn. Mr. Zinn says about The People's History of the American People that this is the unreported history of the marginalized people. Reading Mr. Joyce's biography, you can understand even more why Mr. Zinn thought that writing their history was so important. The thing is that Mr. Zinn's life falls in the same category: a part of history that is under-reported and needs to be analyzed and studied. His life is very instructive and a clear guide to anyone interested in progressive causes.

I wanted to find out what Mr. Zinn had read, that along with his actual life experiences had inspired him. And boy did I get my answer. Starting with economics and economic theory, including the sweetest story ever about Charles Dickens, and moving on to Richard Wright and others. If you feel the need to understand the passions that have moved Mr. Zinn, then finding out what he was reading is very instructive. Thanks to Mr. Joyce for giving readers a guide. As if I needed anything to stoke the Zinn Passion, this book did it.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review of Howard Zinn, November 24, 2003

By 

Frank Shanklin (Ada, Oklahoma United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Howard Zinn: A Radical American Vision (Hardcover)

Davis Joyce's book, Howard Zinn: "A Radical American Vision", is a delightful read. As an individual who typically doesn't read biographies, I was pleasantly surprised by the readability of this work. Zinn, who I had heard about only in passing, is an exceptional person. His radicalism has extended from the civil rights era to the present. He is a man who views history as a tool to demonstrate the need for action in current society.

I was particularly interested in the discussions between objective and subjective reporting of history. Most people now recognize that any view of any event is seen through subjective eyes. To pretend otherwise is sheer hypocrisy. Its good to see that some individuals in the profession of history recognize Zinn's view.

Zinn seems driven to work for the benefit of the downtrodden. A review of his work documents his struggle with authority, with his need to be a family man and provider, with his need to be recognized within his profession. This makes his story one of remarkable dedication.

I appreciate Mr Joyce bringing to my attention the ongoing life and struggle of this extraordinary man. By reading this work I was inspired to purchase Zinn's A People's History. I am looking forward to further enlightenment of our people's history.

Frank Shanklin, Ada