People's History by Zinn on tap for Oconee Dems bookclub

‘People’s History’ set for book discussion

Howard Zinn’s “A People’s History of the United States: 1492-Present” is on tap for the community book group sponsored by the Oconee Democrats at 6 p.m. today at Five Points Deli on Epps Bridge Parkway.

The book examines U.S. history from the vantage point of people whose stories aren’t often told. For example, he highlights the lives of Southern farmers in the Gilded Age, the Irish in Civil War-era New York, and female textile workers during the Industrial Age.

The New York Times Book Review praised Zinn for his skill in depicting a complex history: “Professor Zinn writes with an enthusiasm rarely encountered in the leaden prose of academic history, and his text is studded with telling quotations from labor leaders, war resisters and fugitive slaves. There are vivid descriptions of events that are usually ignored, such as the great railroad strike of 1877 and the brutal suppression of the Philippine independence movement at the turn of this century.”

Zinn received his doctorate in History from Columbia University after serving in the Air Force as a bombardier during World War II.

The book is available at a 25 percent discount at Books Galore in Watkinsville. The group is open to everyone, and newcomers are welcome. E-mail patricia.priest@yahoo.com for more information.