Left Out Info

Instead of picking up a book at library, I instead read a book that I already had at home. The book is called A People’s History of the United States by the author Howard Zinn. Even though I have decided not to read it anymore I have made that decision after reading a few chapters. I have noticed that each chapter that Zinn writes has the same set up.  Zinn will revisit major events first then retells the story emphasizing certain parts and including facts that are often left out that people wouldn’t normally know. The last thing he does is he makes an interpretative claim in saying how the higher class of society tries to maintain their control. The book is interesting in how I was able to notice in only the first few chapters that the author has a focal topic allowing him in connect historical influences.

The book opens up with the chapter of this book called “Columbus, the Indians, and Human Progress”. The chapter opens up with the Arawak Indians meeting Columbus with Zinn putting Columbus’s travel into both a historical and political stand point. What Zinn emphasis in this chapter are the aggressiveness and the cruelty of the Europeans and having the natives seen as peaceful people.  The author really tells in the chapter how the Indian’s number shortened due to the enslavement, violence, and the disease brought by the Europeans.  The reveals the true meaning of Zinn’s premise which is what is means to leave out key details when having a historical narrative. What Zinn challenges is how past historians tell that slaughter is used as the price for human progress saying to think about who is sacrificed for the real progress.

The book is interesting because it has the reader notice that parts of history are not told having people continuously explain how events happened in hundreds of different ways. It can be a part as huge as a whole event or a small as a saying that can change the mind of people. I like the author’s point of view but am actually looking for a different topic to read about because although this is interesting, other topics make me want to read more.