The American Empire Project
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Liked It1 of 1 members found this review helpful “Thought-provoking, controversial and absolutely necessary for every American to understand the real place of America in the world. The use of mixed media is used to shocking effect, such as showing a photograph of the dead and/or wounded after the battles discussed, or to illustrate the racism...” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“History with a leftist viewpoint in comic form. only shows major summary of the issues... i'd like a bit more detail but does highlight the incredibly horrid treatment the USA has done to the poor both in the USA and overseas”
Linda L wrote this review Monday, October 12 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“In comic book form, the best way to show people who don't like to read some history”
Michael M wrote this review Monday, August 17 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“More narrow than A People's History, and perhaps more biased, but explains and supports US search for imperialism in a convincing manner. And the graphics make the ever-intellectual Zinn more accessible. ”
Kate Kaio wrote this review Wednesday, September 30 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Great graphic non-fiction depicting the history that is not typically told in history books - US interventions, both internal, such as the massacre of Native Americans at Wounded Knee, and external, through the current war in Iraq. Narrated by the caricature of historian Howard Zinn, in the form of a public lecture. One autobiographical chapter is out of place, but the source-cited content, images of original political cartoons, photos of historical figures, and engaging cartoon-style animation make up for the minor egotistical glimmers from Zinn. ”
Dhaivyd H wrote this review Friday, June 19 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“I've used this book repeatedly during my time as a teacher help illustrate points in American History. It's a history comic book. Easy read and great for introductory lessons in American Imperialism. ”
Sullivan wrote this review Sunday, May 31 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This book is marvelous!! It is essential, eye opening reading, proving the power of a graphic book”
prctaxman wrote this review Saturday, May 2 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“This is a graphic novel adaptation of Zinn’s famous history book, “A People’s History of the United States.”
plappen wrote this review Sunday, November 23 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
It doesn’t cover everything in “A People’s History...”, but starts with the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890, when American soldiers killed or wounded 300 Native Americans in about an hour. In the 1890’s, America was going through a depression, so a foreign enemy was needed against which to rally the public (along with finding new markets to exploit). The Cuban Revolution was attempting to throw off four centuries of Spanish rule. The sister of a Cuban rebel leader told the story of being searched for secret documents by a Spanish matron while on a US steamer. The American press turned it into an accusation by Spain that America was too weak to defend the honor of its women, and that women on American steamers were being strip searched. Calls were made to annex Cuba. The spark needed to start the Spanish-American War was the destruction of an American battleship in Havana harbor (“Remember the Maine”). Spain was blamed, but the US government was skeptical.
During World War I, the Espionage Act was passed to criminalize any antiwar talk that could be interpreted as discouraging enlistment. The law also secretly empowered private associations to spy on “disloyal” Americans. After World War II was won, but not officially over, the new American empire decided to start testing its new weapons on defenseless people. Zinn was involved in a bombing raid on a French town where several thousand German soldiers waited for the end of the war. On that day, over 1200 planes dropped nearly 400,000 gallons of napalm on the town of Royan.
Did you know that during the war, the wearing of zoot suits was considered dangerous, and was a kind of draft resistance? This book also looks at Vietnam, the Civil Rights era, the Pentagon Papers, the Contra War in Nicaragua, and the Iranian Revolution. It has a bibliography for those who want to read further.
For those who have never read “A People’s History of the United States,” perhaps intimidated by its several hundred page length, this is a wonderful alternative. For those who have read Zinn’s book, this helps to put a face to the names, and is still very highly recommended.
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“Howard Zinn is the author of the excellent People’s History of the United States, and this is a graphical adaptation of much of the material in the book. It’s similar to the book Lies My Teacher Told Me, going through different events and talking about what most of us have been taught about history is usually full of factual errors.
jjohnsen wrote this review Wednesday, July 30 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
He discusses the many events that have led the United States to go to war, how big business reacted when workers decided to form unions, and different cultural battles throughout time. Like many problems, almost everything seems to come down to money. While giving a mostly upbeat look at the United States, he doesn’t shy away from showing how we used things like the belief that God gave us this land as an excuse to kill native Americans, enslave blacks and put Japanese people into prison camps.
It’s simple to follow unlike some of his previous books that spend chapters on each area, the art is mediocre, but not a distraction. I was interested from beginning to end. The book isn’t worried about showing former leaders of the country as less-than-perfect, something I think we usually forget.
Zinn weaves his own life story through the book, which isn’t as interesting, but gives some contrast between what is happening all around the country, and how it the affects him.”1 of 1 members found this review helpful“Thought-provoking, controversial and absolutely necessary for every American to understand the real place of America in the world. The use of mixed media is used to shocking effect, such as showing a photograph of the dead and/or wounded after the battles discussed, or to illustrate the racism and hatred that existed/exists. Showing the stark photographs against the comic form only heightens the cruelty of the fight.”
wurd nurd wrote this review Saturday, May 10 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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