Each month Abington Library will feature a favorite book from a faculty, staff member, or student. They will give a brief synopsis of their chosen book.
Dr.Timothy Bartlett is Associate Professor of Music at ASU-Beebe.
One of my favorite books is by American historian Howard Zinn entitled A People’s History of the United States, which was published in 1980. This extensive tome presents a well-documented view of American history from the perspective not of the rich and powerful, nor of leaders and presidents and wars, but that of the working class, the poor and the oppressed in our history as a nation. These groups, which have been typically underrepresented or even omitted from many narratives of our history include Native Americans, slaves, the white servant class of earlier centuries and the working and labor classes from the Industrial Revolution. Their stories are full of documented accounts of hard work for little pay, mistreatment by the factory system, betrayal, strikes, rebellion, poverty, disease and genocide.
This book reinforced in me the idea that history as a narrative is not a fixed, single-perspective tale, but that historical perspectives can vary and change over time, as we learn more and reinterpret information. The book transformed and helped to shape my own view of American history and I highly recommend it.
A People's History of the United States by