Books: Non-Fiction

Passionate Declarations: Essays on War and Justice

Book — Non-fiction. By Howard Zinn. 2003. 368 pages.
A selection of passionate, honest, and piercing essays looking at political ideology in the United States.

Time Periods: 19th Century, 20th Century
Themes: Criminal Justice & Incarceration, Imperialism, Laws & Citizen Rights, US Foreign Policy, Wars & Related Anti-War Movements

Howard Zinn brings to Passionate Declarations the same astringent style and provocative point of view that led more than a million people to buy his book A People’s History of the United States.

He directs his critique here to what he calls “American orthodoxies” — that set of beliefs guardians of our culture consider sacrosanct: justifications for war, cynicism about human nature and violence, pride in our economic system, certainty of our freedom of speech, romanticization of representative government, confidence in our system of justice.

Those orthodoxies, he believes, have a chilling effect on our capacity to think independently and to become active citizens in the long struggle for peace and justice. [Publisher’s description.]

ISBN: 9780060557676  | HarperCollins

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