A biography of iconic radical historian Howard Zinn, examining his life and work as a progressive icon and thought leader through the story of the times that shaped him and the country.
From The Nation magazine columnist and New York Times bestselling author Dave Zirin, The People’s Historian is a deeply researched biography of Howard Zinn, the beloved author of many books including the classic national bestseller with more than four million copies sold, A People’s History of the United States.
The People’s Historian paints a picture of the man behind A People’s History, examining his work and legacy in the broader context of the United States. [Adapted from publishers’ description.]
It includes his time in the shipyards in Brooklyn, the Air Force in World War II, college under the G.I. Bill, Spelman College where he became active with SNCC, Boston University where he was a target of the administration and an ally of countless students, the anti-Vietnam War movement, the production of Voices of a People’s History, and much more.
Release date: August 4, 2026. Available now for pre-order.
ISBN: 9780593473658 | Dutton
Book Release Tour
Dave Zirin will speak about the book at these locations. Schedule is subject to change and more events will be added.
August 3 Greenlight Books, Brooklyn
August 6 Politics and Prose Bookstore, Washington, DC
August 10 Harvard Bookstore, Boston
August 13 Busboys and Poets (14th & V), Washington, DC
August 22 People’s Book, Takoma Park, Maryland
September 4 Pilsen Community Bookstore, Chicago
September 4-7 Socialism Conference, Chicago
September 12 or 13 Baltimore Book Fair
September 22 Elliott Bay Book Company, Seattle
September 23 Powell’s Books, Portland
September 24 Tattered Cover, Denver
September 27 Brooklyn Book Fair
October 15 Brooklyn Public Library
October 24 East Side Freedom Library, St. Paul, Minnesota
October 28 Labyrinth Books, Princeton, New Jersey
Praise
In this compelling portrait of the indomitable Howard Zinn, Dave Zirin offers a definitive account of the nation’s most influential radical historian… Arriving at an urgent moment, this book reminds us that Howard Zinn still has much to teach about resisting the latest threats to American democracy. —Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, author of #From Black Lives Matter to Black Liberation
Dave Zirin always comes on time because he never stops writing beautiful prose pointed at injustice. The People’s Historian shook free an understanding of Zinn I’d never felt, and made me know that we are so, so prepared to live and fight in 2026. —Kiese Laymon, author of Heavy: An American Memoir
The People’s Historian is a rousing, defiant portrait of an unapologetic progressive, his battles, and adversaries written in the quintessential Zinn spirit, Zirin standing up while others are checking out. —Howard Bryant, author of Kings and Pawns, Jackie Robinson and Paul Robeson in America
There are rare moments when the right biographer tells the story of an epic figure. This is one of them. Dave Zirin’s masterful recounting of the life of Howard Zinn is rich in political detail and ideological insight, yet delightfully warm and compelling in its storytelling. Zirin has given us an exceptional biography of the people’s historian. —John Nichols, New York Times bestselling author of It’s OK to be Angry About Capitalism
Teacher Testimonial
I’m just really excited to get into this book by Dave Zirin. I’ve read a bunch of his other scholarship, a bunch of his other books, A People’s History of Sports in the United States, The Kaepernick Effect, What’s My Name, Fool?. The list goes on. I have a bunch of them, I’ve read a bunch of them, and I love talking about his scholarship with students. I’m just super appreciative of his scholarship, and his first podcast. I listen to podcasts, too, and I listen to Edge of Sports all the time. So yeah, thanks for all the work, Dave.
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