The People's Historian
The Outsized Life of Howard Zinn

Quotes

"Dave Zirin, with the cooperation of Zinn's family, will for the first time reveal the fascinating life of the man behind one of the most impactful history books ever written, who endeavored to change the narrative of who holds the power, and how people can reclaim it." —Amazon Book Review (Most Anticipated Books of Summer 2026)

"A wonderful portrait of a historian who reshaped America’s understanding of its potential for change." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Zirin enriches the narrative with interviews and anecdotes from people close to Zinn while also providing the historical context that shaped his beliefs and actions....The People’s Historian demonstrates that activism is ongoing." —Booklist

“Dave Zirin’s biography of Howard Zinn, the great people’s intellectual, is a triumph…a measured, finely tuned narrative of an undeniably sweet but complicated scholar who transformed how we Americans see ourselves” —Kai Bird, Pulitzer Prize-winning coauthor of American Prometheus

“David Zirin - our premier sports historian and cultural critic - has written a brilliant and heartfelt book on the great Howard Zinn - our premier peoples’ historian and social critic! In these grim and dim times, we so badly need Zinn’s genuine witness of deep humanity and prophetic voice of hope and compassion!” —Dr. Cornel West, New York Times bestselling author of Democracy Matters

“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

“Howard Zinn spoke truth to power… In Dave Zirin, Zinn now has the right biographer: Zirin has given us a book that is clear-eyed and thoughtful and personal and full of levity. A clarion call we have never needed more than in the present moment.” —Jonathan Coleman, author of Long Way to Go: Black and White in America