12 books to help you fight the system

A People’s History of the United States cover (Image via Harper Perennial Modern Classics)

10. A People’s History of the United States

Perhaps more than any other book on this list, A People’s History of the United States has been subject to criticism from historians who are liberal, conservative, and everything in between. However, it’s still acknowledged as a major nonfiction work focused on American history. Read it critically, like any other book mentioned here, but read it with an open mind as well.

The central conceit of A People’s History is that American history, as recorded and interpreted, is the story of an elite minority who have exploited a majority of Americans. Author Howard Zinn is an American historian and political scientist. He stated that he wanted to inspire a “quiet revolution” in which workers would steadily take the power necessary to control their own lives. “I want young people to understand that ours is a beautiful country, but it has been taken over by men who have no respect for human rights or constitutional liberties.”

Zinn begins A People’s History by examining early Native American civilizations and the often violent interactions that took place with European colonizers. From there, Zinn follows the course of American history and the growing military-industrial complex and an increasingly pervasive sense of inequality and class conflict. Updated editions include Zinn’s analysis of the Cold War, the presidency of Bill Clinton, and the 2000 presidential election and subsequent War on Terrorism and occupation of Afghanistan.