‘Like if John Sayles directed Forrest Gump’: the incredible life of historian Howard Zinn
Why This Matters
Key context: <p>The life of the hugely influential ‘people’s historian’ is explored in a wide-ranging new book that brings in everything from wars to civil rights to Matt Damon</p><p>Matt Damon may play a great hero in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jul/15/the-odyssey-review-christopher-nolan-matt-damon">The Odyssey</a>, but one of the star’s own heroes is also set for his time in the spotlight. In Massachusetts in the 1970s and 80s, Damon grew up close to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/jan/29/howard-zinn-obituary">Howard Zinn</a>, now the subject of <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-people-s-historian-the-outsized-life-of-howard-zinn-dave-zirin/542323d5ed3690ab?ean=9780593473658&listref=howard-zinn-s-titles&aid=7256&bkshp-astro=t">The People’s Historian</a>, a biography by Dave Zirin.</p><p>“Frankly,” Zirin said, “the fact that he’s Matt Damon and oh by the way is now in the biggest movie perhaps since Titanic, it makes it a nice little bauble for the book that I got to interview him.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/06/howard-zinn-the-peoples-historian-book">Continue reading...</a> This development from The Guardian highlights ongoing changes in the sector.
The life of the hugely influential ‘people’s historian’ is explored in a wide-ranging new book that brings in everything from wars to civil rights to Matt DamonMatt Damon may play a great hero in The Odyssey, but one of the star’s own heroes is also set for his time in the spotlight. In Massachusetts in the 1970s and 80s, Damon grew up close to Howard Zinn, now the subject of The People’s Historian, a biography by Dave Zirin.“Frankly,” Zirin said, “the fact that he’s Matt Damon and oh by the way is now in the biggest movie perhaps since Titanic, it makes it a nice little bauble for the book that I got to interview him. Continue reading...
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