On August 13, author Dave Zirin will be in conversation with Jessica A. Rucker to introduce a new biography of Howard Zinn called The People’s Historian: The Outsized Life of Howard Zinn. Written by The Nation Magazine journalist Dave Zirin, it will be published by Penguin Random House. Zirin is also the author of A People’s History of Sports in the United States, which was a part of the Zinn-curated People’s History series at The New Press.
Attendees may purchase food and drinks to enjoy throughout the event, buy copies of the books, and get them signed by the authors. Pre-order book. This author conversation is part of the Beyond Heroes & Holidays series, co-hosted by Busboys and Poets and Teaching for Change.
From the publisher
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.
Praise
“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 author 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, 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, The Nation’s sports editor, is one of UTNE Reader’s “50 Visionaries Who Are Changing Our World” and is the author of ten books (including A People’s History of Sports in the United States) on the politics of sports — none more important than The Kaepernick Effect for helping educators understand how young people can change the world.
The People’s Historian: The Outsized Life of Howard Zinn
On August 13, author Dave Zirin will be in conversation with Jessica A. Rucker to introduce a new biography of Howard Zinn called The People’s Historian: The Outsized Life of Howard Zinn. Written by The Nation Magazine journalist Dave Zirin, it will be published by Penguin Random House. Zirin is also the author of A People’s History of Sports in the United States, which was a part of the Zinn-curated People’s History series at The New Press.
Attendees may purchase food and drinks to enjoy throughout the event, buy copies of the books, and get them signed by the authors. Pre-order book. This author conversation is part of the Beyond Heroes & Holidays series, co-hosted by Busboys and Poets and Teaching for Change.
From the publisher
Praise
Speakers
Dave Zirin
Dave Zirin, The Nation’s sports editor, is one of UTNE Reader’s “50 Visionaries Who Are Changing Our World” and is the author of ten books (including A People’s History of Sports in the United States) on the politics of sports — none more important than The Kaepernick Effect for helping educators understand how young people can change the world.
Jessica A. Rucker
Jessica A. Rucker (she/her) is a doctoral student in the Department of American Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park where she is studying Black radicalisms. Jessica is a President’s Fellow, a member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, a 2023-2025 graduate assistant at the Frederick Douglass Center for Leadership Through the Humanities, a 2023-2024 DISCO Graduate Scholar, and a Zinn Education Project Prentiss Charney Fellow. Prior to Jessica’s graduate work, she was a high school social studies teacher, department chair, instructional coach, and a participant in the 2018 National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Teacher Institute at Duke University. Jessica resides in her home city, the U.S. colony of Washington, D.C., with her loving partner.
Posted: May 13, 2026