Consistently lauded for its lively, readable prose, A People's History of the United States turns traditional textbook history on its head, as Howard Zinn infuses the often-submerged voices of blacks, women, American Indians, war resisters, and poor laborers of all nationalities into the narrative. The Twentieth Century uses the relevant chapters of that book as a starting point, expanding upon the story to provide a rich portrait of the United States from the jingoistic rise of Theodore Roosevelt to the Clinton presidency. If your last experience of American history was brought to you by junior-high-school textbooks--or even if you're a specialist--get ready for the other side of stories you may not even have heard. With its vivid descriptions of rarely noted events, The Twentieth Century is required reading for anyone who wants to take a fresh look at America's legacy as a world power.