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You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train

A Personal History of Our Times

Part of Beacon Classics

Author Howard Zinn

Hardcover

$24.00 US

| $32.00 CAN

Beacon Press

On sale Nov 04, 2025 | 232 Pages | 9780807024119

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Howard Zinn, author of A People's History of the United States, tells his personal stories about more than thirty years of fighting for social change, from teaching at Spelman College to recent protests against war.

A former bombardier in WWII, Zinn emerged in the civil rights movement as a powerful voice for justice. Although he's a fierce critic, he gives us reason to hope that by learning from history and engaging politically, we can make a difference in the world.

"A powerful, politically electric book from one of the most engaging social critics in the nation."—Jonathan Kozol

"A history and a history maker to give us hope."—Alice Walker

"Zinn explains his involvement in the struggles for civil rights, against war, and in support of organized labor by citing his 'abhorrence of any kind of bullying.' These are lively tales."—Patricia O'Connell, The New York Times

"Pick up this book! Start reading it! I guarantee you won't stop. The most influential teacher I've ever had continues to teach us about life and humanity and hope."—Marian Wright Edelman

"A teacher who committed his politically engaged life to the belief that love is a command to action.—Colman McCarthy, The Washington Post

"A personal favorite. This autobiography by the great activist and historian...provides an eloquent, personal account of the struggles for civil rights and against the Vietnam War, and a universal paean to protest and resistance."—Matthew Rothschild, The Progressive

Howard Zinn (1922–2010) was a world-renowned historian, author, playwright, and social activist best known for the perennially best-selling classic A People's History of the United States. His many highly acclaimed books include You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train; Three Strikes: Miners, Musicians, Salesgirls, and the Fighting Spirit of Labor’s Last Century; and Three Plays—The Political Theater of Howard Zinn: Emma, Marx in Soho, Daughter of Venus. View titles by Howard Zinn

Foreword 2018
Preface 2002
Introduction: The Question Period in Kalamazoo

PART ONE: The South and the Movement

1. Going South: Spelman College
2. “Young Ladies Who Can Picket”
3. “A President Is Like a Gardener”
4. “My Name Is Freedom”: Albany, Georgia
5. Selma, Alabama
6. “I’ll Be Here”: Mississippi

PART TWO: War

7. A Veteran against War
8. “Sometimes to Be Silent Is to Lie”: Vietnam
9. The Last Teach-In
10. “Our Apologies, Good Friends, for the Fracture of Good Order”

PART THREE: Scenes and Changes

11. In Jail: “The World Is Topsy-Turvy”
12. In Court: “The Heart of the Matter”
13. Growing Up Class-Conscious
14. A Yellow Rubber Chicken: Battles at Boston University
15. The Possibility of Hope

Acknowledgments
Index