[littlemerman]

Nice to see an article about a history professor at the top of HN. :)

As a former history major, I can confirm that Zinn's work, while well intentioned, isn't much respected in academia. He brought a useful new perspective but didn't back up his arguments with strong evidence.

Poor evidence, however, doesn't discredit Zinn's central thesis about American history.

For more rigorous approach American history I would recommend Eric Foner:

http://www.ericfoner.com/books/index.html

Although his focus is more global, Eric Hobsbawm is one of the most influential historians of the twentieth century. His "The Age of..." are worth a read"

https://www.newyorker.com/books/under-review/eric-hobsbawm-t...

The Age of Revolution: 1789-1848 The Age of Capital: 1848-1875 The Age of Empire: 1875-1914 The Age of Extremes: 1914-1991