UWT Professor Hits #1 on Amazon Best Selling List
Here’s an interesting little Tacoma tidbit for us to consider. A Patriot’s History of the United States: From Columbus’s Great Discovery to the War on Terror, a 2007 book co-authored by Professor Mike Allen in the IAS Department at UWT, has suddenly emerged as the #1 book on Amazon.com’s top 10 bestselling books.
From the UWT News blog:
The book’s sudden surge in popularity may be due to the power of conservative radio talk show host Glenn Beck, who interviewed Schweikart a few weeks ago and mentioned the book again this morning as a must-read.
A Patriot’s History is considered the conservative counterpoint to Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States. Zinn’s death Jan. 27 has pushed both books back into the spotlight this month.
I had no idea …
Link to Amazon.com
Link to Tacoma.Washington.edu
Filed under: General
17 comments
S stu miller February 10, 2010
If Glenn Beck recommends this book it must be a great read, I didn’t think his fan base read books. I’d say skip this and pick up a copy of Howard Zinn’s “People’s history of the United States”. R.I.P Howard!
S Squid February 10, 2010
If Prof. Allen was not already a pariah within the confines of UWT’s liberal IAS enclave, now he is.
T Tacoma (A)roma February 10, 2010
+1 for “People’s History. F Glenn Beck and everyone who marches behind him.
T tom waits February 11, 2010
another feather in tacoma’s cap. we have the author of a book hailed as the counterpoint to zinn’s seminal achievement.
why are our claims fame so often actually infamy?
J Josh W. February 11, 2010
If Glenn Beck recommended this book…I will for sure go out and buy it. For those that want to keep in lock step with the liberal/progressive historical lies that are taught in our public schools and universities, then go right ahead. If you want to read the truth about history, while at times ugly but the majority of it will show how America was and is the beacon for freedom, then pick up any book Glenn supports.
C captiveyak February 11, 2010
I’m a little tempted to check this book out. I hope I don’t have to revise my thinking on history so as to conclude that it’s subject entirely to one’s political persuasion.
Q: Did Nathan Hale get hung or was he shot?
A: The answer depends on whether or not you support the Vietnam war unequivocally.
Q: Were Californians paid bounties for Native American scalps in the 1800’s?
A: The answer depends on whether you prefer Jeffersonian democracy over Jacksonian democracy.
Q: has European representative government contributed equally with the US to global prosperity?
A: The answer depends on whether you prefer surrender monkies or babies who drill, baby.
N nsw February 11, 2010
The book is a joke. I had to use it for a class at UWT. It is an example of the right’s consistent need to propagandize and insert their so-called patriotic spin on every aspect of American life. I have actually been quite shocked at how conservative some professors and many more students are at UWT. I guess that is to be expected from a military town.
T Tacoma (A)roma February 11, 2010
The author had me at “Columbus’ Great Discovery”
S Steven February 11, 2010
I have a dream….
A dream that ideas will be judged not on the color of the states that support them, but on the soundness of their content.
We must be open the contemplating opposing views. Name calling and rigid adherence to ideology will destroy this county.
Steven
M Mofo from the Hood February 12, 2010
“We must be open the contemplating opposing views. Name calling and rigid adherence to ideology will destroy this county.
Steven”
Steven, should we adhere to your ideology rigidly or just when we feel like it?
The fate of the county is at stake.
T Tacoma (A)roma February 12, 2010
Disliking Columbus isn’t part of any ideology, but its similar to disliking Hitler. Being an American must include lying to yourself about history.
A Altered Chords February 12, 2010
Aroma we eagerly await your soon to be best selling history book that draws these doubtless inescapable similarities between Columbus and Hitler.
C captiveyak February 12, 2010
I’m going to borrow a debate technique from our current president:
We may not all agree on Columbus. But surely we can all agree that Girl Scout cookies are suspiciously delicious for factory-baked, preservative-laden foodstuffs.
T Tacoma (A)roma February 12, 2010
If you were hoping I would get lost in your lovely use of vocabulary I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed. Just because something sells doesn’t make it factual or legitimate. Is it just too easy to pick on the anarchist? Lets get back on topic.
T tom waits February 12, 2010
let me first admit that i haven’t read this book, so i don’t want to get too into whether it is well written and thought provoking, or not. my original comment was just to note that, ironically, once again tacoma stands out as a conservative bastion in the uber liberal greater puget sound region.
it just had to be tacoma from which sprang forth the book identified as the best selling polar opposite to “a people’s history.” not from some other place you’d expect. texas, perhaps. utah. florida. or somewhere in the heartland, where the citizens of the inland feel left out of electoral politics. it just seems like another in a long list of things that bring us notariety. oh, tacoma. sigh.
in pre revolutionary new england, “patriots” were often referred to as the “violent people.” of course, this was coming from the quakers.
S Steven February 13, 2010
Mofo,
You go dawg.
Steven
D dolly varden February 13, 2010
The funny thing is, Tacoma is quite progressive overall. The voting patterns in the Hilltop/Sixth-UPS/Stadium “core” of Tacoma are not so different than those of most Seattle neighborhoods. But we’re surrounded by (how should I put this?) a pretty concentrated bunch of wingnuts.