Which author is associated with a history of the United States from a popular perspective?

• A. Noam Chomsky
• B. Howard Zinn
• C. George Orwell
• D. J. K. Rowling

Answer: (B)

Think about authors who retell United States history from the viewpoint of everyday people rather than political leaders or elites. Howard Zinn is the classic example here. He wrote A People’s History of the United States, a book that foregrounds the experiences of workers, Indigenous peoples, women, African Americans, and other marginalized groups. It aims to tell the story “from below,” challenging traditional, elite-centered narratives and offering a more accessible, critical account for a broad audience.

Noam Chomsky is a renowned linguist and political commentator who analyzes power and propaganda, but he’s not known for a comprehensive history of the United States from a popular perspective. George Orwell was a British writer whose fiction and essays critique totalitarianism and social issues, not a U.S. history from a popular viewpoint. J. K. Rowling writes fiction rather than historical analysis. Because of its explicit family-friendly, bottom-up approach to American history, Zinn’s work fits this description best.