Interview with Larry Gonick, Author/Artist of The Cartoon History of the Modern World Part 1 - Page 3

You're not quite right here. I liked Diamond's book and think he's essentially 100% correct. The comment you cite is meant to twit other historians They — we — don’t want to feel like murderers, do we? Naturally, we're relieved to think that something as impersonal as a germ did most of the damage.  

What else do historians do wrong in your opinion? You said you’ve read textbooks and found them varying from “pathetic to infuriating.” What’s the problem?  

Just think of your favorite high-school history textbook. Oh, you didn't have a favorite high-school history textbook? Well, there you are.  

Besides yourself, who do you suggest people read to get a better review of history? Are you a fan of Howard Zinn’s People’s History?  

I am not a fan of Zinn. He writes indictments. Inconceivable as it sounds, he seems blind to the fact that all societies inevitably have power hierarchies, and he "wastes" no time investigating how and why leaders make decisions. To say, "they're nothing but greedy hypocrites, and you got screwed!" isn't history. Catalogs of injustices may inspire some satisfying feelings of moral superiority, but we all know what happens when people who feel morally superior take charge.  

There are lots of good history books. Some current, or almost current, historians I like are Barbara Tuchman, Simon Schama, and Linda Colley,  and we can go backward in time to Fawn Brodie, Joseph Needham, de Tocqueville, Ammianus Marcelinus, Ssuma Chien, Polybius, Herodotus, and on and on. I also like to read biographies. For more details, see my bibliographies.

Article Author: Scott Butki

Scott Butki was a newspaper reporter for more than 10 years before making a career change into education.

He is an in-house media critic, a recovering Tetris addict and a proud uncle.

Visit Scott Butki's author page — Scott Butki's Blog