Lawrence resident and historian Danny Sjursen presents his new book A True History of the United States, an unflinching and eye-opening look at the history of imperialism and oppression in the US. He'll be joined by noted historian Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz.

“An engaging warts-and-all history of the U.S…. Fluid, readable, strongly written, and thought-provoking—a must read for nonhistorians seeking a firm grasp of accurate American history.” —Kirkus (starred review)

In vivid, engaging prose, Sjursen shifts the lens and challenges readers to think critically and to apply common sense to their understanding of our nation’s past—and present—so we can view history as never before.

Written by a combat veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, A True History of the United States grew out of a course that Daniel A. Sjursen taught to cadets at West Point, his alma mater. With chapter titles such as “Patriots or Insurgents?” and “The Decade That Roared and Wept”, A True History is accurate with respect to the facts and intellectually honest in its presentation and analysis.

“Sjursen exposes the dominant historical narrative as at best myth, and at times a lie…He brings out from the shadows those who struggled, often at the cost of their own lives, for equality and justice. Their stories, so often ignored or trivialized, give us examples of who we should emulate and who we must become.” —Chris Hedges, author of Empire of Illusion and America: The Farewell Tour

Danny Sjursen is a retired US Army officer, senior fellow at the Center for International Policy (CIP), contributing editor at Antiwar.com, and director of the new Eisenhower Media Network (EMN). His work has appeared in the NY Times, LA Times, The Nation, Huff Post, The Hill, Salon, The American Conservative, Mother Jones, Scheer Post and Tom Dispatch, among other publications. He served combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and later taught history at West Point. He is the author of a memoir and critical analysis of the Iraq War, Ghostriders of Baghdad: Soldiers, Civilians, and the Myth of the Surge and Patriotic Dissent: America in the Age of Endless War. Along with fellow vet Chris "Henri" Henriksen, he co-hosts the podcast “Fortress on a Hill.” Follow him on Twitter @SkepticalVet and on his website for media requests and past publications.

Roxanne Dunbar Ortiz grew up in rural Oklahoma, child of a tenant farming family. Moving to California she studied history, receiving the BA at San Francisco State College, and the MA and Ph.D. in History at the University of California, Los Angeles, the MFA in Creative Writing, and the Diploma in the International and Comparative Law of Human Rights. As a veteran of the Sixties revolution, she organized against the US war in Vietnam, US imperialism, racism, South African Apartheid, workers’ rights, women’s liberation, and restoration of Indigenous Peoples’ lands and sovereignty helping build Indigenous Peoples’ participation in United Nations fora. She received the 2017 Lannan Cultural Freedom Prize. A historian, writer, and professor emeritus at California State University, she is author or editor of fifteen books.

Daniel A. Sjursen in conversation with Roxanne Dunbar Ortiz: A True History of the United States