Zim

You don’t hate history, you hate the way it was taught to you in high school.
- Stephen Ambrose

To some, history is just the memorization of name and dates. However, history is much more than that. Through history, we can begin to make connections between the past, present and future. These connections, whether it is through the study of personal, local or national history, allow us to view our life and society in a new light. In addition, when you begin to pull back the layers of time, interesting events and people began to emerge. The purpose of this blog is to explore some of these people and events that standard textbooks either gloss over or miss entirely.

About Me
My name is Jessica Zimmerman, my friends call me Zim, and perhaps it is because my last name is long and difficult to say, or more reasonably, they are just lazy. Regardless of their original intention, the nickname stuck and honestly, History by Zim rolls off the tongue better.

Education
I have a BA in History with a minor in Art History. I also have a MFA in American History. My concentration was 20th Century United States Social History, which means that I focused on people and events more so than political or religious aspects even though historical events are an amalgamation of many issues.

Writing Style
Over the years, I have encountered my fair share of pretentious writing. Have you ever come across articles or books that sound like you are reading a thesaurus instead? Or you feel like you accidentally stepped into philosophical discussion on the meaning of life? I mean no offense to thesauruses or philosophers, because I love a good “word of the day” and the occasional debate on life, but this blog is about history and history does not have to become overly complicated. I intend for the writing style of this blog to be straightforward and clear-cut so that the focus is on the people and events rather than the wording and structure. I am passionate about what I write but also I am very conscious not to impart my own bias into my writing.

Topics
The topics will vary but there may be underlying patterns. Since my background is in American history, it will usually be my focus. Specifically, I also have a background in women’s history and World War II. Additionally, since art history is also a passion of mine, it will be discussed frequently in its own section.

Your Involvement
I would love to get suggestions or comments about possible upcoming blogs. Whether you have a question about something I wrote, or you are interested in learning more about a specific thing, feel free to either leave a comment under a blog or email me at historybyzim@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you!

Twitter – @historybyzim

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