JOHN MCMURTRIE’S BOOKS PICK

Howard Zinn died in 2010, but the historian’s role as an activist continues to inspire others. Consider the Howard Zinn Book Fair. Now in its fifth year, the event will center on the impacts of what it calls “environmental devastation.” The fair’s planners write, “The land we live on, the water we drink, and the air we breathe are under threat by relentless fossil fuel extraction and the toxic byproducts of profit driven mass production . ... While conventional politics often expect market forces or new technologies to solve the world’s problems, we know the real solutions will come from the collective action of everyday people, through the very struggles chronicled by Zinn under the banner of ‘a People’s History.’ ” To that end, the book fair will assemble authors, bloggers and publishers for a series of readings, workshops and discussions.

Howard Zinn Book Fair:

10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 2. San Francisco City College Mission Campus, 1125 Valencia St., S.F. www.howardzinnbook fair.com

Bryan Bedder / Getty Images 2009 Festival namesake and author Howard Zinn speaks at a 2009 festival in Park City, Utah.