( CNN ) -- Noted author and social activist Howard Zinn died of a heart attack Wednesday while traveling , his daughter , Myla Kabat-Zinn , said . Zinn , author of `` A People 's History of the United States , '' was 87 . Kabat-Zinn said her father , who lived in Auburndale , Massachusetts , '' died while traveling in Santa Monica , California . `` A People 's History of the United States , '' first published in 1980 , tells a history not often in seen in other books -- from the perspective of those not in a seat of power . The book was the inspiration for a 2009 documentary , narrated by Zinn , called `` The People Speak . '' The film highlighted people who spoke up for social change , according to the Web site of the History Channel , which aired the program . Zinn was a shipyard worker and Air Force bombardier before he went to college under the GI Bill and received a Ph.D. from Columbia University , according to his Web site . He taught at numerous universities , including Spelman College in Atlanta , Georgia , and Boston University in Boston , Massachusetts . Kabat-Zinn said of her father that he lived a `` very full and exciting life '' and that there were many social issues that were very important to him . Above all , she said , her father believed that there is no `` just war . '' Zinn 's death on the day of President Obama 's first State of the Union address was underscored by his contribution to a recently released special from The Nation magazine called `` Obama at One . '' `` I 've been searching hard for a highlight , '' he wrote . `` The only thing that comes close is some of Obama 's rhetoric ; I do n't see any kind of a highlight in his actions and policies . '' Zinn said he was not `` terribly disappointed because I did n't expect that much , '' noting that he has been `` a traditional Democratic president '' on foreign policy -- `` hardly any different from a Republican '' -- and has been cautious in domestic policy . `` On health care , for example , he starts out with a compromise , and when you start out with a compromise , you end with a compromise of a compromise , which is where we are now , '' Zinn said . Zinn also cautioned `` that Obama is going to be a mediocre president -- which means , in our time , a dangerous president -- unless there is some national movement to push him in a better direction . ''
Noted author and social activist Zinn died while traveling in California , daughter says . `` People 's History of California tells American history from view of those not in power . Book inspired documentary , `` Obama at One , '' which was narrated by Howard Zinn . In article for Obama , Zinn also cautioned `` Obama is going to be a mediocre president ''