Fascinating History Demonstrating Limited Weak Public School Texts: Needs Some Postives, Not All...

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	• Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong James W. Loewen Touchstone, 2007 - 464 pages average customer review:based on 404 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

You Can't Handle the Truth

Any serious or semi-serious student of American history will be horrified by high school textbooks on the subject. Apart from their bias, they are utterly unreadable. They suffer from ADD more than the kids do. They're all over the place and they make no point at all, let alone inspire or evoke any normal response. They're despicable. So this analysis of textbooks from the point of view of their historical inaccuracy is to be praised and enjoyed.

From a much more cynical viewpoint, it seems to me that no tribe, religion or nation ever tells the truth about its origins. How could they? No one is going to be willing to sacrifice his life, the only thing he's got, for a second rate tribe, an erroneous religion, a mistaken mission or nation. In order to be willing to die on some pavement or in the mud of some strange place, you have to have a onviction that your sacrifice is worthwhile, that it serves some greater purpose. And no one is going to be willing to believe that it is sensible to sacrifice his life to perpetuate a manipulative, self-interested, mendacious corporate oligarchy. No, you want to believe that the "Nation" exists, that it's good and God supported, and that it appreciates your incredible sacrifice.

Actually, nations toss us away with very few qualms and with very little real pain.

History as taught in schools has almost always been national mythology, not factual account. School history is for inspiring the belief that we are better and that we are important and in fact that God has mandated our superiority.

But there is a larger question beyond the textbook/school history issue. After all, what is history? It seems to me, it is a combination of records and memories of past events on one hand, and a historian on the other. History is a consummation of facts and an author. So the author's understanding of life in general is as important as his breadth of knowledge of the subject he's writing about. There are an infinite number of facts, so the digestion and interpretation of the facts is essential. The truth is a written history is more a reflection of the author than it is a reflection of the events he's narrating. (Hence, these soul-less textbooks). Studying and writing history is a process that shouldn't really lead to a conclusion but rather to a more intelligent, more heart-felt question. And this is what I felt was missing in this book. The author is confident that he knows all about all these topics. This, it seems to me, is only a different form and lesser degree of the ignorance he deplores.

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A bit more a polemic than I expected

The points the author makes are fair, important and, up to a point, interesting. But the book seems to be sold more as an anecdotal "here's the history you don't know" when it's really more of a "here's how a conservative, pro-European, America-can-do-no-wrong bias has become the foundation of much of the teaching of US history." So it wasn't as fun a book as I expected it to be. And, after a while, I wanted to yell "okay, okay, I agree with you! Just stop arguing at me. I get it."

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Fascinating History Demonstrating Limited Weak Public School Texts: Needs Some Postives, Not All Historical Warts

A very interesting book as the author's main premise is that many standard school history books provide superficial history and quite often only put a positive spin on all subjects whether actions by the government (Vietnam) or individuals such as Lincoln and Woodrow Wilson. For example, he debunks the importance of Columbus and explains why modern Native Americans despise Columbus as one who was very harsh to Indians he encountered and he documents that fairly well and he contrasts his facts with what is typically printed virtually as pabulum in several history books he quotes. Other contrasts include the image of John Brown as a violent religious fanatic in contrast to being a fervent abolitionist, Lincoln as doing what was politically expedient regarding race relations and slavery, Woodrow Wilson's support of the Klan and segregation of government employees, the post Civil War treatment of blacks in America that was frequently and geographically severe and the U.S. government's questionable involvement in Vietnam. A number of the points the author makes are fascinating and in particular the post Civil War race relations needs to be told as the "Jim Crow" laws were very harsh and discriminatory. The criticisms of the book lie in that it tends to be too negative and part of the culture of total destroying all heroes. The book would be much better served to discuss the relative positive points of those in our history with more balance. For example, Columbus was harsh to many Indians he encountered but most if not all the Conquistadors were extraordinary cruel to the Indians particularly Desoto. Columbus is not exempt from those cruelties but there is evidence that he may not have been directly involved in them certainly to the extent of others of his vain. The author does show some individuals very positively such as Helen Keller who's early modern controversial politics were deemed unworthy to mention. Lastly, I was more interested in the historical nuggets that the author writes about and became a little tired of the time out documentation of all the school books' with weak descriptions, I got the point early and would have preferred limited references to these public books as time went on as the history was much more interesting. This is a very good book but emphasizes too many of mankind's warts without balance, thus not for the faint of heart. A greater mix of human positives would have enhanced the book.

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For American Citizens

This book really is what is made out to be on the cover "Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong." Loewen points out many of the inacuracies taught in the American history classroom in a way that is enlightening for any citizen. The book is broken down into thematic chapters that help any student of history conceptualize the issues being dealt with at that time.

College Text book

The price beats what most college bookstores charge. I always reccommend purchasing online it could cut the cost of the book in half. However if your going to purchase your college book online you should visit the college bookstore and find out what the instructor requires for the class a few weeks ahead of time so you dont get stuck paying for expedited shipping.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Winner of the American Book Award and the Oliver C. CoxAnti-Racism Award of The American Sociological Association

Americans have lost touch with their history, and in Lies My Teacher Told Me Professor James Loewen shows why. After surveying eighteen leading high school American history texts, he has concluded that not one does a decent job of making history interesting or memorable. Marred by an embarrassing combination of blind patriotism, mindless optimism, sheer misinformation, and outright lies, these books omit almost all the ambiguity, passion, conflict, and drama from our past.

In this revised edition, packed with updated material, Loewen explores how historical myths continue to be perpetuated in today's climate and adds an eye-opening chapter on the lies surrounding 9/11 and the Iraq War. From the truth about Columbus's historic voyages to an honest evaluation of our national leaders, Loewen revives our history, restoring the vitality and relevance it truly possesses.

Thought provoking, nonpartisan, and often shocking, Loewen unveils the real America in this iconoclastic classic beloved by high school teachers, history buffs, and enlightened citizens across the country.

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