Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong

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Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong

by James W. Loewen

3.93 · rating details · 11,768 ratings · 1,157 reviews

The national bestseller and winner of the American Book Award, thoroughly updated for the first time since its initial publication to include textbooks written since 2000 and featuring a new chapter on what textbooks get wrong about 9/11 and Iraq.
Since its initial publication in 1995, "Lies My Teacher Told Me" has gone on to win an American Book Award and the Ol...more

Hardcover, Revised and Updated Edition, 444 pages

Published April 8th 2008 by New Press, The (first published 1980)

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Jan 30, 2008

Jim rated it

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This was a great book! The first two-thirds gives example after example of the many lies, omissions, and half-truths found in American high school history books, and the last third speculates why this has happened. Here's one example:

Almost everyone knew the world was round before 1492. Columbus's main reason for traveling to the new world to find gold, and he was responsible for killing, torturing and enslaving natives by the millions. Eight million in Haiti alone were reduced t...moreThis was a great book! The first two-thirds gives example after example of the many lies, omissions, and half-truths found in American high school history books, and the last third speculates why this has happened. Here's one example:

Almost everyone knew the world was round before 1492. Columbus's main reason for traveling to the new world to find gold, and he was responsible for killing, torturing and enslaving natives by the millions. Eight million in Haiti alone were reduced to 200 within 60 years - now seen as history's first documented genocide. Columbus practically invented genocide.

The new world was not populated by sparsely-scattered tribes, but by as many as 100 million Indians, which were systematically wiped out by one plague after another, most introduced purposely. Columbus's role in setting up the system is never mentioned. Indians were hunted for sport, murdered for dog food, and given to officers as sex slaves. Tributes in gold or cotton were due every 3 months, and Indians who did not comply had their hands chopped off.

The book goes on to discuss the invisibility of both racism and anti-racism in history books, and example after example of how history books white-wash our history, always making America look like the good guys, and never mentioning our mistakes.

The author would like to see history taught showing both sides of each event, and involve students in discussions of the pros and cons, which might make it more interesting to study.

Why is history taught this way? The author speculates that, although we strive for the truth in all other subjects, we purposely lie in history books, beasue we are trying to use history to build patriotism and a love of America in our children, and the truth might get in the way of that goal. We also want to shield our children from the harsh realities of the world, at least till they study history in college.

But most students never study history in college, and the facts go unlearned. I found much in this book that I never knew. Except for the controversy about teaching Evolution, history is the only subject whose content is dictated by parental groups and school boards.

This is a book that will make you stop and think like few others will.(less)

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Feb 20, 2008

Maurean rated it

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Shelves: nonfiction-essays

I originally picked this up several years ago because the blurb on the back cover appealed to me:

“Lies My Teacher Told Me” is for anyone who has ever fallen asleep in history class."

Mr. Loewen’s premise is that history textbooks have been presented to portray a slanted, optimistic and patriotic “dumbed-down” view of America, because this suits the needs of the conservative white people who sit on the textbook adoption boards. By critiquing 12 highly used American His...moreI originally picked this up several years ago because the blurb on the back cover appealed to me:

“Lies My Teacher Told Me” is for anyone who has ever fallen asleep in history class."

Mr. Loewen’s premise is that history textbooks have been presented to portray a slanted, optimistic and patriotic “dumbed-down” view of America, because this suits the needs of the conservative white people who sit on the textbook adoption boards. By critiquing 12 highly used American History textbooks, the author successfully presents several topics which they currently address, and uncovers the alleged omissions and distortions.

I completely agree with the author’s basic belief that American students are getting short-changed when we present only the PC-version of our country’s heritage, not to mention the fact that this watered down presentation only serves to bore them all to tears (students consider history to be “the most irrelevant” and “boring” of all the 21 subjects commonly taught in school). I, personally, was interested to learn that not one of the twelve textbooks described the geopolitical implications of Christopher Columbus’s encounter with the Americans; none mention that Columbus was the first to send slaves across the Atlantic. When we present our youth the world through rose-colored glasses, where no controversial subjects arise, it no doubt causes them to be ill prepared for the real world that exists beyond the classroom.

Having said all that, however, I found Loewen was overplaying the “politically correct” hand himself, replacing the conservative, Euro-centric rhetoric with his own overtly socialist and liberal leanings. His strong opinions on historical events may cause some readers to overlook his message on education. For this reader, it made for just the kind of boring recitation of skewed political propaganda the author claims to be rallying against. If you are interested in the topic of education and how it is being inseminated to our children through textbook censorship and abridgement of the facts, then I would recommend Diane Ratvitch’s “The Language Police: How Pressure Groups Restrict What Students Learn” for a more balanced examination of this issue. (clicking on the title will link you to a reader's journal/discussion of the book) (less)

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Aug 01, 2008

Jamie rated it

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Ostensibly, Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James Loewen is a book about factual inaccuracies found in a survey of twelve popular History textbooks. That's a good hook, but unfortunately once the hook gets you the place it pulls you into is slightly different than what you might expect. This book might more accurately be titled Subtle Biases Created by Questionable Omissions in A Few Textbooks. But that, of course, is not quite as bombastic a title...moreOstensibly, Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James Loewen is a book about factual inaccuracies found in a survey of twelve popular History textbooks. That's a good hook, but unfortunately once the hook gets you the place it pulls you into is slightly different than what you might expect. This book might more accurately be titled Subtle Biases Created by Questionable Omissions in A Few Textbooks. But that, of course, is not quite as bombastic a title and you probably wouldn't read the book, would you?

After a brief false start involving how Hellen Keller was a raging Communist, Loewen starts his review of American history in precolonial days, beginning with the atrocities of the Conquistadors and other European explorers. Then it moves on to the atrocities of the White European settlers. Then the atrocities of the early American, White colonists. Then the atrocities of the antebellum slave owners. Then the atrocities of the postbellum racists. Then the atrocities of the opponents of the civil rights movement. You see the pattern here? It holds up for most of the book.

Throughout it all, Loewen does a pretty good job of showing how textbooks often omit information and whitewash (pun intended) the characters of prominent Europeans and Americans, such as Christopher Columbus and Abraham Lincoln. And it is pretty interesting to read how, for example, textbooks describe how the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria were "storm battered" and floundered into the shores of the new world full of crews on the brink of mutiny, while Columbus's own personal journal pretty much says that hey, the weather has been awesome this whole trip and everyone is still in a great mood. Or how Lincoln made several campaign speeches in which he turned his nose at the idea of racial equality.

And Loewen makes good points about how these omissions seem to be systematic done towards the end of downplaying the unpleasant (like, say, the genocide of Native Americans through disease and murder) and emphasizing the heroic (like, say, taming a wilderness that in truth wasn't that wild because the Indians had already cultivated it but are dead now). At times, his comments are impressively subtle, like when he notes how textbooks often credit President Kennedy and other governmental institutions for coming up with anti-discrimination legislation during the 60s, when the government was, for the most part, bowing to pressure from civil rights activists, who really deserve all the credit. This kind of misinformation, he argues, teaches that Blacks and their White allies were not the ones who enacted these changes can thus not expect to view them as inspirations for future battles. It's a subtle point, but Loewen makes good arguments that stuff like this is all in the name of making us feel good about our country and unquestioning about our pride in our history. And he's good about describing how this is doing a disservice to people both as students of history and as eventual participants in our system of government.

BUT, that all being said, I'm not quite sure I've ever read anything so awash in liberal White guilt as this book. It's not that I necessarily disagree with any of this, but the tone of the work is often offsetting and sometimes approaches zealotry. I was really hoping to read more interesting tidbits about stuff that history books get wrong, the kind of stuff that might serve well as idle chit-chat at my next dinner party or bar crawl. But it doesn't take long for it to become apparent that that's not what this books is about. It's really just a vehicle for Loewen's politics. Not that there's anything wrong with that and not that I found myself disagreeing with his politics too often (well, sometimes). It's just not the book I expected or even really wanted.(less)

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Feb 09, 2008

Chris rated it

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Shelves: history

Why does nobody like high school history? Or civics, or social studies, or whatever they're calling it these days. Why does pretty much everybody hate this class? I mean, you have people who can memorize irrelevant sporting statistics for the last fifty years, but they can't name more than two nineteenth-century presidents.

The author of this book, a teacher and researcher of history, started looking into this. He'd found among his high school and college students an appalling level o...moreWhy does nobody like high school history? Or civics, or social studies, or whatever they're calling it these days. Why does pretty much everybody hate this class? I mean, you have people who can memorize irrelevant sporting statistics for the last fifty years, but they can't name more than two nineteenth-century presidents.

The author of this book, a teacher and researcher of history, started looking into this. He'd found among his high school and college students an appalling level of ignorance in basic American history. So, he decided to try and figure out what went wrong and why.

His conclusion? Textbooks. The textbooks that we use in American history classes are simplistic, dry and patronizing, aimed not at teaching the students about the rich epic that is American history, but rather at reinforcing what they already believe to be true: America is a great place, and it's just getting greater.

Loewen has a lot of bones to pick with the history texts, but he limits himself here to ten. He looks at things like heroification, social biases, omission of the underclass and so on. With twelve common texts to draw upon, he tries to see what they omit and what they include, and he is shocked and appalled.

The primary sin of American history textbooks, he believes, is a lack of conflict. They present our history as a series of semi-benign events that all turned out okay in the end. These were not things that we (the government, a president, society) did, they were things that just happened. There is no causality, no emotion, no contradiction. Nothing ever leads to anything else, and none of it certainly is reflected in modern times. And so what is left is a bright-eyed, doped up view of America, where everything is just fine, and whatever may happen in the future, we'll get through that as well.

His position is that if we could teach history properly, as a continuum that affects us even now, it would be more interesting. If we showed the contradictions and the unpleasantness, we could teach students to think critically and, in turn, be better citizens. The cynic in me, of course, immediately thinks, "Well, no one wants that!"

He does try to offer solutions, things that a good textbook should do - focus on fewer topics, offer a broader view, and force students to work outside the text, for example - but he also acknowledges that it's not nearly as easy as it sounds. One of the reasons why history texts have to be so bland and inoffensive is because they have to be. If the subject matter is too controversial, the economic implications could be catastrophic. Too much focus on Black achievement during the Reconstruction? Southern schools won't buy your book. Not enough focus on the achievements of women? Say hello to NOW, you'll be hearing from them a lot. For every page and every paragraph, there's some parent, teacher, administrator, student, or just plan nutjob who might take offense, and so the solution is to be as inoffensive as possible. And in a country where people get very offended very quickly, I can see how textbook publishers might find it easier just to give up and put out the same crap edition after edition.

It's a tough problem to solve, and Loewen admits that he doesn't really have the solution. All he can really do is shine a light on the problem, and hope that we can figure it out. Because history is essential to knowing what to do with the future of America. And, of course, the rest of the world....(less)

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Jan 20, 2008

Justin rated it

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Shelves: historybooks

Lies My Teacher Told Me is a well-written and insightful expose of some of the problems inherent in the teaching of US History in public schools. From outdated textbooks to gross distortions of basic events and major figures, Loewen exposes readers to a side of US History that most do not get in high school. However, I had a problem with some of his methodology. His survey of 12 textbooks didn't seem like enough to make a truly damning critique of education in the country. In addition, his judgm...more

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Jul 07, 2008

kendall rated it

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Recommends it for: teachers, people interested in history/politics/education system

Recommended to kendall by: Nithya

The thesis of the book is interesting and well supported, however, I found it pretty dry which was disappointing considering a main point Loewen makes is that Middle School/High School History books are too boring. He goes into too much depth in the first two chapters making the same point over and over again, while quickly and concisely exploring more current history, which again is the same criticism he makes of the textbooks he attacks. I also thing the extreme liberal tone of the book took...more

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Sep 06, 2011

Daniel rated it

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As a history major in college, I still have an affinity for the subject. This book was very interesting, because it challenged many of the things we were all taught in the American educational system.
It's a real eye opener, and while you may have a superficial knowledge of some of the events and trends that we were never taught,or taught in such a way that the real issues were glossed over, this book delves into them in depth.
I would highly recommend this book, even if you are not in...more

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Feb 21, 2009

Whitney rated it

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Shelves: non-fiction

This biggest reason I'm rating this book so high is that it was so thought-provoking. Loewen reviewed 12 common American history textbooks and analyzed the content based on historical accuracy and bias. Unsurprisingly, they all presented a very sanitized and rosy view of American history. His argument is that most of the textbooks in use 1. are very Euro-centric, marginalizing minorities (especially african americans and native americans); 2. "heroify" major historical figures so much ...more

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Dec 16, 2008

Kristina rated it

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I love works that give you the uncensored truth about history, but this particular book left me feeling as though the author had something to prove, rather than reveal.

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Apr 07, 2007

Emily rated it

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Shelves: history

Wonderful read for students of American History and sociologists. Loewen conducted a fabulous study of American History textbooks in the late 80s and early 90s. What he found was a narrative lacking much depth, diversity, and frankly, any excitement. He was right. Most texts still adhered to the "great white father's" narrative of American history that our parents and grandparents learned throughout the 20th century. Much of American history, from Columbus to Lincoln to Vietnam ...more

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Jul 10, 2007

Lisa Bell rated it

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Recommends it for: history lovers

GREAT title! Really makes you think about all those HS History Classes you sat through and wondered what they were leaving out of the discussion. For example: how come we never discussed Vietnam? History magically "ended" at WWII; we always assumed that it just coinsided with the end of the school year (oops - "no time" to discuss anything after! Have a good summer kids!). This book really explores how the top 10 American History Textbooks taught in 95% of American High Sc...more

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Oct 11, 2007

Cyndy rated it

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Recommends it for: neoconservatives - to light them up

great cocktail fodder.

i think the author has a great overall point. especially since my mom is navajo and was raised as a baby in tuba city, az. but c'mon. does anyone out there still believe the shite printed during the cold war anyway?

some of the examples in the book are pure sensationalistic crap. that's ok, it's no worse than the religious right's crap and in this case much more interesting and less mystical.

i find it just as hard to bite at each...more

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Jan 12, 2009

Deenbat rated it

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Shelves: nonfiction, history

It is all well and fine for people to criticize historians for being snobs about who writes the history books... but this book is a great example of what goes wrong when non-historians try to write history. Everything in this book is taken out of context - and is therefore at best skewed and at worst just wrong. Context is everything. Nothing happens in a vacuum; historical events out of context are just stories - and usually not very good ones at that.

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Apr 20, 2009

Jen rated it

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Shelves: american-history

When I started this book, I thought it would be along the lines of "your teacher told you this...but this is what happened..." You know like "hey columbus didn't discover the new world...blah blah blah" and there was some of that.

But more importantly, and far more interestingly, this book is an indictment of how American history is taught. As the book went forward, even I found myself thinking "yep, that's what I was taught" and wondering if I would have...moreWhen I started this book, I thought it would be along the lines of "your teacher told you this...but this is what happened..." You know like "hey columbus didn't discover the new world...blah blah blah" and there was some of that.

But more importantly, and far more interestingly, this book is an indictment of how American history is taught. As the book went forward, even I found myself thinking "yep, that's what I was taught" and wondering if I would have found American history less boring had it been as filled with flawed characters as European.

Most of my European history comes from books. I read a lot. Starting with Garrett Mattingly, which is not a bad way to start. Mattingly doesn't sugar coat. And when European history is taught, teachers don't have the same pressures to heroify (this is kind of a word http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_heroif...) Europeans as Americans. Instead we go "oh those silly pesky Europeans..." With our own leaders, we are taught to rever them. Even the most obvious example of the sainthood of Washington. Not saying he wasn't a good person, but he was also a real person.

The book argues that if students were taught that you can be flawed and conflicted AND change the world, how much more inspiring would that story be. Instead only those who go forward in American history (and for the most part that doesn't include me) learn the shadows in the heroes.

But this is simply annoying compared to ethnic-bias that pervades the teaching of American history. I found myself just saddened when I read example after example of things that I had been taught, and how it was inherently racist. And I'm not just talking about the Civil War. I could give examples, but I'm seriously struggling with which to choose. There are simply too many.

This book is not a fun read full of "neat facts" about history--it's more than that, much more. I was in turns angered, saddened, and ashamed by what passes off as teaching history. Not only are we taught incorrect information, but we are taught in such a way that assures us it will be found boring.

This was a wonderful and thought-provoking book. I'm better for having read it. (less)

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Jan 01, 2010

Josh rated it

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Without question, this is the greatest non-fiction book I have ever read. To illustrate that claim, let me highlight that it served, in large part, as the inspiration for my master's thesis.

In it, Loewen, a college professor, is constantly frustrated by how little his young, incoming freshmen know about history. So, in the late 90s he wrote a scathing investigation of the most common history textbooks used in secondary classes. He details how poorly these textbooks link events, leav...more

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Mar 07, 2008

Dustin rated it

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Recommends it for: EVERYONE

Shelves: history

What I learned from this textbook:

1. That it is not weird that I hated history/social studies in high school, but now find it interesting.

2. That textbook "authors" can't be bothered to do their own research, so all the textbooks tell the same apocryphal stories (George Washington and the cherry tree, the first Thanksgiving, Columbus as all-round good guy, the US as "international good-guy peacekeeper, with NO ulterior motives), making every factoid on ever...moreWhat I learned from this textbook:

1. That it is not weird that I hated history/social studies in high school, but now find it interesting.

2. That textbook "authors" can't be bothered to do their own research, so all the textbooks tell the same apocryphal stories (George Washington and the cherry tree, the first Thanksgiving, Columbus as all-round good guy, the US as "international good-guy peacekeeper, with NO ulterior motives), making every factoid on every page suspect.

3. That our history is far richer and more interesting than any one book (including this one) can possibly tell, so relying on a single book to teach a class like this is setting everyone, teacher and student alike, up for failure.

4. That while history is based on facts, the interpretation of those facts really does constantly change, and how we learn about them is based on previous societal changes. It is up to every student and teacher to separate fact from interpretation, and then to apply their own interpretation as needed. A discussion of slavery and Reconstruction written by a privileged European-American before the Civil Rights movement will not carry much water if read critically instead of just read to memorize the factoids for the test.

5. That our leaders have learned from the past and are applying its lessons to the present and the future:

"Of course the people do not want war....But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them that they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism." - German Field Marshall Hermann Goering, Nuremberg, April 18, 1946

Read this book, now. Then go out, and read more books, preferably primary and secondary sources, which tell the actual story, and include the controversies that still remain, both in ascribing motives to the people who made history, but also the controversies in interpreting what the facts actually mean, both for the present and the future.(less)

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Mar 31, 2008

Andrew rated it

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Recommends it for: History Buffs

Shelves: history

This is a powerful attack on American history textbooks. The author hammers high school text book makers for falsehoods, overstating American's accomplishments, and shortchanging its sins. It is difficult to make a defense of American history textbooks and this book certainly has a good point.

The difficulty in reading this book is that is a very long list of negatives about the United States. While one can accept that the U.S. has not behaved well in many respects, it is equally unt...more

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Oct 01, 2007

Daniel Crews rated it

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Should be required reading for collegiate American history students. Deducted a star because the author makes no attempt to hide his liberal bias - which I like, of course, but which might make it hard for some to take as anything other than the pointless character assassination of our shared cultural and national heroes. But the author argues that American history should not primarily be used as a tool for instilling patriotism and commitment but as a means of learning to avoid the same mistake...more

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Nov 07, 2007

Brianna rated it

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I love history. I love reading about it, I love memorizing it, I love questioning it, I love finding new interpretations of major events. So you would think I and this book would get along famously.

I've read (and enjoyed) some pretty dry non-fiction in my time, but I found this a bit of a drag. In addition, I already knew most of the shocking untruths that were revealed to us.

I feel like this book would only be really beneficial to people who really weren't paying at...more

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Mar 20, 2008

Patrick rated it

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Recommends it for: anyone who has ever taken a history class taught by a coach

Shelves: required-reading

This book was incredible. The title is a little misleading though. As I learned from the book. there is no possible way that this book could detail EVERYTHING your textbook got wrong. Not only does it give interesting facts that are blatantly wrong or completely overlooked in textbooks (Did you know that in a race riot in Tulsa, OK in 1921 whites dropped dynamite from an airplane on a black slum killing more that 75 people or that President Harding was inducted into the KKK in the White House?) ...more

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Oct 02, 2007

Vinh Nguyen rated it

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Recommends it for: everyone

Whatever you had learned in your high school textbooks and college textbooks probably were presented to you in carefully modified forms. Truths were distorted to make facts look pretty. For example, Woodrow Wilson was a very racist president but in fact most textbooks never had written to present that ugly side of our dear president. All I can say is that this book is super controversial book; if you ever going to pick up this book for a good read, just prepare to be offending somewhat due to...more

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Oct 01, 2007

Selena Calingo rated it

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Recommends it for: everyone

I had never liked history in school or high school. Only later did I ever develop an interest from things like the History Channel, movies, and actually visiting historical sites. I wish I had read this book when I was younger because it is really enlightening, not only about history, but about why there is such lack of interest in history in students and adults. The author only covers 10 important topics in American history, but I feel I have a better understanding of them than I ever did in...more

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Jan 06, 2011

Travis rated it

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Shelves: 2009

This is an excellent book. The author examines twelve popular American history textbooks (all high school level, I believe) and discusses what they leave out or even flat-out lie about, and the way they end up with a history that is extremely bland, where no one ever causes anything, things just magically happen (because to discuss causes might put America or Americans in a bad light, and we can't have that!), and how they present a picture of uninterrupted progress, where things have never got ...moreThis is an excellent book. The author examines twelve popular American history textbooks (all high school level, I believe) and discusses what they leave out or even flat-out lie about, and the way they end up with a history that is extremely bland, where no one ever causes anything, things just magically happen (because to discuss causes might put America or Americans in a bad light, and we can't have that!), and how they present a picture of uninterrupted progress, where things have never got worse and people before us were always unenlightened.[return][return]One of the results of this type of teaching is that it's so boring, kids learn to hate history. Certainly that was my experience. Most of my classes were rote memorisation of battles and little else. He also discusses how near-past history is lost because teachers rarely get to the end of the book. That, too, reflects my own experience, as we never got past World War II.[return][return]A lot of the stuff discussed in this book was stuff I knew vaguely, but didn't know the details. Other things, I was totally unaware of. For example, the book starts off discussing Woodrow Wilson and how he has been whitewashed and made into a hero when in fact he was extremely racist and sexist, and interfered in the politics of other countries (especially South America) pretty much non-stop. To be honest, I could not have told you a single thing Woodrow Wilson did, or even when he was president (not even approximately!), so I don't know whether my textbooks whitewashed him or simply didn't discuss him much (certainly they did not present him flaws intact). [return][return]Much of the book deals with how textbooks whitewash US history in regards to Native Americans and blacks, but I would have also liked some discussion on other minorities, especially Asian-Americans and Latin@s. But other than that, I really enjoyed it a lot. It was an easy read, too, not at all boring. If I hadn't had other stuff to do and forced myself to read just a chapter at a time, I probably could have read it all in one sitting. [return][return]This book has actually got me interested in history, which I never have been. American history was especially boring to me, and I never understood why we had essentially the exact same class in 8th and 11th grades (I did enjoy my 9th grade world history class more, especially the section on the French revolution, where for two weeks we played what I now realise was essentially a LARP about the revolution).(less)

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Mar 31, 2009

Jennifer rated it

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This was an EYE-OPENING look at REAL American History.

Did your teacher or college professor ever tell you that Christopher Columbus is not really the hero we all thought, and responsible for genicide of a million people in Haiti, as he "claimed" that territory for Spain? Did you know that Helen Keller was a communist and fought for a socialist America throughout her lifetime, risking charges of treason? Did you know American Indians died off in droves from diseases Europe...more

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Mar 28, 2009

Sarah rated it

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This book talks about the common mistakes that the textbooks tell you..
for example, heroification...
it talks about the unknown parts of Helen Keller, Woodrow Wilson, Betsy Ross and Christopher Columbus..
it had really interesting facts... but it wasn't as enjoyable as I thought...
actually, the title looks like it's a book of kids.. but it's not.. it's really for adults..

I would enjoy his book much more if i read it in the future...
some of the interesting ...more

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Jan 19, 2009

Kelly rated it

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Shelves: nonfiction, political, owned

I loved this book. At first I wasn't sure I'd be able to get through it because I've always thought history was boring. But I was probably basing that on my experience with history classes in school, which I now know is not unique to me. This book was very easy to read and extremely interesting.[return][return]As the quotation from Howard Zinn on the front says, "every teacher, every student of history, every citizen should read this book." I learned so much more about our nation's his...more

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Dec 19, 2008

melydia rated it

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Though the title sounds like a rant on education in general, this book deals specifically with what history textbooks get wrong, using a dozen textbooks as examples. It's no mere quibble. In the very first chapter I learned that Woodrow Wilson was a flaming racist and Helen Keller was a radical socialist, neither of which were even hinted at during my schooling.

It's a little depressing in spots. I'm young enough that much of my history class dealt with how white people have done noth...more

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Jan 16, 2012

Karen rated it

· review of another edition

This book not only answers the question, why students find US history boring, but also tells why, the repercussions, and much more. Loewen starts with the errors in the accepted history based on myths and nationalism which are perpetuated by the textbooks and other communication. Thus our basis for choosing leaders and determining the future of the country are based on these same myths and nationalistic untrue stories. He recommends the interesting unbiased ‘truth’ with well researched documenta...more

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Jan 08, 2012

Mike Shultz rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

This one is hard for me to assess and describe, so I'll start with the basics: the author reviewed a dozen high school American history textbooks and came to the conclusion that they are full of errors and present history blandly and with poor depth and analysis. The examples given are certainly convincing as far as they go. I didn't know that Columbus enslaved the natives of Haiti and cut off their hands if they didn't bring him their monthly quota of gold for him to ship back to Europe, but ...moreThis one is hard for me to assess and describe, so I'll start with the basics: the author reviewed a dozen high school American history textbooks and came to the conclusion that they are full of errors and present history blandly and with poor depth and analysis. The examples given are certainly convincing as far as they go. I didn't know that Columbus enslaved the natives of Haiti and cut off their hands if they didn't bring him their monthly quota of gold for him to ship back to Europe, but I agree with the author that few school teachers (especially of the younger crowd) are going to want to tell their kids that Columbus was a monster, and I accept his claim that none of the high school textbooks do a good job of it. The author's focus, however, quickly becomes racism. As the book progresses, the chapters focus more and more on the way the textbooks ignore, downplay, or whitewash race-related history and controversies, in his view, "protecting the white reader from feeling bad about themselves" for the awful things white people have done to those of other races in America. I don't disagree with his points, at least not entirely; I just hadn't expected the book to be focussed primarily on race issues and would've appreciated a broader treatment. By the end of the book it had become rather political, bashing recent Republican presidents and so forth, although for the most in much of the book he did an admirable job of not "choosing sides" as it were but applying his theory and criticism objectively and universally.

He missed the boat on a couple issues in particular. For one, part of the premise of the book--just read the title--is that history would enthrall the K-12 school crowd if "real" history were taught instead of the whitewashed lies. History would be the most exciting class in school instead of the most important. (It seems fit to mention here that, like most subject-area demagogues, he also says it's the most important.) Well... sorry, Mr. Loewen, not to be cynical or anything, but I was both a student once with an awareness of my peers, and a teacher now. It would be great to have the "truth" taught in history, with lots of controversies and a process that encouraged students to study cause and effect instead of rote facts, to question the textbook, and to form their own conclusions. I think this method would indeed catch the interest of *more* students. It would be better. But in the grand scheme of things, I don't think it would change the way students approach school and learning all that much. Even history teachers who uncovered all the lies and unleashed all the controversies would have students sleeping in their classes. Put another way, I was interested in this book, but not enthralled. It was neat to learn some stuff I didn't know about Columbus and other key points of American history... but not rip-roaring exciting.

Second, the author heaps a lot of scorn on teachers (and, to his credit I suppose) spreads some around to pretty much everyone for good measure. To me, though, the problems the author identifies as specific to history and history teachers struck me as the problems endemic to all public education in general--an overly bureaucratic system with too much emphasis on covering lots of facts and pleasing special interest groups while not offending a single soul in the process, for a few examples that just scratch the surface.

He also kept popping in some points of his worldview that I don't agree with and seem contradictory. For example, he cited statistics and examples about people who believe that poor people are poor by their own fault versus by the fault of the system. For Loewen, it was a foregone conclusion that the latter explanation is (completely and solely) correct. First, I know some people first-hand who have put themselves into trouble financially and in life in general through poor choices and laziness (to put it nicely. And they're white, by the way.) I think the answer is more nuanced, that certainly "the system" has its injustices and makes it harder for some--harder than many of us would like to believe--to achieve the American dream and become successful financially through hard work--but that some people really just do stupid things and screw up their lives. The contradictory part is that Loewen repeatedly crows that those of racial minorities would be empowered by the truth of history because they would believe that they are more capable of accomplishing things... then he turns around and suggests that being capable of accomplishing things doesn't really get you anywhere (he makes it seem like it's just race and socioeconomic class. You can't have it both ways. Well, actually you can, but you'd have to have that more nuanced view of it that I mentioned, and the author doesn't seem to.

All of this probably makes it sound worse that it is, or that I liked it less than I did. Actually, it made me want to learn more history, and even more than that, to see better history textbooks and teaching methods put into action in schools. It was an interesting read, and as the length of this review attests, it certainly got me thinking. To anyone with an interest in both history and education (and I mean that--BOTH), I highly recommend this book.(less)

· see review

Jan 03, 2012

April Brown rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: history, reference

What ages would I recommend it too? – Twelve and up.

Length? – Several evening's read.

Characters? – Multiple characters.

Setting? – Historical, global.

Written approximately? – 1995.

Does the story leave questions in the readers mind? – How many stories are there that he couldn't cover in this book? How much of history, like science, is a theory, and not a fact?

Any issues the author (or a more recent publisher) should cover? For students...more

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“In sum, U.S. history is no more violent and oppressive than the history of England, Russia, Indonesia, or Burundi - but neither is it exceptionally less violent.” — 8 people liked it

“Many African societies divide humans into three categories: those still alive on the earth, the sasha, and the zamani. The recently departed whose time on earth overlapped with people still here are the sasha, the living-dead. They are not wholly dead, for they still live in the memories of the living, who can call them to mind, create their likeness in art, and bring them to life in anecdote. When the last person to know an ancestor dies, that ancestor leaves the sasha for the zamani, the dead. As generalised ancestors, the zamani are not forgotten but revered. Many … can be recalled by name. But they are not the living-dead. There is a difference.” — 3 people liked it

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