Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James W. Loewen

Jan 30, 2008 Jim rated it 5 of 5 stars

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 to 200 within 60...more 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 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 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction

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 History textbooks, the author su...more 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 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 2 of 5 stars

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...more 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 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 4 of 5 stars

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 of ignorance...more 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 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 3 of 5 stars

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 2 of 5 stars 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 a...more

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Sep 06, 2011 Daniel rated it 5 of 5 stars

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 into history....more

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Feb 21, 2009 Whitney Archibald rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 that they...more

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Dec 16, 2008 Kristina rated it 1 of 5 stars

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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Jul 22, 2012 Don rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: history

UPDATE: After reading the first 150 pages, now I just sorta have this book on my shelf and pick it up from time to time.

This book is very good on a few levels ... It takes the textbook publishers to task for their weak glossing over of American history, and it emphasizes the use of primary documents, which are important and often underutilized by lame teachers. It is also (verbosely) summarizes some very valid criticisms of the general treatment textbooks and by extension, some high school teach...more

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Apr 07, 2007 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 and anything in b...more

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Jul 10, 2007 Lisa Bell rated it 5 of 5 stars 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 Schools present readers w...more

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Oct 11, 2007 Cyndy rated it 1 of 5 stars 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 'fact' given in this book when the author...more

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Jan 12, 2009 Deena rated it 2 of 5 stars

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 5 of 5 stars

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 found American history less boring had it...more 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 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_her...) 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 5 of 5 stars

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, leaving students...more

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Sep 29, 2012 Jerome rated it 4 of 5 stars

As a high-school student (entering eleventh grade this year) this book was enjoyable and refreshing.Many may avoid this fascinating book, expecting it to be some sort of left-wing tract, but Loewen is admirably fair-minded. He's also laugh-out-loud funny at times, as evinced by this footnote on the assassination of President Kennedy: "Many Americans found Oliver Stone's film JFK persuasive, even though the conspiracy it concocts seems to include Vice President Johnson, the Pentagon brass, the CI...more

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May 20, 2012 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've realized that my knowledge of history-particularly American history is severely lacking, and I've started to work on fixig that problem. Lies My Teacher Told Me explains not only many of the half-truths and complete lies that are taught in elementary through high school American history classes, but it also seeks to explain why textbooks are full of so many lies.

It appears that educators, school boards, parents, and our political leaders fear that if students know the truth of our country's...more

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Feb 04, 2012 Mike rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: history, politics

Before I get into this review, a couple of disclaimers, if I may.

First of all, I'm not an American and was not put through the American school system, which means I have no first hand experience of the standard of history teaching referred to by James Loewen. I'm British and count myself extremely fortunate to have attended a very good school at home.

Secondly, I am aware that history in many countries is twisted a little for either feelgood or nationalist purposes, depending on how you choose to...more Before I get into this review, a couple of disclaimers, if I may.

First of all, I'm not an American and was not put through the American school system, which means I have no first hand experience of the standard of history teaching referred to by James Loewen. I'm British and count myself extremely fortunate to have attended a very good school at home.

Secondly, I am aware that history in many countries is twisted a little for either feelgood or nationalist purposes, depending on how you choose to view these distortions. British history is not taught in a particularly balanced fashion in the UK, especially with regard to more modern issues such as the Irish 'troubles'.

That said, I am aware of some of the appalling atrocities committed by the England and then the British down the years. I know, for example, of the pogrom against the Jews of York in that city's castle in 1190, and that one of the reasons for this was the debt a local noble owed and did not wish to pay. I know that Oliver Cromwell's invasion of Ireland was a disgustingly bloody affair and that much more recently indefensible acts have been carried out in that country in the name of the United Kingdom. I could go on with British actions in India, for example, much of Africa, or even initial English colonisation efforts in North America, but the point has been made: we should know of these things and we do.

In America, it would seem, teaching the past failings of the state and its people is a no-no, leaving a populace unable to critically consider how it came to be where it is now and often in possession of a history which is simply not true. Loewen points out with exceptional lucidity such examples as Columbus who, American textbooks claim, sailed west, discovered the Americas and found that the world was not, after all, flat. The previous sentence can only be said to be true if it ends 'sailed west'. He most certainly did not discover the Americas - which were populated when he arrived - and sailors had known for centuries that the earth was curved - a ship's hull disappearing over the horizon before its sails will tell anyone that

Loewen does not simply stick to disabusing us of the simple untruths of history, however. He viciously, and quite rightly, attacks coverage of Woodrow Wilson, a white supremacist who interfered in the affairs of other nations, often creating long term problems both locally and for America itself, by continually launching invasions of other states; most recent American interventions in Iran and Lebanon, which have created sectarian and political issues in those countries; and even the Vietnam War, portrayed as a moral intervention when it most certainly was not.

What Loewen is at pains to point out, and what he covers so well, is that the books that are used to teach Americans about how they came to be where they are today paint government after government as lily-white, and their 'mistakes' as misunderstandings. Wrongful executions, the napalming of vast swathes of jungle in Vietnam and Laos, continued attempts to assassinate Fidel Castro and many other unforgivable horrors - all are either painted as the unfortunate errors of a nation striving to do right, or otherwise totally ignored as inconvenient.

'Lies My Teacher Told Me' is a damning indictment of how American high school students are taught about their country. Thoroughly researched and bursting with cutting, to the point arguments, if James Loewen's work has not yet brought about a change in an education system run by interest groups then it's about time it did. America is not alone in distorting its history beyond recognition - Russians are taught a version of history so far from the truth it should not be called history at all - but for a country which would like to pride itself on openness and progress, Loewen asks questions which demand answers.(less)

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Mar 07, 2008 Dustin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition 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 every page suspect.

3. That our history is f...more 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 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 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition 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 untrue that the...more

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Oct 01, 2007 Daniel Crews rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 attention, but those people ar...more

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Mar 20, 2008 Patrick rated it 4 of 5 stars 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 5 of 5 stars 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 al...more

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Oct 01, 2007 Selena Calingo rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition 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 hi...more

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Jul 10, 2012 Ken Moten rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction-stuff, history-stuff

Oh What a powerful book on the inner-dealings of how the USA constantly botches up intentionally or...semi-intentionally it's history. I read this book long before those fools on the Texas school board got together, having been recommended this book by my 10th grade history teacher and this is maybe why she is my favorite teacher I ever had (sorry Dr. Lechelt, you were so close!). So this book shows you. Just some of the ways Americans are being criminally mis-led by choice or unwittingly about...more

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Apr 10, 2012 Beth Cato rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: in, 2009, history

I recall hearing about this book when it came out in the '90s, but it remains pertinent today. Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong is a thought-provoking read on the fact and intent of history textbooks. It begins at the purported beginning of America with Christopher Columbus. Of course, that wasn't the real beginning - native peoples had been residing here for thousands of years. Loewen sorts through the facts, citing actual textbook passages and then d...more

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Jan 06, 2011 Travis rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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...more 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 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 5 of 5 stars

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 Europeans brought over on thei...more

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296662.Lies_My_Teacher_Told_Me?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1255592395l/296662.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296662.Lies_My_Teacher_Told_Me?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James W. Loewen[/url]

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

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