My rating:
add to my books
Loading...
33 Questions About American History You're Not Supposed to Ask
News flash: The Indians didn’t save the Pilgrims from starvation by teaching them to grow corn. The “Wild West” was more peaceful and a lot safer than most modern cities. And the biggest scandal of the Clinton years didn’t involve an intern in a blue dress.
Surprised? Don’t be. In America, where history is riddled with misrepresentations, misunderstandings, and flat-out li...more
Surprised? Don’t be. In America, where history is riddled with misrepresentations, misunderstandings, and flat-out li...more
Paperback, 320 pages
Published
July 22nd 2008
by Three Rivers Press
(first published 2007)
There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!
sign in »
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is currently not featured on any Listopia lists.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
319)
Hugh Henry
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
history teachers
Shelves:
academic
This is an eye-opening account of American history written by a small-government federalist. There are so few genuine federalists left (advocates of limited power to the central government in Washington) that this book will surprise even the most libertarian reader. Did the founders really create a central government without any checks and balances on its own power? The answer is No. The Supreme Court has ruled consistently for the last hundred years that the central government has more powe...more
The reason I'm giving this book so many stars is not because the book is so well written, it's because the information is so valuable. The author really opens up your mind and gives you new things to think about when it comes to American history and politics. Some of the most interesting and informative questions to me were: Can the President, on his own authority, send troops anywhere in the world he wants? Was the Civil War all about slavery or was something else at stake as well? What was...more
view 2 comments
While the title may suggest a random theme, Woods notes that most of what you have learned in history (or in the media) is toilet paper. Woods ask 33 questions that when answered give the lie to American history and American foreign policy.
The questions range from states rights to busing to America's bombing Christian churches on behalf of Muslim sex slavers. The very answering of Woods questions destroys the State's *mythos,* its story of salvation.
Two chapters that stuck out for me: the st...more
The questions range from states rights to busing to America's bombing Christian churches on behalf of Muslim sex slavers. The very answering of Woods questions destroys the State's *mythos,* its story of salvation.
Two chapters that stuck out for me: the st...more
I am surprised at the negative reviews of this book from people who have read it SINCE Sept '08. Quote from the book, in the chapter about the Great Depression:
Austrian business cycle theory explains what causes the initial downturn, but just how long and severe the depression will be depends on the government's response. If out of misplaced humanitarianism or just plain ignorance the government hinders the liquidation process - by baling out failing businesses, propping up wages, or...more
Great list of "taboo" questions that the political establishment (primarily on the left) wants people to be afraid to ask, substituting their version for the actual facts. Things which surprised me the most: the founders weren't pro-immigration, liberals got the US into most of its wars, desegregation didn't narrow the black-white gap (and discrimination isn't responsible for it either), WWII didn't help the economy, the whiskey rebellion was a successful tax rebellion (we need more li...more
I enjoyed this book alot. Being a Founding Fathers/Civil Rights fanatic (I know - geek) the chapters on these topics really appealed to me and really did dispell myths that are now second nature in the telling of American History. However, with a topic as broad as "American History," there were some subjects I wasn't that interested in, and it was difficult to keep my attention while reading detailed chapters on the economy during the First World War and how the Government did little t...more
Run, don't walk, to your nearest library or bookstore
and get this book. Now. The health of your country
may depend on this antidote to big government. Sure the title is sappy, and the cover looks amateurish, but don't judge a book by its cover; the book is a serious scholarly work. Although copyrighted 2007 it explains
the 2008 financial meltdown in Chapter 22, and what
the New Deal didn't accomplish in Chapter 24.
Woods also explains the Ponzi scheme known as Social
Security in Chapter 13 and wh...more
and get this book. Now. The health of your country
may depend on this antidote to big government. Sure the title is sappy, and the cover looks amateurish, but don't judge a book by its cover; the book is a serious scholarly work. Although copyrighted 2007 it explains
the 2008 financial meltdown in Chapter 22, and what
the New Deal didn't accomplish in Chapter 24.
Woods also explains the Ponzi scheme known as Social
Security in Chapter 13 and wh...more
I enjoyed this style of book where the 33 questions were divided into small segments of roughly 8 pages dealing with various politically incorrect questions about history that most people have been mislead on either by the story tellers ignorance or agenda.
Woods is a libertarian, historian and dare I say economist, he doesn't tow the party line. He uses many original sources to validate his points and logic to help the reader see the holes in the commonly missheld positions of historians t...more
Woods is a libertarian, historian and dare I say economist, he doesn't tow the party line. He uses many original sources to validate his points and logic to help the reader see the holes in the commonly missheld positions of historians t...more
33 Questions About American History You're Not Supposed to Ask by Thomas E. Woods Jr. is OK for what it is. I was looking for a book of historical misconceptions, and it does have some of those. However, it devotes more space to unsupported assertions that are a mix of libertarian and paleoconservative doctrine. This does not offend me; I suspect these positions are closer to the way the world works--and are more congenial to my personal preferences--than are most other current viewpoints. U...more
Those of us educated in the public school system have been told what the state wants us to know about our nation and its origins. Many would be surprised to learn that what we "learned" in the public school system is not always the truth, or as simple as it is portrayed in text books.
This book tells the other side of much of our history and demonstrates that we all ought to be skeptical of what the state and those in power want us to know and believe. Pick this one up a...more
This book tells the other side of much of our history and demonstrates that we all ought to be skeptical of what the state and those in power want us to know and believe. Pick this one up a...more
I liked this book up until about page 200. There were some good alternative views to what is constantly spewed forth in high school history texts and their nonsense they put forth. I liked the part about capitalism not being responsible for the Great Depression. I just got bogged down towards the end. The summer is too short to read a mediocre book. At least for this teacher.
A number of different historical, mythical elements that have become the conventional view of US history...Woods generally applies an "American Exceptionalism" prospective that pokes holes in the Cultural Relativist's and champions of cultural diversity assessments and conclusions...He also identifies the role of "political correctness" has played in skewing perceptions of US history...We need more of this approach!!!
Very interesting. A lot of stuff I already knew, but I did also learn quite a bit. And I know a lot of people don't know what I did already. (That was vague. I know.) Anwyay. I really liked what the author had to say and how he busted a whole bunch of myths about American history.
It seems like most people today have such a superficial understanding of our history. We'd be a lot better off as a society if everyone read a copy of this book, and stopped believing the myths. Real history is so much more interesting, and makes so much more sense.
Very Federalist look at U.S. history - some interesting stuff but I got bogged down in the negative tone & insistence that "we aren't doing it right anymore." He'd have made his point better if he'd just told the history and edited out his smug lecturing.
Very compartmentalized. Several sections were of no interest. There were good parts about Teddy Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and the "rank the presidents" game. Woods has an excellent resume.
Had some interesting points but mostly took those points and drove them into the ground. The book could have had 100 things with shorter explanations and been much more interesting.
Excellent and thoroughly researched subjects with properly annotated sources. Does not hold back punches and leaves both sides properly bruised.
Highly recommended for the high school history buff and especially the brainwashed college student!
Highly recommended for the high school history buff and especially the brainwashed college student!
Just beautiful. An orgasm for my brain.
Paul
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
close-minded individuals
Shelves:
library
I thought there might be something of interest, but when the author puts unnecessary adjectival jabs at other "liberal" authors as he is making an unrelated point (oddly enough, he is putting the liberal down as he was citing her scholarship, an unusual choice indeed) --- it's clear this is nothing more than a political screed. Not recommended.
Many of the "shocking questions" are not that shocking, and are straw men that the author can knock down with a flourish....more
Many of the "shocking questions" are not that shocking, and are straw men that the author can knock down with a flourish....more
Some good chapters. Some rather annoying chapters. All very shallow information. The chapters where you already know the topics are pointless and serve to annoy because they don't go into depth. And the chapters that you don't know raise good questions to look into, but this wouldn't be the source of abundant information.
Michael
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Conspiracy nuts
Shelves:
non-fiction
I almost put this in the fiction catergory. This was one of the worst books I've ever read. He takes what he labels as politically correct scared cows and shreds them up. He attacks Martin Luther King, Jr, Native Americans, Bill Clinton, historial rankings of Presidents, foreign aid, immigration, The Federal Government, unions, race, and on and on.
horrible - not really insightful. the author is super libertarian (which isnt bad in my book) but he give a very unbalanced analyst of selected information (a la mikey moore) - nothing really new either except his diatribe about how native americans didnt care about the environment and neither should we (crap)
Couldn't read it... too depressing and technical.
I highly recommend every American product of public education to read this book. Woods provides convincing arguments, and the research to back them up, on a range of misconceptions that are even still taught in schools.
Really informative read. Anything by Woods is a worth while read. Had a chance to meet him and was a very congenial guy.
This book is ruining my life I don't need to be any more disenchanted by this country.
Libertarian propoganda disguised as counter-textbook history.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Readers Also Enjoyed
Professor Thomas E. Woods, Jr., is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History, as well as The Church Confronts Modernity: Catholic Intellectuals and the Progressive Era and The Church and the Market: A Catholic Defense of the Free Economy.
He hold four Ivy League degrees, including an A.B. from Harvard and a Ph.D. from Columbia. He lives w...more
More about Thomas E. Woods Jr....
He hold four Ivy League degrees, including an A.B. from Harvard and a Ph.D. from Columbia. He lives w...more
Share This Book
8 trivia questions
More quizzes & trivia...
