The 10 Big Lies About America: Combating Destructive Distortions About Our Nation

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The 10 Big Lies About America: Combating Destructive Distortions About Our Nation

by Michael Medved

3.71 · rating details · 133 ratings · 45 reviews

"It ain’t so much the things we don’t know that get us into trouble," nineteenth-century humorist Josh Billings remarked. "It’s the things we know that just ain’t so."

In this bold New York Times bestseller, acclaimed author and talk-radio host Michael Medved zeroes in on ten of the biggest fallacies that millions of Americans believe about our country–in spite of incontrov...more

Paperback, 288 pages

Published October 13th 2009 by Three Rivers Press (first published November 8th 2008)

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Dec 03, 2011

Kenny rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: current-events, history

Medved pulls from many sources for this book and collates them into a general entry-level discussion about the "facts" most of us have been taught about American history -- "facts" that are demonstrably untrue.

I'll leave it to Medved to give you chapter and verse, but I would like to discuss the reason why these distortions prevail. After all, they make America -- and by extension, you and me -- look bad, and that includes the very people who teach them. Why do they...moreMedved pulls from many sources for this book and collates them into a general entry-level discussion about the "facts" most of us have been taught about American history -- "facts" that are demonstrably untrue.

I'll leave it to Medved to give you chapter and verse, but I would like to discuss the reason why these distortions prevail. After all, they make America -- and by extension, you and me -- look bad, and that includes the very people who teach them. Why do they do it?

Self-loathing has at its core a sense of unworthiness and childishness. Academics feel unworthy because they know in their heart that they've won the lottery and now have the cushiest job imaginable: tenured positions at prestigious learning academies, where nothing more is required of them than to lecture pabulum to their inferiors. They don't have to battle their peers; their peers are also tenured monastics in the ivory tower of academia.

The childishness finds its roots in a teenager's attitude: "I'm an adult, but please pay my rent." Teenagers have an excuse, however: they will eventually leave the nest. Academics never leave the safety of academia, where they are surrounded by similarly arrested adolescents where the only thing left to stand out is to be more outrageous than your competition, and, like teenagers, instead of opting for excellence and responsibility, they sink to the lowest common denominator: ridicule of authority. When you cannot answer the argument, mock the arguer.

In this case, American history, full of great achievers, is a surrogate for every parent who tells a teen to clean his room; it's something to be dismissed, ridiculed, and gainsaid. Instead of understanding that part of their job as teachers is to prepare students for the dangerously unfair world out there, where luck only comes (occasionally) after great effort, they mock and find fault with the world so they don't have to feel like the losers they are for not entering it.

"When the blind lead the blind, both fall into the ditch."

I know something about this: I have a doctorate myself.
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Nov 07, 2009

Bryan rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: history, political-science, religion, sociology

In this book Michael Medved makes the case that Americans should not fill guilty over our past. The thought processes that I went through as I read this book was what does feelings of guilt do for someone. My answer is two fold. Feelings of guilt shows that the guilty party has a conscience and a historic feeling of guilt could provide the moral framework for not committing future actions that would also cause guilt. The problem of guilt is when dwelt upon can divert peoples attention and ke...more

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Dec 13, 2011

Carole Rae rated it

· review of another edition

I debated myself whether or not to review this book for a while. I randomly found this book in my local library when I was looking for books about Scotland (I wrote a paper on Scotland in my geography class). How odd is that? I think it was fate for me to read this...I'm glad I decided to review this and read this, because the book touches base with many "issues" Americans and others have against the United States.

Professor Hull, my US History professor, had always said...moreI debated myself whether or not to review this book for a while. I randomly found this book in my local library when I was looking for books about Scotland (I wrote a paper on Scotland in my geography class). How odd is that? I think it was fate for me to read this...I'm glad I decided to review this and read this, because the book touches base with many "issues" Americans and others have against the United States.

Professor Hull, my US History professor, had always said its good to have an open ear to different opinions. That was why he always pushed for discussions in class. So when this book came around, I was excited and intrigued to hear this guys opinions. Yes, I call them opinions.

This was a quick read. I could barely put it down. Usually with books like these, the writing seems choppy and rather boring. This isn't the case with this one. Michael Medved's writing style seemed to flow very nicely and it kept me interested. I was also impressed by his examples and his sources. He seems like an intelligent man and I would be very interested in discussing some of these "myths" with him. I agree with him on about 75% of the things he "debunked", but the other 25% I felt like calling him up and giving him a debate he would never forget.

At times I felt like his "opinions" were strongly biased and one-dimensional. Even though I found his writing to "flow very nicely", at times I felt like he was too emotional and sarcastic about the matters at hand. Also, some parts were dry and very, VERY biased. However, I feel like a learned a lot from the conservative point of view.

Even though I don't agree with him on a lot of points, I can now understand that viewpoint. Since I'm going to school to be a teacher, its always good to learn how to take opposite opinions in stride and understand them. All-in-all, I'm glad I read this book and I learned a lot. I recommend this book to those who would like a good shake up in their reading and for those looking for a good conservative aspect to certain American issues. Our of five stars, I grant this one 4 stars. In all reality it would be 3.5 stars, but I don't give decimals, so I rounded. (less)

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Mar 19, 2009

Desiree rated it

· review of another edition

It took me a while to get into this book. The subject matter is interesting, but I didn't find that it was written in a way that I couldn't put it down....

That being said, I finally finished it up today. It left me with a feeling that just about all the myths can be shattered by saying that the US is much better off now than it would have been if we didn't take the land from the Native Americans, bring over slaves, allow big businesses to flourish and allow foreigners to come and sta...more

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Jul 09, 2009

Bill Weaver rated it

· review of another edition

Michael Medved is a conservative talk show host that seems for the most part to present a rational point of view. When I heard about this book I was intrigued. It is not a bombastic tirade on the left, but presents a reasonable look at history that is not normally taught in school. I do not blame schools for leaving out some things in history because of their limited time frame. It is up to me to continue to learn.

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May 28, 2009

MsSmartiePants ...like the candy... rated it

· review of another edition

Michael Medved is one of the smartest people in media today. Always a great listener, he is respectful to everyone who calls his radio show whether they agree or disagree. What he does not respect? Lies.
Our culture is used to getting "news" and "facts" from media which is documented by independent research to be biased. Mr. Medved, on the other hand, is an excellent critical thinker, researcher and orator. He can make the complex understandable and the truth appar...more

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Mar 12, 2010

Ray rated it

· review of another edition

Admittedly, I didn't finish the book, and my impression was only formed by the little I did read. My idea of the book could be partially off, but I'm fairly confident I captured the flavor of the message.

Medved seemed to start with each segment with an extreme and minority viewpoint, presented it as if it was the widely-held mainstream belief, and then, by showing errors or inconsistencies in the extreme views, make it sound that if those extreme minority views can be proven incor...moreAdmittedly, I didn't finish the book, and my impression was only formed by the little I did read. My idea of the book could be partially off, but I'm fairly confident I captured the flavor of the message.

Medved seemed to start with each segment with an extreme and minority viewpoint, presented it as if it was the widely-held mainstream belief, and then, by showing errors or inconsistencies in the extreme views, make it sound that if those extreme minority views can be proven incorrect, then the entire subject is incorrect and therefore can simply be dismissed. I didn't disagree with his rebuttals of the premise necessarily, just didn't think there was much need to make the argument in the first place. So my feeling was, why bother? I found myself thinking that the argument didn't need to be made in the first place.
The next level he seemed to want to lead us to was that because he could disprove the initial premise, that the net outcome was that we, as a Country, have nothing to be criticized for. That could be a reach, and leads to the belief, sometimes touted by very conservative spokespersons, that you're an "America Hater" if you admit to seeing any faults in our Country's past or present policies. However, it's my belief that if you aren't willing to look honestly at your faults or weaknesses, past or present, you're not likely to maintain high values or improve in the future. So I think that's a tenuous position to hold, and I got the distinct feeling that's the direction Medved was heading toward.

For example, in "Lie #1", the premise is that the U.S. had an established policy of genocide against the native American Indians, and therefore we as a Nation should recognize this and the erroneous ways of our forefathers. So Medved explains how and why there was no sanctioned official National policy of genocide, aka like the official government policy of Nazi Germany against the Jews during the Holocaust. He admits that there were isolated incidents of slaughter of native Americans, but argues that it wasn't "official government policy". That may be correct, in general, but isolated cases of the opposite also exist. But the feeling you're left with is that since there was no official U.S. policy to exterminate the Indian Nations, that any examples of killings were evil acts by evil individuals, and therefore the U.S. has nothing to be ashamed of in the resulting treatment of the indigenous population. So in spite of any examples history tells us of unfortunate treatment of the Native Americans (e.g., "Indian Tribes") across the country, we can proudly hold our collective heads high. It's as if that excuses every evil from the past, or at least that's the feeling I was left with.

And in his "Lie #2", he sets out to disprove that the U.S. was exclusively responsible for slavery in the world and the exploitation of African slaves in particular. I don't imagine many thinking citizens of this country believe that the U.S. was exclusively responsible for slavery. Far from it. I would like to believe that most citizens are aware that it's been a long-held practice by various civilizations throughout history. But by disproving an belief which I suspect isn't as widespread as the author presents, I was left with the feeling that Medved was trying to foster the idea that we, as a Country, were the good guys in terms of the African slave trade. But by finding and pointing out that someone else was worse may make you "better" by comparison, you can't necessarily extend that to the point that you were "good".

So it was at this point in the book that I got the feeling that Medved was echoing the take-no-prisoners / make no apologies sentiments of some radio talk show hosts who take the stand that to admit the any of our Country's past policies were faulty is akin to bashing the Country. To some, to admit to any past faults is to be a liberal weenie who hates our Country. I don't buy into that argument, and think it's important to recognize the facts, and by so doing, recognize that maintaining high ideals means you have to work at it, not just sit back and smugly feel that we're always right because we want to believe that, and that the position of our leaders are always automatically right simply by virtue of our nationality. I've traveled a lot, and am firmly convinced that we do have the best Country, are a noble and well-intentioned people, and we have it so good compared to most of thw world. But that doesn't exempt us from the possibility never having a policy which isn't noble, and if we don't recognize a miss-step on occasion from the past, we won't foresee a similar miss-step facing us in the future. I think the author was presenting more of the "we're Americans, and therefore we're always right" viewpoint. I think sometimes we need to challenge our leaders to make the right choices, not necessarily the easiest or most politically expedient choices.
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Apr 19, 2009

Mike rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

While I agree with the premise of this book (that being there is a lot of lying being taught to our youth regarding America's history and origin as well as its politics), Medved came up with a list of the 10 so called biggest lies about America. The problem, in my opinion, is that these are not necessarily the 10 biggest lies about our country. Medved argues his, albeit conservative, viewpoint well however some of his arguements seem to come off as his own pet peeves. It makes the book seem more...more

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Aug 30, 2010

Anthony rated it

· review of another edition

If you're a conservative I think many of these arguments have been presented in other areas and with similar results (e.g. Thomas Sowell discusses many of the middle class "issues" in Economic Facts and Fallacies). What I found most interesting was the last chapter, many times, especially amongst certain types of conservatives (e.g. Michael Savage) often act as if we are in complete social decline something I often bristle against. Although I feel that there is some cultural decline,...more

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Nov 18, 2011

Quincy rated it

· review of another edition

I read this book after a long political argument with a friend. This friend is a fervent disciple of Michael Medved, so I thought I'd read one of Medved's books in an effort to better understand my friend's views. Despite the low review that I'm giving, there were a few parts that I enjoyed and agreed with. The trouble is that Medved's chapters about foreign affairs and third parties are such blatant distortions of truth that I think it taints everything else he wrote. If I were a politically ig...more

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Jul 27, 2011

Kash rated it

· review of another edition

I am an Iranian living in Canada and as a pro-America individual, I'd like to express my gratitude to the American people who have done so much good for the world. In this book, Mr. Medved (host of his own radio show) dismantles the liberal lies one by one and makes a great example for those who would like to know the truth about the United States. This book is very well written, easy to read and I look forward to recommend it to those misguided friends of mine who do not appreciate the existenc...more

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Jan 03, 2010

Jennifer rated it

I was in a non-fictioney sort of mood, and this quick, interesting read fully satisfied. Don't be fooled by the dramatic title; it's really not a politically charged kind of book, but more like ten brief history lessons about the things that make America unique. I learned alot of interesting facts in this book, rather than merely having my opinion swayed by a charismatic author. I do not like sloppy, inflammatory cliches about politics and patriotism, and this book had none of that. Articula...more

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Nov 11, 2010

Kirt rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: academics

Informative and interesting, mostly, with a fine knack for painting historical perspective. I agree with and accept maybe 95% of Medved's arguments, but he has some strong biases that color his reasoning and blind him to certain avenues of thought. I think his reading of history is good, but his views on contemporary issues tend to be myopic. He does a passable job as the reader of this audio book, although there is an overall tone of disdain in his voice and comments that I found distasteful...more

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Jan 10, 2009

Richard rated it

· review of another edition

It is a great book and very much needed to be written and popularized to the general American public. The book was meticulously researched and that is perhaps its major fault. The statistics are perhaps too many and therefore do not stick. However, this book can be used as a reference to make the points to friends and neighbors that America is the land of opportunity for an unbelievable number of people, both natives and aspiring Americans.

As for those of us who have lived oversea...more

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Jan 19, 2012

Dave Lester rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: politics-current-affairs, social-commentary, history

I enjoy Michael Medved as a radio host personality. He is not the usual bombast that one may find on the channels. He studied history at Yale and is able to articulate a conversative position by being respective to those who disagree.

In this book, he combats, what he views, as historical lies that have been perpetuated upon American by liberals.

He examines the following topics: Myth: The United States is uniquely guilty for the crime of slavery and based its wealth on ...more

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Dec 17, 2009

Ebookwormy rated it

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Shelves: currenteventspolitics, non-fiction

Based on it's excellent research and relevant topics, I would recommend this book. Medved has an ability to put things in context, and examine the data from a different perspective. I learned a lot, and I do believe (for whatever reason) it is harder to hear the conservative voice in today's national dialogue. Medved does an excellent job of bring that voice, reasoned, educated, and full of wisdom, to life. Even accepting that I will keep this book as a reference, I read some of the chapters thr...more

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Jun 30, 2009

Rich rated it

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Shelves: politics, culture, history

Medved is an unabashed America lover. He begins and ends each hour on his nationally syndicated radio show by saying, "It's a great day in the greatest nation on God's green earth." He makes no bones about it. And good for him. With this book he takes on the ten biggest misconceptions or lies about America, including slavery, supposed genocide against Native Americans, big business, the separation of church and state, to name a few.

His main purpose is to put these iss...more

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Jun 24, 2009

Marc rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: center-right and center-left thinkers

Shelves: current-affairs, non-fiction

I enjoyed this analysis of our nations history and the people who would seek to demean the greatness of the United States. For the most part, I think that Medved keeps a realistic perspective on the failings of our nation's heritage while lauding all of the uniquely good things that have taken shape here.

I found his assessment on lie #10 (Moral Decline) to be a little short on detail. It was almost as though he wanted to be fair by calling out some of the conservatives on a "b...more

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Nov 06, 2009

Jeff rated it

This book is worth reading, regardless of where you lie on the political spectrum. Sure, Medved is a conservative radio talk show host, but this book takes on "big lies" from both liberal and conservative camps. Each chapter relies heavily on historical and statistical facts to refute each of the ten big lies that Medved targets. No matter who you are, it's to your own benefit to recognize when you're being fed hyperbole, mischaracterizations, or just plain lies about America and th...more

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Mar 12, 2009

Cheryl rated it

· review of another edition

I'm still not a big fan on non fiction. I like a nice plot to carry me through a book. But overall, this was very interesting. I learned things that I didn't know about American history.
The chapter on the great depression made me nervous about our country's current economic. Maybe if more people read this book, we could turn the tide sooner.
This is a great antidote to Barack Obama's "The Audacity of Hope."

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Apr 25, 2009

Jana rated it

· review of another edition

Lightening-fast read. Interesting, especially when confronting topics like irreversible moral decline and the squeezing of the middle class. Both parties are guilty of exploiting the topics for their own gain, and slapping around a few sacred cows is fine by me.

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May 14, 2009

Margaret Dillon rated it

· review of another edition

A useful antidote to what we hear in the media. Shines a different light on our history with regard to the Indians, slavery, Christianity, big business, big government,etc. Maybe Medved sees things a bit too rosily, but his optimism is refreshing.

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Jan 23, 2009

David rated it

· review of another edition

I generally enjoy these types of books that challenge the collective assumptions of history. Especially when well footnoted so you know that the author is not making up facts out of thin air.

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Jan 04, 2009

Kevin rated it

· review of another edition

I enjoyed this book. Medved does a good job of exploring some of the lies that people believe about the US today.

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Aug 04, 2011

Karl Tenney added it · review of another edition

This will be required reading in my house. Why weren't we taught this stuff in public school?

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Jul 05, 2010

Tony Peterson rated it

· review of another edition

poorly researched and poorly written...but I wouldn't expect much more from a moron like Medved.

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Jun 10, 2010

Michelle added it · review of another edition

Shelves: unfinished

I tried not to be close-minded about this book, but I just can't get into his far right-wing thought processes...even for a moment...I disagree about too many of his main points...sorry. I really thought I could give it an unbiased chance and I failed. Miserably.

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Aug 15, 2010

Amy rated it

· review of another edition

Loved it! Everyone should be proud to be an American!

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Jun 04, 2009

Nick rated it

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Shelves: history, politics-current-events, audio-books

Listened to this on CD (Medved reads it himself) and got a couple disks into it before realizing that I've already heard everything in this book from the years I've listened to his radio show. Hearing him live, interacting with callers is much better than listening to him read his own writing.

I stopped listening to it around chapter 3, but for anyone who has seldom or never heard his show, I'd recommend it. Medved's an intelligent guy who can thoughtfully communicate his arguments w...more

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Feb 13, 2009

Richly added it · review of another edition

Extensive review pending.

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About Michael Medved

FROM HIS WEBSITE (Note: A Complete Biography is available there, addr. below):
Michael Medved is a nationally syndicated radio host, best-selling author, and veteran film critic. His daily three-hour broadcast reaches more than 3.5 million listeners on more than 200 stations across the country - drawing an audience that consistently ranks his show as one of the top ten political talk shows in...more

More about Michael Medved...

Books by Michael Medved

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Saving Childhood: Protecting Our Children from the National Assault on Innocence

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“Both adults have always worked," observes Cox, writing with business journalist Richard Alm. "Running a household entails a daunting list of chores: cooking, gardening, child care, shopping, washing and ironing, financial management, ferrying family members to ballet lessons and soccer practice... the idea that people at home don't work isn't just insulting to women, who do most of the housework. It also misses how specialization contributes to higher and higher living standards. At one time, both adults worked exclusively at home. The man constructed buildings, tilled the land, raised livestock. The woman prepared meals, preserved food, looked after the children. Living standards rarely raised above the subsistence level." But as men went to work outside the home- "gaining specialized skills and earning income that allowed the family to buy what it didn't have the time, energy or ability to make at home"-- living standards rose.
------ Michael Medved quoting Cox and Alm, "10 Big Lies about America" page 224” — 1 person liked it

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