Winner of the American Book Award and the Oliver C. Cox Anti-Racism Award of The American Sociological Association
Americans have lost touch with their history, and in Lies My Teacher Told Me Professor James Loewen shows why. After surveying eighteen leading high school American history texts, he has concluded that not one does a decent job of making history interesting or memorable. Marred by an embarrassing combination of blind patriotism, mindless optimism, sheer misinformation, and outright lies, these books omit almost all the ambiguity, passion, conflict, and drama from our past.
In this revised edition, packed with updated material, Loewen explores how historical myths continue to be perpetuated in today's climate and adds an eye-opening chapter on the lies surrounding 9/11 and the Iraq War. From the truth about Columbus's historic voyages to an honest evaluation of our national leaders, Loewen revives our history, restoring the vitality and relevance it truly possesses.
Thought provoking, nonpartisan, and often shocking, Loewen unveils the real America in this iconoclastic classic beloved by high school teachers, history buffs, and enlightened citizens across the country.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
More boring than history The author states that history is taught in a boring way. This book is worse than a boring history book. I like the idea of finding out the complete truth of undisclosed facts, like Helen Keller was a communist, but his constant harrang of school book writers gets old faster than the crusades. Telling obscured history, like the vikings may have lived in the New England area long before columbus, is fine and interesting. But then, page after page of criticism of the "subversive" text book industry makes this... more info
Simple Facts and Evidence Shows Our Textbooks Need An Overhaul This book is filled with concrete examples of important details that are left out of history books because they will create controversy and might make students ask questions. Instead the goal of history has become to bore a student with unrelated and mostly useless facts - that any bored person will do his/her best to avoid. The human brain learns and remembers what is emotionally stimulating. If you tell history as a story with drama then it will tend to stick, "Emotion is the glue that causes history... more info
Any kid over the age of 12 will love it This eye-opening book puts multicultural historical interpretation into language that young kids will absolutely love. Although its themes and topics initially seem removed from the curriculum of junior high, Loewen's iconoclastic, glass-smashing approach to history will rivet young readers, most of whom have learned buckets of skepticism by the time they reach middle school. The book strikes a nerve with younger readers precisely because it's one of the first ones they'll pick up that confesses what... more info
Just Say Know Our education system continues to Dumb Down. Knowing the past is key to not repeating mistakes and growing as a society. Someone should have sent this book to Bush/Cheney. It may not have helped but could not have hurt.
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