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1.04k reviews for:
Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong
James W. Loewen
4.04 AVERAGE
1.04k reviews for:
Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong
James W. Loewen
4.04 AVERAGE
Wow! I had no idea how much history my text book from high school left out. This was a fascinating read, but since I'm not a teacher, I could have stopped before the last two chapters and the afterword.
I love books like this. James Loewen did a really good job of keeping his subject matter interesting. I have seen the argument made by some that he swayed a little left, but I don't necessarily see it that way. I think that the topic that he is covering is so far to the right (and I am not talking politically here) that some of the information he is providing seems so far in the other direction that it seems extreme. History is very biased and has always been slanted to those who have written it to further their agenda. Facts are not necessarily biased, but choosing what facts to share (and even some of the outright lies that were told) and what facts were glossed over (grave robbing pilgrims, anyone?) can certainly be.
This was not a “feel good” read by any means but I also believe that every person should read it for the betterment of their knowledge base as well as for the sake of our society and planet. Highly recommend.
This might be the only history “textbook” that I have ever actually enjoyed. I flew through this book, shocked and amazed at the often cruel, ethnocentric, and racist history I was never taught. Even history as recent as the Vietnam war had been skewed to fit the whitewashed, “ethical big brother” view of America. I’m a bit disgusted at my country right now. We have so much work to do to make this a country worth being proud of, but I’d say an important part is learning the truth about our tainted past. Everyone should read this
Note: I’ve read some of the other reviews on this book and noticed that some claim the author is liberally biased and pushes his agenda throughout. Although many of the topics covered have a liberal flavor to them, this is only due to the fact that they cover minorities who did not have a voice and call out racist and ethnocentric individuals. I did not find that the author ever stated his political beliefs or pushed for a certain party. The author simply gave us the whole picture, which is not the pretty, heroic view we’re used to. This is not a “fun facts” book, but instead a sobering reality check that forces you to examine history without the rose colored glasses.
Note: I’ve read some of the other reviews on this book and noticed that some claim the author is liberally biased and pushes his agenda throughout. Although many of the topics covered have a liberal flavor to them, this is only due to the fact that they cover minorities who did not have a voice and call out racist and ethnocentric individuals. I did not find that the author ever stated his political beliefs or pushed for a certain party. The author simply gave us the whole picture, which is not the pretty, heroic view we’re used to. This is not a “fun facts” book, but instead a sobering reality check that forces you to examine history without the rose colored glasses.
informative
reflective
medium-paced
This book couldn’t decide what it was and therefore seemed to suffer from an identity crisis. It would shift from history lesson to commentary to propaganda to essay. It was all over the place! However, it was helpful in the last few chapters as it discussed how history textbooks in schools come to be and the consequences of that process. There were also helpful recommendations on teaching kids to think critically.
This is a great book that gives additional historical information on events we may have learned in school. The author is attempting to show historical events along with its character flaws. For me, it was interesting to see that some of our heroes were at times... how can I say this?..... douche bags. Nevertheless the great work that they have done by these people like George Washington, in my opinion, is not undermined by their mistakes. On the contrary, after reading this book I would like to learn more about specific time periods and the people in them. You really have to take this book with a grain of salt, yes... a lot of our heroes were also racists and did things to only serve themselves, but they have also put policies in place that has made the great nation we have today.
I do agree that teachers make history classes beyond boring and more materials than just text books need to be used in classrooms. With that said, its also our responsibility to learn from our history and not just expect teachers to do all the work for us.
I do agree that teachers make history classes beyond boring and more materials than just text books need to be used in classrooms. With that said, its also our responsibility to learn from our history and not just expect teachers to do all the work for us.
I love reading the negative reviews of this book, because they're always like, "This is liberal propaganda with a huge bias to make you feel White Guilt!" and I'm like, "You know that, historically, certain groups of people have done some bonkers-ass shit that has been completely whitewashed from our textbooks, but you think it's bias to point out that it was often the same people over and over again?" Unreal.
This book is depressing and important as hell. Read it with Howard Zinn's History of the People.
This book is depressing and important as hell. Read it with Howard Zinn's History of the People.
What DO you actually learn in high school? What of the copious amounts of dates and names should be stressed, pedagogically? Which content is even remotely correct? How does the time in which a textbook is written affect the message in that textbook, and what kind of spin is coded into the pages? This book shines a light on all of these questions, and leaves one wanting to fight for truth to prevail, rather than regurgitated untruths. (5/5 stars)