1.03k reviews for:

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

James W. Loewen

4.04 AVERAGE

knbohling's review against another edition

4.0

informative reflective medium-paced

bardic_llama's review against another edition

4.5

challenging informative medium-paced

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Had low expectations of the book, not really knowing what to expect but did learn a lot from it. That and it did act as a refresher for some stuff I had forgotten. Real ‘oh, yeah, remember that being talked about in history class.’ Don’t know how to feel towards photos in textbooks. The author didn’t shy away from it at all.

But also because this was the young readers edition and yet there was a photo of a lynching in the chapter on the Civil Rights movement, when giving context on what had lead up to it decades prior with Jim Crow laws. Which is the 1st time I've ever seen a lynching. Similarly when talking about the Vietnam war, the only reason they didn't show The Napalm Girl photo was because they believed communities would try to ban the book due to the nudity in the photo. Context being that there was a napalm strike on the girl’s village and she had ran down the street, stripping herself of her clothes. Which I do agree with the book’s heavy messaging that history shouldn’t being sanitized. And when it is sanitized or shown only positively/negatively, it should prompt one to question why. But there is also the wariness I have towards desensitization. 

Then again, I do think it’s more me being uncomfortable with it as a white person. Because minorities have to see/hear all this and more. Even in the introduction, the author says how people of minority group who had read prior editions appreciated the book as it assured them they’re not going crazy. That they’re not being gaslit for once. So will definitely sit with that. But overall, I think it brings up a lot of important discussions and criticisms when it comes to how history is taught. Additionally how texts are written and the role they play in students’ education.

coloradolori's review against another edition

4.0

informative medium-paced

kcmreads's review against another edition

4.0

challenging informative slow-paced

jocelyn_mateos's review against another edition

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Didn't finish this one. Started it for book club, and it was really interesting. It just is also a very homework-like book to read. I'm putting it down for now. Maybe I'll go back to it sometime.

kristiepepper's review against another edition

5.0

informative medium-paced

aullette's review against another edition

4.0

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

jamesmichael84's review against another edition

4.0

informative reflective medium-paced

aitchpea's review against another edition

5.0

informative reflective medium-paced

nagl3's review against another edition

4.0

challenging informative slow-paced