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239 reviews for:
Robert E. Lee and Me: A Southerner's Reckoning with the Myth of the Lost Cause
Ty Seidule
4.4 AVERAGE
239 reviews for:
Robert E. Lee and Me: A Southerner's Reckoning with the Myth of the Lost Cause
Ty Seidule
4.4 AVERAGE
When the racial unrest started last year, I committed to reading and listening to more black voices. My eyes were opened to the systematic racism that reverberates to this generation, and made me acutely aware of what I can do to break the cycle. Most of what I can do is shut my mouth, and listen.
Then in walks native Virginian Ty Seidule. I noticed him when his now famous lecture at Washington and Lee was shared on Facebook. I thought his words were bold considering the name of the institution, building, and even the crypt behind him.
I finally got his book, and heard how the false narrative and lost cause identity of the south has affected race relations. There are so many high points of the book, I don't want to spoil them. But ultimately, Seidule took that deep look in the mirror and changed his perspective. Starting with, why a road at West Point bore a name of a traitor. He didn't get there overnight, but he will help encourage people to be brave and admit when they were wrong.
Then in walks native Virginian Ty Seidule. I noticed him when his now famous lecture at Washington and Lee was shared on Facebook. I thought his words were bold considering the name of the institution, building, and even the crypt behind him.
I finally got his book, and heard how the false narrative and lost cause identity of the south has affected race relations. There are so many high points of the book, I don't want to spoil them. But ultimately, Seidule took that deep look in the mirror and changed his perspective. Starting with, why a road at West Point bore a name of a traitor. He didn't get there overnight, but he will help encourage people to be brave and admit when they were wrong.
Yet another puzzle piece in my "re-education" of American history. I hesitate to use that word, as it is exactly what a too high of a percentage of this country (and certain media giants) weaponize when presented with whenever there is a critical (there I go again!) look at this country that was built on the literal backs of slavery and went to war against each other to maintain. A war, that I recall my Mom saying on a family car trip from NJ to Disney World back in the 1970s, that the South are "still fighting." (And spoiler alert: still true.)
Most of my recent-ish history awakening has come via books by African American authors and historians, so I have to admit it was a bit odd to start one written by a Southern white military man - but this "fresh" perspective (go figure!) ended up being as eye-opening as any other book of this sort that I have read over the past few years. While I was not nearly as entrenched in Southern heritage and the Confederacy and deification of Robert E. Lee as Seidule was growing up in the South, it is safe to say growing up that I held a "there were good people on both sides" view of the Civil War and most certainly a fondness for both the book and film versions of "Gone With the Wind" (in fact, I bought a Kindle copy of GWTW just a few years back with the intention of re-reading it... but like many a book I buy, I never did).
Again, forgive a politically correct/awkward moment, but it was fascinating to read about this journey -- which the book blurb above quite accurate calls "part history lecture, part meditation on the Civil War and its fallout, and part memoir" -- in continued silliness, I kept wondering (hoping! praying!) that maybe this book coming from a straight white Southern military man would fall on less deaf ears for those with nostalgia for the Confederacy and its symbols. But with the continuing fights over the Confederate flag and monuments and the current "Stolen Election"- a "Lost Cause" myth on social media and 24-hour "news" steroids - I think it is, for lack of a better phrase - a lost cause. So yeah, nice try Seidule - but there is still an iota in me who think this book could be impactful/persuasive if put into the right hands -- to again, these days I am losing hope and faith of how many and who those people would be.
Minor nags: the book is a bit repetitive (tho again, with this type of book it's more forgivable as reinforcement is totally necessary/welcome), it is strung along by notes/citations (the Kindle version ends in the mid-70%s, the rest is bibliography), and written in a very straightforward, matter-of-fact, lecture-y manner. But again, none of this detracting at all from the overall intent/message of the book - which again, explains so much of our country's past and present (and sadly, probably future).
Most of my recent-ish history awakening has come via books by African American authors and historians, so I have to admit it was a bit odd to start one written by a Southern white military man - but this "fresh" perspective (go figure!) ended up being as eye-opening as any other book of this sort that I have read over the past few years. While I was not nearly as entrenched in Southern heritage and the Confederacy and deification of Robert E. Lee as Seidule was growing up in the South, it is safe to say growing up that I held a "there were good people on both sides" view of the Civil War and most certainly a fondness for both the book and film versions of "Gone With the Wind" (in fact, I bought a Kindle copy of GWTW just a few years back with the intention of re-reading it... but like many a book I buy, I never did).
Again, forgive a politically correct/awkward moment, but it was fascinating to read about this journey -- which the book blurb above quite accurate calls "part history lecture, part meditation on the Civil War and its fallout, and part memoir" -- in continued silliness, I kept wondering (hoping! praying!) that maybe this book coming from a straight white Southern military man would fall on less deaf ears for those with nostalgia for the Confederacy and its symbols. But with the continuing fights over the Confederate flag and monuments and the current "Stolen Election"- a "Lost Cause" myth on social media and 24-hour "news" steroids - I think it is, for lack of a better phrase - a lost cause. So yeah, nice try Seidule - but there is still an iota in me who think this book could be impactful/persuasive if put into the right hands -- to again, these days I am losing hope and faith of how many and who those people would be.
Minor nags: the book is a bit repetitive (tho again, with this type of book it's more forgivable as reinforcement is totally necessary/welcome), it is strung along by notes/citations (the Kindle version ends in the mid-70%s, the rest is bibliography), and written in a very straightforward, matter-of-fact, lecture-y manner. But again, none of this detracting at all from the overall intent/message of the book - which again, explains so much of our country's past and present (and sadly, probably future).
informative
reflective
slow-paced
challenging
informative
slow-paced
There are better and more detailed reviews than this, but I needed to say that this book is worth the read and I’m recommending it to everyone I know.
informative
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
This book was a really interesting perspective on historical memory and how fact and nostalgia often intertwine. He dissects the Lost Cause myth and how that personally affected him, which I think is the strongest part of this book.
informative
sad
medium-paced
another book that should be mandatory reading. the only thing missing was a clear depiction of exactly how and when the author recognized and rejected the myth.
Imagine finding out everything you learned growing up was a lie, that the historical figure that you revered as a god and even ranked them higher than Jesus was actually a traitor to his country. Imagine believing a narrative of history that taught you all the wrong things about one of the most consequential wars in your nation’s history. All of this happened to West Point Professor Emeritus of History Ty Seidule. In Robert E. Lee and Me, Ty Seidule gives an unvarnished, no holds bar account of how he grew up learning about the Lost Cause Myth and venerating the Confederate general Robert E. Lee. This book is a history of Lee, the Lost Cause, and one White Southern Historian/Soldier’s reckoning with the legacy of White supremacy on his life and the life of America.
Most of Ty Seidule’s life, from cradle to adulthood, revolved around honoring and revering Robert E. Lee and the Confederacy. Seidule developed a special attachment to Lee because they shared the same birthday. Seidule’s favorite childhood book taught him to revere Lee as a hero because he was against slavery even though in reality the pro-slavery Lee was actually fighting on the side of a confederation of states who were hoping to create a slave republic. In his book, Seidule takes the reader on a journey from his hometown in Alexandria, VA, to his adopted hometown of Monroe, GA, to his college days at Washington and Lee University, to his army days at Fort Bragg, and finally to his teaching days at West Point. In each location or institution, Seidule uncovers his and the nation’s racist past that promoted the Lost Cause and hid horrible tragedies inflicted on Black people.
Seidule weaves in Lee’s biography as he tell his own story. In his chapter on Washington and Lee University, he tells of Lee’s second act after the Civil War as president of the university, but what’s actually interesting is the story of how parts of the university (specifically Lee Chapel) later became a shrine to Lee and the Confederacy. Seidule shows in vivid detail how some of the origins of the Lost Cause mythology came out of that chapel. When Seidule covers his own army days he writes that many military posts in the South are named after other traitorous Confederate soldiers (Fort Bragg, Benning, and Gordon to name a few). He is especially effective in this chapter when he uses the Confederates own words against them especially when they dealt with their views on slavery and Black people. Seidule does not hold back throughout the book, he shows the hypocrisy of the Army who honors White supremacists by naming forts after them. But it doesn’t stop with the forts. As towns and cities erected Confederate statues and monuments across the country, the Army also embraced symbols of the Confederacy during notable debates on integration in the 20th Century, Seidule provides thorough historical evidence to prove his points.
His book ends by first covering West Point’s fascination with the Confederacy, which is another interesting story because the school was initially anti-Confederate during and immediately after the Civil War. Seidule provides superb historical analysis to explain why hatred of the Confederacy turn into reverence in the 20th and 21st Centuries. Second, Seidule concludes with a forceful reckoning with his former hero Robert E. Lee. He uses history and Lee’s own words to take down each of the stubborn Lost Cause Myths we have about Lee. One of those myths was that Lee “was born to make” the decision to join the Confederacy, he was not, he chose to do so.
Seidule has given readers a powerful book that will challenge and hopefully encourage them to uncover the racist pasts of their own upbring. It will also challenge the Lost Cause myths we all were raised up on in regards to the Civil War and it will help to solidify the fact that Robert E. Lee was not a hero but a traitor to the United States. Robert E. Lee was not born to become a Confederate he was born to be a Union man. Ty Seidule, this Southern soldier and scholar who once revered Lee and the Confederacy but later learned the true history was born to write this book. He has done his nation a great service in writing this important work of nonfiction.
Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Dr. Ty Seidule for a free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. This book will be released on January 26, 2021.
Review first published in Ballasts for the Mind: https://medium.com/ballasts-for-the-mind/review-robert-e-b06502d4838b
Most of Ty Seidule’s life, from cradle to adulthood, revolved around honoring and revering Robert E. Lee and the Confederacy. Seidule developed a special attachment to Lee because they shared the same birthday. Seidule’s favorite childhood book taught him to revere Lee as a hero because he was against slavery even though in reality the pro-slavery Lee was actually fighting on the side of a confederation of states who were hoping to create a slave republic. In his book, Seidule takes the reader on a journey from his hometown in Alexandria, VA, to his adopted hometown of Monroe, GA, to his college days at Washington and Lee University, to his army days at Fort Bragg, and finally to his teaching days at West Point. In each location or institution, Seidule uncovers his and the nation’s racist past that promoted the Lost Cause and hid horrible tragedies inflicted on Black people.
Seidule weaves in Lee’s biography as he tell his own story. In his chapter on Washington and Lee University, he tells of Lee’s second act after the Civil War as president of the university, but what’s actually interesting is the story of how parts of the university (specifically Lee Chapel) later became a shrine to Lee and the Confederacy. Seidule shows in vivid detail how some of the origins of the Lost Cause mythology came out of that chapel. When Seidule covers his own army days he writes that many military posts in the South are named after other traitorous Confederate soldiers (Fort Bragg, Benning, and Gordon to name a few). He is especially effective in this chapter when he uses the Confederates own words against them especially when they dealt with their views on slavery and Black people. Seidule does not hold back throughout the book, he shows the hypocrisy of the Army who honors White supremacists by naming forts after them. But it doesn’t stop with the forts. As towns and cities erected Confederate statues and monuments across the country, the Army also embraced symbols of the Confederacy during notable debates on integration in the 20th Century, Seidule provides thorough historical evidence to prove his points.
His book ends by first covering West Point’s fascination with the Confederacy, which is another interesting story because the school was initially anti-Confederate during and immediately after the Civil War. Seidule provides superb historical analysis to explain why hatred of the Confederacy turn into reverence in the 20th and 21st Centuries. Second, Seidule concludes with a forceful reckoning with his former hero Robert E. Lee. He uses history and Lee’s own words to take down each of the stubborn Lost Cause Myths we have about Lee. One of those myths was that Lee “was born to make” the decision to join the Confederacy, he was not, he chose to do so.
Seidule has given readers a powerful book that will challenge and hopefully encourage them to uncover the racist pasts of their own upbring. It will also challenge the Lost Cause myths we all were raised up on in regards to the Civil War and it will help to solidify the fact that Robert E. Lee was not a hero but a traitor to the United States. Robert E. Lee was not born to become a Confederate he was born to be a Union man. Ty Seidule, this Southern soldier and scholar who once revered Lee and the Confederacy but later learned the true history was born to write this book. He has done his nation a great service in writing this important work of nonfiction.
Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Dr. Ty Seidule for a free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. This book will be released on January 26, 2021.
Review first published in Ballasts for the Mind: https://medium.com/ballasts-for-the-mind/review-robert-e-b06502d4838b