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A review by bethpeninger
Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James W. Loewen
4.0
Fascinating. Sobering. Angering. Those are just a few of the adjectives I think of when I consider this important title.
Loewen, who just passed away 8/19/2021, was an American sociologist, historian, and author. And he was a true historian, interested in the actual history, not the white-washed version. He wasn't one to shy away from the facts of events and the people who participated in forming this nation.
In this book, he carefully dismantles the history we were all taught in school about many of the important events that shaped America. He shares the real story behind the sensationalized and white-washed versions we learned from textbooks during our school years. It's appalling. (Look there's another adjective.) He outlines the textbook process to help the reader understand all of the forces at play in getting a textbook into the hands of school districts that help keep us uninformed. He tells the full stories of historical figures like Columbus, Helen Keller, the pilgrims, etc in order to provide the actual history so that we see the whole picture, not just a corner of it. Learning, knowing, and understanding as best as possible the full story of the events and people that America is built on is important for what is happening TODAY. History doesn't stay in the past, it influences the present and future whether we acknowledge it or not.
This is worth the read and the discomfort it may cause as the whole of history is discussed, not just the comfortable and white-washed parts.
Loewen, who just passed away 8/19/2021, was an American sociologist, historian, and author. And he was a true historian, interested in the actual history, not the white-washed version. He wasn't one to shy away from the facts of events and the people who participated in forming this nation.
In this book, he carefully dismantles the history we were all taught in school about many of the important events that shaped America. He shares the real story behind the sensationalized and white-washed versions we learned from textbooks during our school years. It's appalling. (Look there's another adjective.) He outlines the textbook process to help the reader understand all of the forces at play in getting a textbook into the hands of school districts that help keep us uninformed. He tells the full stories of historical figures like Columbus, Helen Keller, the pilgrims, etc in order to provide the actual history so that we see the whole picture, not just a corner of it. Learning, knowing, and understanding as best as possible the full story of the events and people that America is built on is important for what is happening TODAY. History doesn't stay in the past, it influences the present and future whether we acknowledge it or not.
This is worth the read and the discomfort it may cause as the whole of history is discussed, not just the comfortable and white-washed parts.