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A review by scrooge3
Lies My Teacher Told Me: A Graphic Adaptation by James W. Loewen, Nate Powell
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
This is an eye-opening look at how history is presented in high school textbooks. Basically, publishers are afraid of antagonizing conservative white supremacists in places like Florida and Texas, so anything controversial is self-censored. What remains are bland and often misleading (or even completely wrong) books that exist more to promote feelings of American exceptionalism and manifest destiny than to teach history. Cause and effect are often glossed over, resulting in passive text that leads away from critical thinking. Loewen goes through example after example of where standard textbooks fail. Yes, Loewen has an agenda and he very much cherry picks his examples. But every textbook cherry picks what they include and exclude; there is no way to include detailed descriptions of every event. Loewen's goal is to get students to think for themselves and use primary sources rather than be content with the spoon feeding they usually get. As a result, there may be one or two examples that Loewen uses that may not be 100% accurate, but the overall gist is 100% true. I knew a few of the examples going in, so I am confident that the ones I didn't know are essentially correct. And there are plenty of examples that will get readers' attention. You may not like reading them, but that doesn't make them untrue. Loewen also knows that a truer picture of history is vital for understanding the present. We must learn from our mistakes, not hide from them. In today's climate of renewed racial and class discrimination, citizens need to have critical thinking skills more than ever. Are they getting those skills in public schools? Probably not. And that's a big reason the US is facing the political challenges it is.
The black-and-white artwork by Nate Powell is powerful and enhances the text. This is really more of an illustrated textbook than a graphic novel, so don't be misled into thinking this is going to read like a superhero comic.
This is a book every high school student (as well as adults) should read. Unfortunately, the ones who need it the most are probably the least likely to have access (or desire) to read it.
The black-and-white artwork by Nate Powell is powerful and enhances the text. This is really more of an illustrated textbook than a graphic novel, so don't be misled into thinking this is going to read like a superhero comic.
This is a book every high school student (as well as adults) should read. Unfortunately, the ones who need it the most are probably the least likely to have access (or desire) to read it.