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

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It's a hit!

If you haven't read this book, pick it up IMMEDIATELY. Everything he says is supported and makes complete sense. I never really realized that the... (show more)

If you haven't read this book, pick it up IMMEDIATELY. Everything he says is supported and makes complete sense. I never really realized that the way history is taught is so ethnocentric and greatly contributes to some of the major problems our society is facing today (e.g. racism, sexism, general lack of respect from other countries). You may not agree with the liberal slant, but there are facts in this book that cannot be ignored and you must understand these issues, regardless of what side you're on.

The only criticism I have is the last few chapters. He gets into ranting about why textbooks are the way they are, and what the result is. As someone who has no future in either publishing textbooks or selecting textbooks, it is helpful to know only the bare minimum and I could've skipped the last 40 pages or so. It helps to know how complicated it is, but really for the average citizen the most important take-away is just that you have to educate yourself and your children rather than relying on textbooks. Step 1: read this book. (show less)

 

 

by Martha Schniepp

No, it's a flop!

He is right in assuming that history books are too long. On a high school level there is too much to cover as a teacher. I do agree with his assump... (show more)

He is right in assuming that history books are too long. On a high school level there is too much to cover as a teacher. I do agree with his assumption that certain perspectives are not given in history books. However, I disagree with him strongly on what he focuses on. He comes from a left-wing perspective that seems to hate conservatives and religion unless it is a religion that is out there. He makes people focus on unnecessary parts of history that could be left out in order to get to the core of material. He delves into some subjects deeply but I feel that he gets into miniscual detail. I do agree that history teachers must work at get student's interest. (show less)

 

 

by Keith Morris Betry

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  Lies My Teacher Told Me is one man's crusade against the intrusion of propaganda in public education. Specifically, the author is concerned by the extent to which high school American History textbooks are written with more attention to proselytizing the myth of America than they spend on informing students about how America came to be what it is today. The author argues that many students become disengaged from history as a subject because the books don't teach, they preach.

  The book do... (show more)

  Lies My Teacher Told Me is one man's crusade against the intrusion of propaganda in public education. Specifically, the author is concerned by the extent to which high school American History textbooks are written with more attention to proselytizing the myth of America than they spend on informing students about how America came to be what it is today. The author argues that many students become disengaged from history as a subject because the books don't teach, they preach.

  The book does a fairly good job documenting specific problems with these textbooks. Fundamentally, we as Americans must decide whether we'd rather teach our children how countries evolve in the real world, or teach our children the myth that America - alone among the nations of the Earth - is a noble civilization and the only true source of democracy.

  From the perspective of (politically) conservative Americans, critical books (like Lies My Teacher Told Me) are fundamentally un-American, because these pundits presume it is impossible to love a flawed country. I have served the nation both as a soldier and as a diplomat, and I feel confident in asserting that it is the obligation of individual Americans to support the truth, even when it is embarrassing or ugly. The world is a complex place, and I for one would rather the next generation engage that reality *before* they get to college. The best way to improve American patriotism is to make America a better place. Author (and sociologist) James Loewen suggests in this book that the first step in making America a better place is letting the next generation see where we've made mistakes along the way.

  I highly recommend this book. It's shameful that such a book *can* be written about public educational materials in the United States, but I for one am glad that Loewen took the time to do it. (show less)

   

   

  by Facebook User on Jan 05, 2010 at 08:01PM

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  Although many of the issues that Loewen raised in the book were things that I was at the very least vaguely aware of, if I didn't already know the problems or more correct story myself, I know that plenty of people, even other history majors, have never really bothered to investigate beyond the textbook or past the limited books that they must read for class, and do not realize just how much of what we've been taught in school is either not quite the whole truth or even out and out lies. I t... (show more)

  Although many of the issues that Loewen raised in the book were things that I was at the very least vaguely aware of, if I didn't already know the problems or more correct story myself, I know that plenty of people, even other history majors, have never really bothered to investigate beyond the textbook or past the limited books that they must read for class, and do not realize just how much of what we've been taught in school is either not quite the whole truth or even out and out lies. I think this book is a must read for history majors, history teachers, and even high school students. If students were required to read this book over their summer vacation, maybe they'd actually be interested in what goes on in their history class the next year, hoping to spot some place where their textbook or teacher isn't quite telling the whole (or correct) story. (show less)

   

   

  by Facebook User on Sep 07, 2009 at 03:03PM

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