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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  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-användare on Sep 07, 2009 at 03:03PM

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  American history was one of my favorite non-math/non-science classes in high school. This was my first exposure to a proponent of revisionist history, and I by no means agree with everything in the book. However, this book challenged my thinking -- thus, by definition it was a good book.

  I remember when I first heard that Washington and Jefferson were slave owners. Why didn't they teach that to us in history class? I remember thinking as a high school student, What was the big deal abo... (show more)

  American history was one of my favorite non-math/non-science classes in high school. This was my first exposure to a proponent of revisionist history, and I by no means agree with everything in the book. However, this book challenged my thinking -- thus, by definition it was a good book.

  I remember when I first heard that Washington and Jefferson were slave owners. Why didn't they teach that to us in history class? I remember thinking as a high school student, What was the big deal about the Lincoln-Douglas debates? Loewen reveals the answer. He reveals "the rest of the story" about topics such as Columbus's explorations, dealings with Native Americans, racism and antiracism, and the Vietnam war. Controversial topics to be sure, the revisionist's approach certain to raise the ire of the traditionalist.

  This book causes me to ask:
  - What is the purpose of learning American history?
  - What facts, events, and viewpoints should be presented in high school history classes?
  - How will we know that what is being taught is the right thing? (By "right" I mean effective to meet the purpose rather than true or absolute.)

  Some key quotes for me:
  "History textbooks stand in a very different relationship to the discipline of history than most textbooks do in their respective fields. 'Society' determines what goes into history textbooks.... What distortions of history does our society cause?"
  "When a book is written -- or, rather, when its interpretation of an event was set in our culture -- determines what is written."

  I won't blast this book with the negative comments you can find on Amazon, nor will I immediately give up my optimistic, progress-oriented view of America. I will, however, look for alternate viewpoints and question what I'm being told. And isn't that the point of studying history, to help us look and think critically about our past in order to be more aware of where we're heading today and in the future? (show less)

   

  by Facebook-användare on Aug 25, 2009 at 04:22AM

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