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Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James W. Loewen
zoejerusha's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
mastersal's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent book. Well written and very informative. As someone who didn’t I grow up in the American school system I still found the book fascinating and made me go back and look at my own school texts to try to remember the biases we were taught.
One star docked as the book lagged in the latter half especially the last few chapters. You can tell the author has a focus on earlier American history as those chapters were more detailed and frankly read more like history than a listing of the issues with the texts. Defiantly worth reading for everyone
One star docked as the book lagged in the latter half especially the last few chapters. You can tell the author has a focus on earlier American history as those chapters were more detailed and frankly read more like history than a listing of the issues with the texts. Defiantly worth reading for everyone
christopherc's review against another edition
4.0
In LIES MY TEACHER TOLD ME long-time college professor James W. Loewen, spurred by the appalling ignorance of history of new university undergraduates, examines the problems of high school history textbooks over the last fifty years. It is a work that tries to give energetic debate back to the high school study of history, for professional historians are aware of the uncertainty and need for exploration of many facts about our country.
The author gives several case studies. The first is the common "heroification" of many personalities that conceals their flaws. Textbooks speaks of Hellen Keller up to her young adulthood and praise her "triumph over adversity", but they suspiciously leave out the later 60 years of her life, when she was involved in a number of socialist causes. The following chapter speaks of the unsavoury aspects of the conquest of America incited by Columbus. It is an ironic fact that nearly every other Latin American country is aware of the rape and killing report by such figures as Bartholome de las Casas, but American textbooks continue to whitewash the era. Lowen also explores how textbooks handle racism, a sensitive issue for him as he taught in Mississippi for many years.
Loewen attacks the conservative ideological stance of today's works, not really because he shares different values, but because such a one-sided approach is boring and does not motivate young people to better their country. When young people constantly hear that the United States is coasting along on a one-way route to progress, Lowen notes, they do not feel much of a need to offer their own abilities; if young people do not get involved, the political life of the country suffers, a fact that should worry conservatives and liberals alike. The book is so pleasant precisely because it isn't a distorting liberal publication but because it tries to get everyone involved.
The downside of LIES MY TEACHER TOLD ME is that is does not show who exactly is responsible for these "lies". Lowen mentions in passing several organisations who attempt to limit the viewpoints in textbooks, such as the Gablers of Texas, but never gives a detailed view of this hindering opposition.
Loewen's book should encourage high school teachers to leave behind the tired rosy picture of everything in the U.S. being fine and return to Socratic debate and enlightening polemic that will result in younger generations leaving high school with critical thinking ability and civic dedication.
The author gives several case studies. The first is the common "heroification" of many personalities that conceals their flaws. Textbooks speaks of Hellen Keller up to her young adulthood and praise her "triumph over adversity", but they suspiciously leave out the later 60 years of her life, when she was involved in a number of socialist causes. The following chapter speaks of the unsavoury aspects of the conquest of America incited by Columbus. It is an ironic fact that nearly every other Latin American country is aware of the rape and killing report by such figures as Bartholome de las Casas, but American textbooks continue to whitewash the era. Lowen also explores how textbooks handle racism, a sensitive issue for him as he taught in Mississippi for many years.
Loewen attacks the conservative ideological stance of today's works, not really because he shares different values, but because such a one-sided approach is boring and does not motivate young people to better their country. When young people constantly hear that the United States is coasting along on a one-way route to progress, Lowen notes, they do not feel much of a need to offer their own abilities; if young people do not get involved, the political life of the country suffers, a fact that should worry conservatives and liberals alike. The book is so pleasant precisely because it isn't a distorting liberal publication but because it tries to get everyone involved.
The downside of LIES MY TEACHER TOLD ME is that is does not show who exactly is responsible for these "lies". Lowen mentions in passing several organisations who attempt to limit the viewpoints in textbooks, such as the Gablers of Texas, but never gives a detailed view of this hindering opposition.
Loewen's book should encourage high school teachers to leave behind the tired rosy picture of everything in the U.S. being fine and return to Socratic debate and enlightening polemic that will result in younger generations leaving high school with critical thinking ability and civic dedication.
breadpann's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.5
The first 50 pages I read it, then switched to audio since it was so slow paced this help me get through this book even though I mentally was down I was also enjoying the information. Some of the information about how textbooks work and how the school system works in turn with the books was at the very end and I kind of think that should be at the front since it was very interesting and not well known around the school system like that.
It was a bit long and sometimes convoluted and information and sometimes too short and some areas like the Iraq war in the 2000s area was not as much information as I would have liked compared to the 1800s. Definitely still recommend this nonfiction book.
It was a bit long and sometimes convoluted and information and sometimes too short and some areas like the Iraq war in the 2000s area was not as much information as I would have liked compared to the 1800s. Definitely still recommend this nonfiction book.
summerseeds's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not saying I disagree with any of what Loewen says. I'm not saying his facts are wrong or that the issues he raises aren't important. However, I can't help but wonder if this book isn't outdated, because we TALKED about most of these topics in highschool. The class should have been called American History: Reasons Why We Suck. We discussed the whitewashing and omission of important events, people, and ideas. I didn't leave highschool with a rose-colored look on American history. We were given supplementary reading martial more of less proving that people are awful. Though, the takeaway message was always, "now that we've showed you multiple viewpoints, make your own educated decision as to what you believe." As the phrase goes, "History is written by the victors," and we can't believe everything we are told.