Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong, Revised and Updated Edition by James W. Loewen Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong, Revised and Updated Edition
Book Review: A bit too PC at times, but well worth reading
Summary: 4 Stars
Having a Bachelor's degree in History I found the book to be pretty eye-opening in places. His analysis of the political considerations that turn most public school textbooks into what is for the most part mindless mush is quite illuminating as well. However, his obvious lefty political orientation (and I'm a lefty myself) is all too present and is actually quite annoying in places. Nevertheless, with that in mind, it's easy to see why so many college students feel completely lied to by their high school instructors (and one thing the school boards can do to remedy that is to stop allowing P.E. teachers to inhabit history classes). The Babbits that run school boards and sit in principal's offices across the country demanding triumphalist histories that gloss over the real story are guilty of academic fraud and have robbed millions of school children of a clear picture of the nation's past.Book Review: A passion for history
Summary: 4 Stars
Why was history class so bo-o-o-ring, as Loewen describes it? I had forgotten that I even learned anything in my high school history class until I picked up this book and found a spirited critique of several popular school textbooks, including the back-breaking one I once lugged around. Loewen brings to light the fallacies and vague assumptions that we carry around in our brains thanks to history class; and, in his own entertainingly brisk way, fills in some of the gaps in our education. Too bad this wasn't around when I was in school!Book Review: A quote from book that says it all
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an excellent read. Perhaps a short quote from the book will best reveal it's thesis: "Indeed history is the only field in which the more courses students take, (in High School) the stupider they become." As a parent with two childred in grade school I have taken a whole new approach to my discussions of history with them. This should be required reading for grade school history teachers.Book Review: Shocking; superb.
Summary: 5 Stars
Engaging and lucid, Loewen's analysis of the foibles of history teaching in U.S. public schools helped me in the process of re-evaluating my understanding of United States history and government. Would have blown my mind if I hadn't read Howard Zinn first. BTW, Amazon ships this book quickly at a good price -- I got it two days after ordering.Book Review: The author forgot what his own title was.
Summary: 2 Stars
This book starts off on the right track. It corrects or fills in parts of early American history; Colubus, Revolutionary war, Civil war ect. BUT then it takes turn to push the authors own political agenda. The author believes that high school history should be used to push students toward his views. It is full of the usual jabs at the Reagan/Bush admin. with little supporting material to back up the claims. This author should have stuck to the title. Or the book should be retitled "Lies I Would Tell You if I Were Your Teacher"