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

James W. Loewen

Jul 2018 · The New Press

3.4

11 reviews

Ebook

446

Pages

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About this ebook

"Every teacher, every student of history, every citizen should read this book. It is both a refreshing antidote to what has passed for history in our educational system and a one-volume education in itself."
—Howard Zinn

A new edition of the national bestseller and American Book Award winner, with a new preface by the author

Since its first publication in 1995, Lies My Teacher Told Me has become one of the most important—and successful—history books of our time. Having sold nearly two million copies, the book also won an American Book Award and the Oliver Cromwell Cox Award for Distinguished Anti-Racist Scholarship and was heralded on the front page of the New York Times.

For this new edition, Loewen has added a new preface that shows how inadequate history courses in high school help produce adult Americans who think Donald Trump can solve their problems, and calls out academic historians for abandoning the concept of truth in a misguided effort to be "objective."

What started out as a survey of the twelve leading American history textbooks has ended up being what the San Francisco Chronicle calls "an extremely convincing plea for truth in education." In Lies My Teacher Told Me, James W. Loewen brings history alive in all its complexity and ambiguity. Beginning with pre-Columbian history and ranging over characters and events as diverse as Reconstruction, Helen Keller, the first Thanksgiving, the My Lai massacre, 9/11, and the Iraq War, Loewen offers an eye-opening critique of existing textbooks, and a wonderful retelling of American history as it should—and could—be taught to American students.

Ratings and reviews

3.4

11 reviews

Derek Orcutt

October 30, 2022

I have heard a lot about this book over the years I only decided to buy it a few days ago I was extremely disappointed. The author thinks very highly of himself He thinks he's so clever and smart and funny When he isn't. This book is as boring and repetitive As the textbooks he criticizes. The only good thing I can say about it is it does tell the truth But some of the facts are outdated This is a 2018 edition It doesn't talk about the internet And how it's affected society. If you know history This book isn't for you If you don't know Wikipedia YouTube and Google are better resources Then this book. If you want to know more about history. My advice for students Ask your question everything and to check facts As well as looking up sources Unfortunately most people who write about history have an agenda even critics like this author.

Scott Gardner

March 3, 2020

I really wanted to give 5 stars on this one, but the constant harping on traditional schools got old quick. Yes, I realize the whole point of the book is that your school education was incomplete, but it was a little over the top.

7 people found this review helpful

Phoenix Arises

June 26, 2020

The t r l. b e were the realSlve0wners look up ProfTonyMartin. AlsoEuropeanSolutreans who been here beforeC 0 I. U. M. B. . u. s

3 people found this review helpful

About the author

James W. Loewen has won the American Book Award, the Oliver Cromwell Cox Award for Distinguished Anti-Racist Scholarship, the Spirit of America Award from the National Council for the Social Studies, and the Gustavus Myers Outstanding Book Award. He is professor emeritus of sociology at the University of Vermont and lives in Washington, DC.

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