Mostly replacing incorrect trivia with accurate trivia.

Although there is some valuable sociological information within this work, if one follows alternative history podcasts and other similar sources, there is likely nothing particularly novel here.

That being said, it should be noted that I may be mistaken as I only skimmed through the book.

I found the book's layout to be rather poor. On a chapter-by-chapter basis, it did not seem very interesting, and as a result, I might have overlooked some excellent content.

Perhaps a more in-depth reading would reveal hidden gems and a more comprehensive understanding of the subject matter.

Nonetheless, based on my initial skimming, the book appears to lack the engaging and captivating qualities that would make it stand out in the crowded field of alternative history literature.

It remains to be seen if a more detailed examination would change this perception.

Definitely a very interesting listen.

There were aspects of history that I was already familiar with and others that I learned. However, I was truly quite surprised to discover just how terrible and inaccurate school history textbooks can be.

I mean, I was aware that this occurs in my Indian textbooks as well, but I think there is still a lingering assumption in my mind from childhood that everything is better in America. I had forgotten that the narrative presented in history textbooks always has a political slant, leaning towards the government in power and the attitudes prevalent in the country, even in the USA.

While I did enjoy listening to this audiobook, I believe it will be even more valuable in the future when I have a school-going child in America. I will surely return to this book at that time and also, hopefully, look through the history textbooks available in the future to ensure that my child obtains a more nuanced and up-to-date perspective on various matters.

This realization has made me more cautious and aware of the importance of critical thinking when it comes to learning history. It has also opened my eyes to the fact that we cannot simply rely on textbooks to provide us with the whole truth.

This was one of those remarkable books that had an almost magical hold on me. Every 10 pages or so, I simply couldn't contain my excitement and had to share it with my husband. I would exclaim, "Listen to this!" and then proceed to talk animatedly for about 5 minutes. I would regale him with all the eye-opening history that I had never known before.

This book truly enthralled me. It took me on a journey through time, revealing hidden stories and forgotten events. It also made me angry at times, as I learned about the injustices and hardships that people had endured. But most of all, it left me with an insatiable hunger for more history. If only history had been taught in school the way this book teaches it, I would have been captivated throughout my entire school years.

I found myself completely immersed in the pages of this book, eager to discover what lay ahead. It was a truly enlightening and engaging read that I would highly recommend to anyone with an interest in history.

People read it!

I am Russian. In my relatively short lifetime, as I am only 28 years old, they have rewritten Russian/Soviet history textbooks twice already. They arbitrarily change black to white, whatever suits the government better.

No nation desires to appear bad. However, creating fairy tales and lying to oneself is not a viable solution. After all, we should face all aspects of our heritage objectively. By doing so, we will not become any worse. On the contrary, I firmly believe that it is the only way to move forward and have a more accurate understanding of our past.

We should not be afraid to confront the truth, even if it is sometimes uncomfortable. Only through an honest and comprehensive examination of history can we learn from our mistakes and build a better future for ourselves and for future generations.

I know that I was taught numerous untruths during my school days.

For instance, when the U.S. was engaged in the losing effort in Vietnam, we were being told that we had never lost a war. What about the War of 1812? And that small conflict in Korea which we are still attempting to resolve?

So, I picked up this book fully expecting to concur with every assertion, being the good little progressive liberal that I am.

However, if one believes Mr. Loewen, nothing that we have ever done in this country has been with good intentions or has led to any positive outcomes.

I grew tired of this perspective. Are we really, and have we always been that dreadful? Because if that is the case, is there any hope for us? I desire to be "woke," but am I the only one? Can I make a difference and fix the situation?

It makes me question whether there is a middle ground or if we are truly as bad as this portrayal suggests.

A sort of traveling expose,

which debunks numerous instances where history texts and classes have systematically censored history or distorted it into propaganda.

This is done not only by telling lies but also by omitting significant events.

Apparently, image management is prioritized over honesty, in the belief that it is necessary to ensure students are properly patriotic.

My daughter read parts of this book in junior high.

When she attempted to share some of her discoveries with one of her teachers, the teacher called her a liar.

The story the teacher insisted was false was the true and well-documented account of the induction of a sitting President, Warren G. Harding, into the KKK in a public ceremony at the White House.

This book serves as a great counterweight to the sanitized and often blatantly false picture of our country's history that most of our kids' schools present instead of teaching history honestly and appropriately.

It provides a more accurate and comprehensive view, challenging the traditional narrative and encouraging students to think critically about the past.

This is one of those books I've been meaning to read for ages. So glad I finally got around to it!

I've been addicted to history for most of my life. Of course, the majority of what I've learned has come from college-level courses and independent research. If I'd relied solely on my public school education, my perception of American history would be horribly distorted, to say the least. And like the students mentioned in this book, I doubt I would've ever taken an interest.

I was in public school in the 80s and early 90s. Even then, the history we learned was horribly whitewashed. Most of the atrocities our country has committed were either glossed over or not mentioned at all. In retrospect, this is disappointing, to say the least. But it's downright tragic that kids are getting it even worse today. There's revisionist history, blind patriotism, and education with an agenda.

Just thinking about it is depressing. One can only hope that this is a temporary sickness. Maybe one day, we'll have the courage to give our kids the truth about history, warts and all. Then, they can form a more accurate and informed understanding of the past and make better decisions for the future.

Ultimately, my initial anticipation for this book did not translate into a deep and abiding love for it. I was truly taken aback by the author's incisive insights regarding Christopher Columbus. It turns out that Columbus is far from the heroic figure I had always believed him to be. The author quotes primary sources, including Columbus's own writings, which challenges the traditional way history is taught. However, in the end, I did not complete the book. This was not because it lacked interest or because I disagreed with the author's views. Instead, it was due to the nature of the history he presents. It is by no means rated G. I don't need to know the gory and crude details to understand the depths of human evil. To be fair, the author also gives credit where it is due. The book truly endeavors to present the reader with an unseen side of history, which would make it more balanced. We must view history from multiple perspectives and consider the whole story, not just isolated snapshots in time. We admire Helen Keller for her hard work and perseverance in learning to read, write, and talk, without necessarily looking at the many years afterward when she dedicated herself to building socialism (a fact I know to be true from my brief readings of her book "My Religion"). After reading this book, I will approach history differently. I have gained something from reading just a few of its pages, but I will leave the rest for others to discover.

The issue I have is that I've come to the conclusion that if there are any lies told about American history, it might be by the author of this book. I find it appalling that he would speak ill of Columbus, claiming he killed Indians oppressively. In any situation, if there was killing, it was likely in self-defense. And to denounce the pilgrims and Thanksgiving Day is also repulsive. But I believe Professor LEOWEN has a typical secular humanist problem with Christians.

It may be true that Washington, Jefferson, Madison, and A. Jackson owned slaves. However, if they did, I would argue that the slaves were better treated and were emancipated after the death of these leaders. Blaming the white man for running the natives off much of the territories is false; it was actually the Spanish who did that.

I recently read the book “A Decision to Go to War” by President Lincoln, and it was by no means directly caused by slavery, contrary to what Professor LEOWEN claims.

Regarding later times, the claims about Woodrow Wilson being a dictator and discriminating against blacks, I don't believe any of this is accurate. If what we learned before 1975 was lies, and we question how teachers prior to that era knew what really happened, then I ask Professor LEOWEN how he knows. Was he there? If not, how can he justify all the wrongs he mentions? It's interesting that with World War Two, he only mentions our oppression against the Japanese, like the interment camps and the nuclear bombs, but never mentions the Pearl Harbor attack or the Bataan death march. Maybe he should read Bill O'REILLY's book, “The Rising Sun.”

The author is suggesting that America is an evil country and harps on the idea of updating history textbooks, which many on the right wing call re-written books. This, he believes, contributes to the next generation's hatred of their country. There is something wrong with history being re-written to suit the sensitive generations. He is right that many high school and middle school students don't take much interest in U.S. History, but it's not because of what was taught in the past. It's because America is being taught as an evil nation. While there are bad things in U.S. history, good has also come out of it.

I think we should teach our youth to be thankful that we live in the best, but not perfect, nation in the world. We did right the wrongs, such as ending slavery, achieving civil rights, and ending prohibition. Do many other countries do the same? Probably not. Now, not many high schools require students to take more than one year of U.S. History, which is a shame because many young people today have no clue about American history. I saw on Watters World that young people gave absurd answers to basic history questions. We don't need to update anything; we need to get back to the basics. This book was a huge disappointment. I rate it with no stars, just one hash mark for being somewhat entertaining.

**"Lies My Teacher Told Me": A Thought-Provoking Analysis**

"Lies My Teacher Told Me" presents a complex and engaging exploration of American history textbooks. The book has its share of three-star elements, but also numerous four-star aspects that make it a valuable read. I rate it four stars because I'm glad I had the opportunity to encounter it and because such a resource is crucial.

The author, James Loewen, reviews a significant number of high school American history textbooks, both in the first and second editions. His examination reveals numerous inaccuracies, omissions, and biases in the textbooks. For example, he points out that the textbooks often present a one-sided view of historical events, ignoring the experiences and perspectives of marginalized groups such as Native Americans and African Americans.

One of the strengths of the book is Loewen's attention to detail. He provides specific examples and footnotes to support his claims, making it easy for readers to verify his information. He also makes an effort to give credit when textbooks make improvements in their presentation of history. However, the book is not without its flaws. Some readers may find the author's left-leaning perspective to be a distraction, and there are some contradictions in the book that could have been better addressed.

Overall, "Lies My Teacher Told Me" is a thought-provoking and important book that challenges readers to think critically about the way history is taught in American schools. It is a must-read for anyone interested in American history, education, or social justice.

Note: Maybe my review is a bit harsh, but I have a low tolerance for sanctimonious bullshit.

I must say that I found this book, "Lies My Teacher Told Me" by James W. Loewen, to be rather hypocritical. It made me lose all respect for anything it had to offer. While I do承认 that my history books often bordered on the fictional side, I was disappointed to find that what this book presented was no more trustworthy than a middle school history lesson on "the Cowboys and the Indians".

I understand that one should never expect to find all the answers in one place or book. I didn't anticipate this to be a comprehensive history guide. Instead, I thought it would provide a shallow view of a wide range of history events or perhaps even offer a small critique of American History. However, this book was blatantly one-sided, and the author didn't even wait for an appropriate amount of time before revealing his garish hand.

In conclusion, James W. Loewen is no better than those authors who wrote our history books. Their distinct goal seems to be to impose their own theories and biased views upon the readers. This, sir, makes you a hypocrite.

However, if you do come across an event in history that fascinates you, here is my advice (which is what I usually do and will continue doing after this horrid experience): Look up \\n  several\\n books on the issue, as well as online articles and television documentaries. It's much better to know all the facts, thoughts, controversies, and everything in between.
Don't ever rely solely on these kinds of books to learn about history, as they don't tell you much and what they do tell you is often up for debate.

This review gets points for rightfully highlighting forgotten aspects of history and the poor practices within the textbook publishing industry. However, it loses points for the unjust criticism of politicians the reviewer doesn't like. It's been a while since we've heard a leftist bashing on Bush. Also, the environmentalist rant about all humans dying soon if we continue using oil seems a bit extreme.

Maybe this is just hindsight, looking back at this book from the late 1990s in 2024. But haven't we already covered this ground? Most history textbooks published in recent years no longer present a whitewashed view of Columbus, the treatment of Indians, the slave trade, colonization, and so on. Loewen complains that Western/American superiority biases these history textbooks. But today, we hear only claims from the leftist progressive agenda about how Western civilization is colonialist, racist, xenophobic, homophobic, bigoted, and so forth. Did this book have a greater influence on modern academia and education than I realized? Or has this trend only emerged since the second edition was published in 2007? I'm pretty sure most kids today know that early presidents were slaveholders. Either this book has already achieved its goal of drawing attention to these issues, or I read it years ago and have long forgotten.

For a useful summary of the content, check out this review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...