Book Review: Lies My Teacher Told Me

Book Review: Lies My Teacher Told Me

Introduction

The book titled “Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong” is authored by famous sociology professor James W. Loewen. James was intrigued by the lack of interest of the students in American history. He found it odd that a dramatic history of America which had events like civil war, clashes with Europeans, critical role in two world wars were not able to capture the interest of the readers. Furthermore, a number of researches show that a majority of students belonging to minorities performed consistently worse in history subjects. James set up to study the reasons of this irregularity by analyzing the contents of twelve textbooks on the subject. It was the result of this primary research that led James to uncover the real reasons behind this lack of interest on students' part. He published this book to educate the wider audience regarding the boring, misleading and bland composition of these textbooks. The declarative and simple design made the books more suited to teaching school children rather than the intended college students.

Chapter Wise Summary

Chapter 01

In the first chapter, the author has made an analysis of the hero-making nature of history books. A large majority of the people who are mentioned in these books are presented as being real world heroes. For example, the facts mentioned about Helen Keller serve as a realization that a lot of history books only mention the memories of childhood from her life. However, they do not provide an account of her adult life because that will affect her hero status. The authors have the responsibility to provide complete critical background of her life and her political aspirations. Moreover, the way historians have made an effort to cover up the mistakes of President Wilson is also very engaging. His role during the early years of the League of Nations and the extent of his racist behavior make it clear that history textbooks only provide information that shows the heroic aspect of their life. They should make a conscious effort to give the complete truth to the readers.

Chapter 02

In this chapter the author discusses the real story of Columbus and the exploitation of Native Americans from the hands of Spaniards. James discusses that the primary motivation for people to engage in exploration was their greed to capture the gold of other nations and bring in more slaves. Columbus was responsible for creating a mechanism for slave trade however; this is never mentioned in the history textbooks. James also visits the fact that the Vikings of people from West Africa might have been the first person to discover America. It is in this chapter that James also critically analyses the place of history in our lives. It is not the job of historians to justify moral or immoral acts but to let the generations know of that our forefathers did them.

Chapter 03

The history behind the thanksgiving tradition is discussed in ...