The main point of the book is to deconstruct the usage of textbooks in american high schools and colleges. Lies my teacher told me everything your american history. Everything your high school history textbook got wrong, in part a telling critique of existing textbooks, but also a gripping retelling of american history as it should, and could, be taught. Since its first publication in 1995, lies my teacher told me has become one of the. Everything your american history textbook got wrong summary winner of the 1996 american book award and the oliver cromwell cox award for distinguished antiracist scholarship americans have lost touch with their history, and in this thoughtprovoking book, professor james loewen shows why. The book won the american book award in 1996 as well as several other awards. Everything american history textbooks get wrong, is now available in a young readers edition.
Everything your american history textbook got wrong 9780743296281 by loewen, james w. What prompted the author james loewen to write lies my teacher told me. Aug 09, 2018 lies my teacher told me, and how american history can be used as a weapon james loewens 1995 book explained how history textbooks got the story of america wrong. Loewen winner of the american book award and the oliver c. Everything your american history textbook got wrong when it came out years and years ago one of the best books ive ever read. Loewen, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. In response, he has written lies my teacher told me, in part a telling critique of existing books but, more importantly, a wonderful retelling of american history as it should and could be taught to american students. Young readers edition everything american history textbooks get wrong by james w. History textbooks still full of lies and halftruths. Beginning with precolumbian history and ranging over characters and events as diverse as reconstruction, helen keller, the first thanksgiving, the my lai massacre by mass murderers american soldiers during the vietnam war, 911, and the iraq war.
Loewen, a sociology professor and distinguished critic of history education, puts 12 popular textbooks under. Loewen brings history alive in all its complexity and ambiguity. Josh billings american history is longer, larger, more various, more beautiful, and more terrible than anything. One major reason why this is true is that history textbooks depict them through white eyes. This updated and revised edition of the american book awardwinner and national bestseller revitalizes the truth of america s history, explores how myths continue to be perpetrated, and includes a new chapter on 911 and the iraq war. Nov 20, 2018 in 1995, james loewen set out to resolve this problem.
Loewen is the bestselling author of lies my teacher told me and lies across america. Loewen not only critiques textbooks, he also introduces the history as it should be told regarding key events, people, and time periods such as precolumbian. Cox antiracism award of the american sociological association americans have lost touch with their history, and in lies my teacher told me professor james loewen shows why. Beginning with precolumbian history and ranging over characters and events as diverse as reconstruction, helen keller, the first thanksgiving, the my lai massacre by mass murderersamerican soldiers during the vietnam war, 911, and the iraq war. Ray raphael mentions professor loewens book lies my teacher told me in his first paragraph on history textbooks and the american revolutionary war are history. Jim loewen taught race relations for twenty years at the university of vermont. After surveying eighteen leading high school american history texts, he has concluded that not one does a decent job of making history interesting. Beginning with precolumbian american history and ranging over characters and events as diverse as reconstruction, helen. Lies my teacher told me, by james loewen, explained how history textbooks got the story of america wrong, usually by softpedaling, oversimplifying and burying the thorny drama and uncertainties of.
Everything your american history textbook got wrong by james w. This updated and revised edition of the american book awardwinner and national bestseller revitalizes the truth of americas history, explores how myths. Having sold over two million copies, the book also won an american book award and the oliver cromwell cox award for distinguished antiracist scholarship and was heralded on the front page of the new. Beginning with precolumbian history and ranging over characters and events as diverse as reconstruction, helen keller, the first thanksgiving, the my lai massacre, 911, and the iraq war, loewen offers an eyeopening critique of existing. He is a regular contributor to the history channels history magazine and is a professor emeritus of sociology at the university of vermont. Lies my teacher told me, and how american history can be. Aug 09, 2018 lies my teacher told me, by james loewen, explained how history textbooks got the story of america wrong, usually by softpedaling, oversimplifying and burying the thorny drama and uncertainties of the past under a blanket of dull, voiceofgod narration. After surveying eighteen leading high school american. Native americans have been lied about more often than any portion of the american population.
Framed largely as a critique of the history education delivered in america s classrooms but also serving as a history text itself, lies my teacher told me was the result of loewens analysis of a. From outdated textbooks to gross distortions of basic events and major figures, loewen exposes readers to a side of us history that most do not get in high school. Having just finished it, i am already looking forward to reading another fine loewen book. Lies my teacher told me, and how american history can be used. Having sold nearly two million copies, the book also won an american book award and the oliver cromwell cox award for distinguished antiracist scholarship and was heralded on the front page of the new york times. In addition to his critique of the dominant historical themes presented in high school textbooks, loewen presents themes that he says are ignored by traditional history textbooks. Please do not combine it with the completely revised and updated edition 2007. Lies my teacher told me, by james loewen, explained how history textbooks got the story of america wrong, usually by softpedaling, oversimplifying and burying the thorny drama and uncertainties of the past under a blanket of dull, voiceofgod narration. It found that those materials frequently taught students about topics including the first thanksgiving, the civil and vietnam wars, and the americas before. Oct 14, 1995 lies my teacher told me is a wellwritten and insightful expose of some of the problems inherent in the teaching of us history in public schools. Everything your american history textbook got wrong by james loewen is a book about factual inaccuracies found in a survey of twelve popular history textbooks. He published a landmark book, lies my teacher told me, that went on to sell more than 2 million copies.
One reader said their high school history classes were found not important to their life and failed to attach relevevance to. Loewen is part of his campaign to correct mistakes that have everyone has most likely heard the quote, history is written by the victors. Americans have lost touch with their history, and in lies my teacher told me professor james loewen shows why. Loewen, a sociology professor and distinguished critic of history education, puts 12 popular textbooks under the microscope, and what he discovers will surprise you. Lies my teacher told me is for anyone who has ever fallen asleep in history class. Lies my teacher told me is a 1995 book by sociologist james w. Since its first publication in 1995, lies my teacher told me has gone on to win an american book award, the oliver cromwell cox award for distinguished antiracist scholarship, and to sell over half a million copies in its various editions. Winner of the 1996 american book award and the oliver cromwell cox award for distinguished antiracist scholarship americans have lost touch with their history, and in this thoughtprovoking book, professor james loewen shows why. Everything your american history textbook got wrong 2007. Jul 26, 2018 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. It would be better not to know so many things than to know so many things that are not so. Aug 02, 2018 loewen didnt veer from his conclusions with the secondedition release of lies my teacher told me in 2007, for which he analyzed six new history textbooks. This chapter is about heroificationthe process by which fascinating, controversial people are gradually transformed into boring, onedimensional figures in history textbooks.
Everything your american history textbook got wrong james loewen since its first publication in 1995, lies my teacher told me has gone on to win an american book award, the oliver cromwell cox award for distinguished antiracist scholarship, and to sell over half a million copies in its various editions. Everything your american history textbook got wrong. Aug 09, 2018 lies my teacher told me, by james loewen, explained how history textbooks got the story of america wrong, usually by softpedaling, oversimplifying and burying the thorny drama and uncertainties. After surveying twelve leading high school american history texts, he has concluded that not one does a decent job of making history interesting or memorable. In 1995, james loewen set out to resolve this problem. Jul 26, 2018 since its first publication in 1995, lies my teacher told me has become one of the most importantand successfulhistory books of our time. In lies my teacher told me, loewen criticizes modern american history textbooks for containing incorrect information about people and events. Pathways to the present, were nearly identical for page after page. Loewen believed that americans were intrested in there past but were bored by their history classes. The awardwinning and influential critique of twelve u. A new edition of the national bestseller and american book award winner, with a. An epilogue, the future lies ahead, suggests distortions and omissions that went undiscussed in earlier chapters and recommends ways that teachers can teach and students can learn american history more honestly sort of an inoculation program against the next lies we are otherwise sure to encounter.
This lt work is the original edition of james loewens book, lies my teacher told me. Americans have lost touch with their history, and in lies my teacher told me. American textbooks, unlike russian ones, rarely if at all mention. It critically examines twelve popular american high school history textbooks and concludes that the textbook authors propagate false, eurocentric and mythologized views of american history. Thats a good hook, but unfortunately once the hook gets you the place it pulls you into is slightly different than what you might expect. Lies my teacher told me central bucks school district. Loewen broke down some major falsehoods in his 1995 book lies my teacher told me, which is being rereleased in paperback this summer. Everything your american history textbook got wrong find, read and cite all the research you. Lies my teacher told me study guide contains a biography of james w. Needless to say, i was gratified to see that book adapted for middle. Your book lies my teacher told me, and especially the chapter red. Loewens premise is that history textbooks have been presented to portray a slanted, optimistic and patriotic dumbeddown view of america, because this suits the needs of the conservative white people who sit on the textbook adoption boards. Because of cloudy facts such as this, loewen, the author of lies my teacher told me and the confederate and neoconfederate reader, says the book avoids slavery as the main cause of the civil. Jun 02, 2014 lies my teacher told me is the winner of the 1996 american book award,3 the oliver cromwell cox award for distinguished antiracist scholarship, and the critics choice award of the american.
Loewen didnt veer from his conclusions with the secondedition release of lies my teacher told me in 2007, for which he analyzed six new history textbooks. Lies my teacher told me is the winner of the 1996 american book award,3 the oliver cromwell cox award for distinguished antiracist scholarship, and the. 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. Since its first publication in 1995, lies my teacher told me has become one of the most importantand successfulhistory 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 antiracist scholarship and was heralded on the front page of the.
He published a landmark book, lies my teacher told me, that went on to sell more than. Winner of the 1996 american book award and the oliver cromwell cox award for distinguished. Everything your american history textbook got wrong is a 1995 book by james w. Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in lies my teacher told me, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Lies my teacher told me, by james loewen, explained how history textbooks got the story of america wrong, usually by softpedaling, oversimplifying and burying the. When i was a high school junior in new orleans taking ap american history, my teacher assigned us a paperback book. Aug 16, 2018 loewen broke down some major falsehoods in his 1995 book lies my teacher told me, which is being rereleased in paperback this summer. Everything your american history textbook got wrong author. Lies my teacher told me won the american book award and the oliver cromwell cox award for distinguished antiracist scholarship. Lies my teacher told me and americas posttruth era. Beginning with precolumbian history and ranging over characters and events as diverse as reconstruction, helen keller, the first thanksgiving, and the mai lai massacre, loewen offers an eyeopening critique of existing textbooks, and a wonderful retelling of american history as it shouldand couldbe taught to american students. May 12, 2000 in response, he wrote lies my teacher told me. Everything your american history textbook got wrong loewen.