Rating: 
Summary: Clever Critique deteriorates into socialist propoganda
Review: This book starts out with a very clever critique of the way American History textbooks are written. Professor Loewen argues that American History as currently taught bores students because it tells a a dull and incomplete story. He posits that telling the truth, as painful as it might be, will help students be better citizens. Prof. Loewen illustrates his argument with several telling examples (Pres. Wilson's racism, Helen Keller's socialist leanings, Columbus actual life story). However, even in the begining, glaring factual errors do crop up (e.g. claiming that Europeans were not exposed to other races until after 1492-what about the Roman Empire with its African and Middle Eastern possessions or the Moor and Mongol invasions ?) And as the book progresses, the clever critique and interesting new historical facts give way to socialist/politically correct propoganda, where Prof. Loewens leftist opinions are transformed into facts omitted from history.... The book starts out cleverly exposing "Lies my teacher told me" but degenerates into "Lies Professor Loewen told me." --This text refers to the Paperback edition
Rating: 
Summary: For Truth Seekers Only
Review: Loewen exposes the truth behind some of America's most controversial schoolhouse legends, from Columbus to the Pilgrims to Vietnam. He also writes at length about the underlying themes in American textbooks (i.e. racism). This book is perfect for those who want to know why America is the way it is and why we are hated around the globe, especially in the Third World. "Lies" will fascinate and, in some instances, disillusion the reader. But, as Frederick Douglass once wrote and Loewen quotes, "He is a lover of his country who rebukes and does not excuse its sins."
Rating:
Summary: A Well-researched Roasting of Textbooks
Review: The author, a professor at the University of Vermont, spent ten years exhaustively analyzing and fact-checking the twelve American History textbooks most widely used in U.S. high schools. He documents hundreds of errors, distortions, disputed hypotheses presented as fact, critical omissions, and outright fabrications. These flaws are partly due to slipshod work by second-rate historians and by publishers' employees who are not historians at all. For the most part, however, they are systematic -- well-chosen in service of an agenda of boosterism. Regarding America, its government, and its pantheon of heroes, the rule seems to be: If you can't say something nice, don't say it. The textbooks are intended as propaganda; that is why it is fair for the author to call the flaws "lies". Why should students bother studying history at all? Among the reasons must be their development as citizens, their understanding of live present day issues, and their ability to evaluate sensibly the claims of politicians and others advocating causes. In the interest of developing good patriotic citizens, the texts ignore or paper over anything that might reflect badly on government or invite questioning of authority. From Columbus to Viet Nam, they treat history as the annals of the acts of government and benign authority. Their idea of good citizenship seems to be: pay taxes, vote regularly, and support the actions of government. Chronologically as they were enacted, they present Emancipation, women's suffrage, child labor laws, and civil rights laws as if they had been foreordained and inevitable. They ignore the struggles that led up to them, and eschew any suggestion that the efforts of the Abolitionists, Suffragettes, labor organizers, or civil rights workers might have helped bring them about, or that these people had effectively exercised their rights as citizens. Race is an aspect of many live issues and is itself a live issue, at least in the sense of white fear of black violence and black fear of white prejudice. But from the end of Reconstruction on, practically anything to do with race is taboo in the texts. Students' first and only exposure to segregation, Brown v Board of Education, enables the books to dismiss it as a thing of the past -- a rather peculiar attitude for a history book. Loewen exhaustively documents the pervasive, official antiblack racism that lasted from the end of reconstruction until the 1930s and beyond. He provides countless instances of racist laws and incidents, sufficient to support the generalization that a black had no rights that a white was obliged to respect. The textbooks omit any reference to any of this. The author emphasizes the disempowering effects these omissions and distortions have on black students, but I believe that they know better; the really harmful effect is on the white students. Absent any knowledge of the history of racism, the whites have no basis for understanding blacks' suspicion of white motives and of government; they can be expected to dismiss the concerns as groundless and irrational, and forgiven for doing so. It is impossible in a short review to do justice to this wonderful book. The section on the texts' treatment of John Brown is alone worth the price. Some readers will find many of its opinions too "PC" for their tastes, but the facts are there for you to draw your own conclusions. Some readers may find the endless catalog of facts and errors a bit tedious. Strong conclusions require strong evidence, however, and America's American History textbooks warrant very strong conclusions indeed.
Rating: 
Summary: a very good starting point.
Review: The bottom line of this book is simple: history textbooks provide an edulcorated version of American past, a chronological sequel of facts, while still overlooking unpleasant ones, and are tailored in order not to entice students' curiosity. The author provides some examples, that to be honest are quite obvious to an European high school student of American history who had the chance to read an average textbook of World history.
The facts and comments are interesting in themselves, you have a collection of conventional wisdom that is misplaced. However, the most important contribution is in another field: why Europeans and Americans think different about America.
However, the same can be said about European textbook that deal with European history. For that we need another Loewen.
Rating:
Summary: Impressive, readable, and most importantly: disturbing
Review: The truly disconcerting result of reading Loewen's excellent
indictment of history texts is that I realized I knew that
I was taught bad history, and never thought much about it until now. My high school taught history in much the same way Loewen recommends: use a lot of primary sources and discuss the ideas in a (historical) context. However, it was only available to honors students, and that's a shame. The real shame is that this book might force you to realize that you hold conflicting views in your head. I would instinctively recall the myth of a historical person or event, even though I can also recall the advanced coursework of high school and college that directly contradicts it. Testimony, then, to how deeply ingrained bad history instruction can be. This is a well-written, extremely interesting book for amateur historians and non-fiction readers alike. If you like a good story, you'll be pleasantly surprised to read some real history, backed by copious notes and references, that will intrigue you and keep you hooked. I always thought history was the best collection of stories one could read, and Loewen proves it demonstrably. There are some heartbreaking realizations throughout the book. Even though Loewen does a fair job of balancing the attack and reminding readers that the purpose of a democracy is to cultivate a society of bull detectors, the litany of inaccuracies and outright misrepresentations will surprise you. The true heartbreak is the discussion about how textbooks are approved; never again can I stand idly by in my community, allowing such ignorant people the ability to change history to suit their prejudices. If anything, this book has reminded me of a long-forgotten duty to speak up.
Rating:
Summary: It will make you want to study history
Review: This book makes learning history fun while it dispells many American myths. I always knew that there was a trace of racism in those textbooks and this book proves it. Anyone and everyone should read this book. It should be required reading in schools. If you believe in schools and required reading.
Rating:
Summary: Very Good
Review: This book is a review of the twelve most commonly used high school history textbooks across the United States. A look at the materials that are being used to teach our children and the picture that is presented is not pretty. This book is very important for anyone interested in history or in why our young people seem to be clueless regarding it. One quarter of college freshman believe that the Vietnam War was fought between North and South Korea. How can that be? This book can shed some light. This book also provides detailed "period looks" at events in U.S. history. It amazed me how this book played out and what was left out of the high school history books that are being used throughout our country, no wonder young people have such dismal knowledge of history. Read this book and open your eyes. Changes need to be made and this book should be read by all teachers and parents. The gaps need to be filled in. Buy it - read it - and be shocked!
Rating:
Summary: Continuing education
Review: Mr. Loewen provides far more than concrete facts which dispell cherished American myths. He also provides a global perspective on how many of these myths can affect us and the world at large. Well written, concise, highly useful for anyone with the courage to examine their own beliefs.
Rating:
Summary: Discover History for the First Time
Review: "American history is longer, larger, more various, more beautiful, and more terrible than anything anyone has ever said about it." - James Baldwin If you are a teacher, like me, this book is essential. And if you are a student, like me, realize that you have been hoodwinked. Not only does Loewen uncover all the lies that have propagated by the "Man," he also sets out to make History fun and interesting again. As Loewen shows us so clearly, American History textbooks are not only boring but scandelously innacurate. Informative, well-written, interesting and important; Loewen's book is nothing less than a radical new interpretation and example of how History should be taught. Thanks Loewen!
Rating:
Summary: College Sociology assignment
Review: This book is fabulously interesting. This book was given to my class as an assignment for Soc. 101 in 1998. It will open your eyes to the truth behind American history. If all History books were written with the real truth, as this book is, I would never have fallen asleep in my high school history classes!
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