Loewen, J. W. (1995). Lies My Teacher Told Me. New York: Touchstone.

I must admit that when I started this I was very sceptical. I am opposed to History bashing, of tearing down historical figures, and that is what I thought that this
book was about. The further I read though, the more impressed I was, and the more I found that my opinions were quite similar to Loewen's. This book talks about
some of the injustices, inaccuracies, and atrocities that history textbooks either forget about, glaze over, or paint a pretty color. After I realized that his main
argument was against textbooks, I was ready to agree. I hate History textbooks. He has many convincing arguments as to things that are wrong with them. His
other main argument is that the truth should be told. This doesn't necessarily mean tearing people apart, but at least showing that they are human, and that there is
more than just the European American viewpoint. One of the chapters that I agreed with most was called "Red Eyes" and it talked about the American Indians, and
the injustices and falsities that are perpetuated. The most interesting thing for me though was how he pointed out and showed that their point of view has been totally
ignored. Most of the textbooks are written like the Indians weren't even here when the Europeans arrived. Some of the other chapters include Christopher
Columbus and the discovery of America, the first Thanksgiving, John Brown and Abraham Lincoln, the Federal Government, and the "disappearance of recent
history".I have really enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

Questions I would ask: 1. What other events in our history have been so grossly miss or under related? 2. How can so much information be taught in so little time?
3. Who should choose what viewpoint to go from? 4. Are there too many "special interest" groups to make this feasible?

Submitted by Mathews

Review #1:

The title of this book is an indicator of the author's awareness of
language, and this is where the book shines.  Lies My Teacher Told Me
is all about American history. A major point Lowren makes is that
history text writers have taken all the drama out of our past, so it's
no wonder students are bored.  By ignoring the moral dilemmas that were
tied up within major decisions which changed the direction of history,
these authors have also done our society an injustice.  They have been
more concerned with trying to justify or bury inadequacies of American
heros than presenting  factual accounts.  In some instances, students
are "made dumber", by learning fallacies. How can we possibly learn
lessons from the past, asks Lowen, if we do not know (or admit) the
truth about the past?

I chose this book because of the title.  It intrigued me.  What sort of
a teacher would tell lies?  As I got further into the book, I marveled
at James Lowen's perception with language.  In some of the examples he
gives, he shows how history textbooks got around divulging complete
truths.  For instance, he quoted a passage on the Reconstruction (of
the South), in which authors ended with a biased statement, sure to
leave lingering disdain for Northern efforts.  His skill cannot be
underestimated, as in the title.  Lies My Teacher Told Me explicitly
tells the reader exactly who he holds responsible for the spread of
these fibs.

Reading this novel has made me feel both optimistic and pessimistic. If
I were to analyze the direction of our country based on the American
history I was taught, it would look like a runaway carriage, plunging
to disaster.  I always wondered how people(in power) could go from so
noble (like Thomas Jefferson), to so morally bankrupt like our present
leader.  But as Lowen pointed out, our history books left out the moral
dilemmas many of our "heros" faced, and the bad decisions they might
have made.  So this perspective makes me think that there is at least a
movement to try to acknowledge and correct our faults, and the carriage
is more stable than I thought. There have always been these types of
movements.   However, they have been under represented in our history
books.
On a pessimistic note,  Lowen presents a pretty clear picture of the
helplessness of the little guy to change anything.  As educators we
have more power than most, but who controls the curriculum?  Is it our
wonderful democratic society, the land of opportunity for all?  Or is
it the multinational corporations who hold more wealth [and power] than
many nations?
 

Questions I Might Ask:

  If we can't believe our history books, who can we believe?
  Is John Brown really one of our American heros?
  Now that the deed is done and our perception of ourselves formed, how
do we  change it?
  How many people realize that "one third of the United States, from
San Francisco to Arkansas to Natchez to Florida, has been Spanish
longer than it has been ‘American', and that Hispanic Americans lived
here before the first ancestor of the Daughters of the American
Revolution ever left England"? (77)
  Where can I, as an unbiased instructor find the information I need to
avoid "telling lies" to my students?

Submitted by  Lynnda Robeson


Review #2

The reason I chose this book was that I have often felt the history taught
in school is extremely biased. Moreover, the history that has been
chronicled is from a jaded perspective and far from objective. This was
reinforced in Loewen's book, Lies My Teacher Told Me, which covers the way
that the subject History has been taught through high school.

Loewen sites specific examples, drawn from a number of history texts
currently being used, that show how American History has been manufactured
and packaged, then sold to students. In some cases, the texts present only
partial information, which is true, however the balance is left untouched,
perhaps because it might stray from the "image" that is meant to be
portrayed. In other instances, the information is completely inaccurate,
where the texts seemingly finds it easier to fall back on the "legends and
stories"  that have been passed on through generations of history classes
rather than digging into the available resources and correctly present the
facts. The "standards" of American History are questioned, from the credits
given to Columbus to the more recent motives surrounding the Vietnam War.
 

The questions I came away with:

1. Since there is a recognized inconsistency in what is being taught as
American History, why haven't efforts been made to revise the coursework?

2. It would seem that the focus of American History has always been Western
European - American History. There have been efforts to teach American
History from a perspective that more relates to the surrounding
communities, such as a heavier emphasis on Hispanic roles in Hispanic
communities. Isn't it equally as necessary to educate other cultural
communities on the accomplishments of people from diverse backgrounds?

3. History, like news, is unfortunately propaganda that often promotes a
biased perspective. I was able to experience this while living in Japan and
seeing world politics reported from the perspective of the Pacific Rim.
Wouldn't it be interesting to compare some the major historical happenings
from another country or group's point of view? For example, World War I as
it appears in the textbooks of French students.

4. Within the last fifty of so years, our government has had more control
over what the public is afforded to know. Because of this, I see American
History as that which the government reports it to be. How will modern
technology effect this trend, will there be more public access or will
there be more suppressed information?

5. Loewen comes down pretty hard on the textbooks passing on inaccurate
information, however, I wonder how many teachers and prospective teachers
that are aware of the matters covered in this book chose to do something
about it. Moreover, what will be the response of an administrator should a
teacher of American History claim that the textbook the school has used for
the past twenty years is passing along false information?

Submitted by: Darrell Hosaka


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