Lies My Teacher Told Me ASIN: 1402579373 Binding: Audio CD List price: $29.99 USD Amazon price: $20.69 USD

Lies My Teacher Told Me is a very interesting historical revision of what discreprencies are found in American History text books. Undoubtedly, the author has a political agenda. He focuses on retelling American history through the eyes of American minorities and disadvantaged citizens. The perspective is fascinating yet it has an air of exaggeration to it. The reason I selected this book in my audio library is because the premise. Lies My Teacher Told Me is about how text books tell American History.

The author’s premise is a very daring look at the way education is distributed to our youth. I found it fascinating. However, there are a lot of problems with Loewen’s message. He explains omissions of American History to be a result of "racism" and "eurocentrism". He continues to bash the patriotic zeal of American History as a way to make white middle class children to feel good about themselves. Although the bare content is very interesting and has already helped to reshape my opinion of American History, I feel very skeptical of every fact the author states because of the overbearing liberal tone he takes with his material.

If you feel confident with your ability to discern Loewen's facts from his radical interpretation of original sources, then this book has a valuable perspective which at the very least provides a different viewpoint.

Although the author argues that we should tell a more complete account of the good and bad of our nation’s decisions, he doesn’t seem to have anything "good" to say about it himself. His reinterpretations of America’s favorite historical characters are redefined as racist, greedy, and often morally bankrupt. He prefers history textbooks give the “real facts�? rather than a "watered down" version of “feel good history�?. He calls this history ethnocentric. Because it calls Europeans the “settlers�? which disregard the fact that Native Americans had settled the same land thousands of years earlier. He paints Thomas Jefferson as a hypocrite. Renouncing slavery publicly, yet owning several hundred slaves.

Loewen provocatively argues that omitting the blemishes of our past only bores students and squanders valuable opportunities for students to question decisions rather than to accept our nation’s leaders as omniscient. He believes that students would engage history passionately if only provided with a “truthful�? version of history which presents history as a question rather than dates to be “memorized�?.

I enjoyed the author’s insistence that students should ask if we made good or bad decisions rather than memorize facts and pretend that our nation’s past is beyond reproach. The way that textbooks teach history is unarguably sterilized. It is as if we are always progressing. Everything in our past is “building a better tomorrow�?. This kind of history benefits no one and makes history boring because it removes the conflict inherent to the field.

Unfortunately, Loewen superimposes a lot of political spin on the way he interprets the content left out of textbooks. Had Loewen exercised a bit more self-control in ranting about social injustice from a very Marxist view point, this would be a very great read for everyone interested in the future of American education. Despite the political ranting, the questions asked by Loewen add value to the great debate about how and what we should teach our children. Worthwhile book if you can tolerate the skewed propaganda.