Lies My Teacher Told Me

According to James W. Loewen in Lies My Teacher Told Me, American students enter college less knowledgeable about their own history than any other subject. American history is the least liked and worst remembered subject in American curricular. Loewen argues that history is the only subject one has to unlearn in college because high school presents inaccurate information to students. Who is to blame? Despite the indicting title, James Loewen does not appear to be blaming only teachers for student ignorance. Loewen blames textbooks, publishers, and instructors for students knowing too little accurate information, too much inaccurate information, and not caring about any information.

Loewen states the main cause for students’ lack of awareness is textbooks. Written to meet strict requirements of page length, design, and content, it has become practically impossible to write a history textbook that is interesting and acceptable to a national audience. Loewen proves that between authors, publishers, school boards, approval boards, and undereducated/overworked teachers, American textbooks have become a parade of uncontroversial, boring bites of information to be memorized and then quickly forgotten.

The general trend in history, Loewen says, is
I could never dream of learning all the topics Loewen discusses in his book, and on every topic Loewen not only states what is wrong with the text, Native Americans were wiped out rather than befriended at Thanksgiving, but also argues why having the facts right is important, the truth gives Native Americans some exigency and everyone learns accurate knowledge. Lies My Teacher Told Me is an example of what a high school textbook should be; interesting, informative, well documented, and detailed. Loewen clearly has a passion for history that comes through in his work, and I would recommend this book to anyone interested in America’s true