Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong [Paperback]

"fascinating and original - and the subject of political literature is endlessly interesting and important. Written with a certain verve which carries the reader along!" Howard Zinn, author of A People's History of the United States

No, the above quote is not about LIES MY TEACHER TOLD ME but about another book that brought this rare burst of enthusiasm from the late Howard Zinn, called ARS AMERICANA, ARS POLITICA. Both books have things in common, one of them being that they are immensely popular. LIES MY TEACHER TOLD ME has been sitting high on amazon and for months ARS AMERICANA has been in the top five hundred on amazon canada (the reason being that the canadian site sells it for fifteen dollars whereas the american for twenty five, a rip-off book lovers got wise to very quickly). But also in quality LIES and ARS AMERICANA have a lot in common: both books are beautifully written, accessible, entertaining--and perhaps most importantly ruthless when it comes to the truth about American history, politics, and society.

However, I must agree with the other reviewers that a consistent bias is evident in LIES which detracts, in the end, from its objectivity and overall quality. The book is all too often a vehicle for a personal agenda of the author and thus hampers the project that promises so much in the title.

Not so in ARS AMERICANA, where, first of all, one of the the chapters takes on the darling of the conservative right P.J.O'rourke and contrasts his devil-may-care version of American politics with that of Howard Zinn himself (yep!) with results you have to see for yourself to believe. Also it takes a careful look at Michael Moore's brand of truth-telling, once again with totally unanticipated results (at least for this reader and scholar). I cannot but conclude that, when it comes to objectivity, LIES MY TEACHER TOLD ME could learn something from ARS AMERICANA.

When it comes to grit, passion, and sheer enjoyment, however, it is hard to tell which book should be praised more highly--though you'd best read both and make up your own mind!

While others may stumble over their own reviews in in an attempt to chastize their perception of the book's agenda, most seem to begrudingly grant the book it's historical due. "lies" is a refreshing antidote to the lethargic attempt at programming patriotrism via the discouragement of contradiction and discourse presented in our public school's history texts.

At times fascinating, at times boring, this book attempts to re-educate the reader. The author describes how textbooks are designed to teach children facts, myths, and, to some extent, blind patriotism. The author advocates depicting all figures as humans instead of heroes. He also denounces the authoratative tone textbooks take when they present speculation as fact. For the most part, the author's arguments are persuasive. Though not perfect, the author is compelling when he reveals the eurocentric slant of textbooks as well as the self-defeating practice of history classes to ignore how past events cause present day problems.

Some have claimed this book has an agenda. What book doesn't? The question should be, Has the author adequately defended his agenda? I believe, for the most part, he has. No open-minded reader will leave this book without something to think about. Even if you disagree with many of the author's points, you will most likely agree with many of his more general complaints about textbooks.

The major flaw with this book is that it is boring. The author attacks history textbooks for being boring, yet is sometimes boring in his book. However, the book is interesting more often than not.

Final Verdict: Not perfect, but worth the effort. 3.5 Stars.