American History

Lies My Teacher Told Me Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong explores the other side of  some American history  that has been excluded in  high school history textbooks.  American textbook writers, according to James W. Lowen, author of  Lies My Teachers Told Me,  glorified the American historical truth while bombarding students with tedious and one- sided information about America. As a result, students find American history boring. (p.2-3). Also it isolates the students of color s own ethnic history by leaving out important facts printed in some American history textbooks that Lowen has researched.

Lowen, professor of sociology at the University of Vermont, investigates and explains about how textbook writers altered historical facts to sell students a product  of  progressive country without flaws. (p. 249)  He believes these  lies   in textbook may be the root cause of  high school students disinterest in history. This is after he surveyed high school students from Mississippi, Vermont and the metro area of Washington D.C. about their least favorite subject (p.1-7)  Besides observing students, most of his proof comes from the twelve textbooks he analyses. In addition, Lowen interviews American history teachers who has to teach the altered textbook.

The reviewer did not approached the author s knowledge in a skeptical manner because of the author s career and  co-writer of  the history textbook Mississippi Conflict and Change. He  reserves the right to dismantle the issue from a subjective view.  He asks the reader  (1995)  Why are history textbooks so bad  Nationalism is one of the ld allowed the reader to make their own judgment as indicated by
Lowen  about American history textbooks.