Book Review: Lies My Teacher Told Me By James W. Loewen

Reading Lies My Teacher Told Me in a local coffee shop

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WHAT IS THE POINT OF LEARNING WHAT YOU DO NOT KNOW?

In the book “Lies My Teacher Told Me,” James W. Loewen details his quandary with the instruction of U.S. history in our educational system. He examines 18 popular history textbooks used throughout the country at public schools to compare how each depicts the subject.

Loewen highlights examples of historical figures, episodes and themes represented in the textbooks and fleshes out the omissions and inaccuracies of each. Throughout chapter after chapter of “Lies,” Loewen builds out various aspects of history with additional information not found in the texts.

And then, Loewen poses the question: How can students make informed decisions about the present state of our country (and our possible future) without a robust and objective context of how we got here in the first place?

As an adult, reading “Lies” reminded me of many stories I’d been taught as a child that were simply incorrect. As I aged, I believed I’d corrected enough of them that I had an overarching “understanding” of U.S. history. I learned, however, that there is a great deal I did not (and still don’t) know.

I am a product of the educational system of the 1960s and ‘70s. Much of what I was taught revolved around the heroes of our country, the concepts of patriotism and nationalism, and were all shaped by a limited or biased narrative provided to me and my peers. More than the misinformation was the subconscious message of that education, too, which shaped my naïve notion of our country and our place in the world.

While I read Loewen’s book, I became more vexed by what I found—the U.S. has not always acted as the “good guy” with other nations. Our motivations as a superpower are not altruistic as much as they are strategic and representative of the interests of those in power.

THE VALUE OF LEARNING

We spend the better part of two decades in school amassing information that is core to functioning in our society. Learning is a systematic process of compiling knowledge—in other words, building on what we know with additional information. But what if what we learn isn’t complete or accurate?

With each chapter, Loewen delves into new subjects, transforming the mythic narrative presented in history textbooks. With a more complex look at history, Loewen suggests that different questions and conclusions are often the outcome, and that THIS is the point of learning history in the first place.

Loewen spotlights the epic and inaccurate story of Christopher Columbus, for example, who for decades was attributed for having “discovered” America. He explains why this tale was allowed to persist in history textbooks, despite wide knowledge that it was false. He also sheds light on the first peoples to arrive and settle in the U.S. Spoiler alert—it wasn’t the Pilgrims! 

HIT BY WHAT I DON’T KNOW

It’s not just the inaccuracies but how topics—particularly politically sticky ones—are glossed over in these textbooks that I found alarming. As a result, generation after generation of pupils are inappropriately armed to understand the issues they face today.

Students can’t make accurate connections or see the causal relationships of the past and how they led to the issues we face now. Subjects like slavery, Jim Crow and Vietnam are covered sparingly so that school boards can easily purchase those textbooks without offending grumpy constituents.

One example featured early in “Lies” was that of Helen Keller. I thought I knew the whole story of Keller because I learned about her in school. I knew she overcame her disabilities to become a prominent speaker and advocate for all people with disabilities. What I did not know was that she also became infamous as an ardent socialist.

Through Keller’s research, she learned that blindness was not equally distributed in society. Poor men, for example, suffered blindness more often as a result of industrial accidents, and didn’t have access to adequate medical care. And poor women who had to turn to prostitution more frequently suffered blindness due to diseases such as syphilis.

Through her work, Keller learned that social class often determined who became sick and who had access to treatment. And as Keller became more vocal about the issue of class, she went from being celebrated to being villainized and marginalized by those in power because of her beliefs.

A more complete story of Hellen Keller, like so many other historical figures, left me overwhelmed by all that I didn’t and still don’t know of our history.

As I finished “Lies,” I came full circle to understand that Loewen’s message wasn’t about highlighting all the ills of our country, but about shining a light on the need to present it accurately and without bias. A robust review of our history permits students to be critical thinkers so they can draw the best conclusions possible for their future.

THE HUMBLE CONCLUSION OF NOT KNOWING

I recommend reading “Lies.” Today, there is a mixed message in our culture about the value of continued learning as an adult. With the current political climate, there seems to be a distrust for the pursuit of knowledge. And those who are experts in a field of study are often termed “elites,” suggesting they are out of touch with the real world.

Admittedly, I am no expert of history, and repeatedly as I read through “Lies” I recognized how much I do not know. But the purpose of learning is to grow, and with growth there is usually discomfort as we are forced to reexamine our opinions and what we believe to be true.

Learning more about any subject, including history, allows us to step back and reassess our base of knowledge. And as humans, we are defined by our boundaries. If we want a rich life that permits us to reach beyond the horizon we see, we have to be ready to step forward and risk learning what we do not know.

JOURNAL PROMPT: What is something recently you’ve learned that you didn’t know? List topics you’d like to learn more about going forward.

QUOTE:

"The key to pursuing excellence is to embrace an organic, long-term learning process, and not to live in a shell of static, safe mediocrity. Usually, growth comes at the expense of previous comfort or safety."
— Josh Waitzkin

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Sherry and Alexandra Borzo together in Lima, Peru

Sherry is the founder of Storied Gifts a personal publishing service of family and company histories. She and her team help clients curate and craft their stories into books. When not writing or interviewing, Sherry spends loads of time with her grandchildren and lives in Des Moines, Iowa.

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