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Every teacher, every student of history, every citizen should read this book. It is both a refreshing antidote to what has passed for history in our educational system and a one-volume education in itself.―Howard ZinnA new edition of the national bestseller and American Book Award winner, with a new preface by the authorSince its first publication in 1995, Lies My Teacher Told Me has become one of the most important―and successful―history books of our time. Having sold nearly two million copies, the book also won an American Book Award and the Oliver Cromwell Cox Award for Distinguished Anti-Racist Scholarship and was heralded on the front page of the New York Times.For this new edition, Loewen has added a new preface that shows how inadequate history courses in high school help produce adult Americans who think Donald Trump can solve their problems, and calls out academic historians for abandoning the concept of truth in a misguided effort to be objective.What started out as a survey of the twelve leading American history textbooks has ended up being what the San Francisco Chronicle calls an extremely convincing plea for truth in education. In Lies My Teacher Told Me, James W. Loewen brings history alive in all its complexity and ambiguity. Beginning with pre-Columbian history and ranging over characters and events as diverse as Reconstruction, Helen Keller, the first Thanksgiving, the My Lai massacre, 9/11, and the Iraq War, Loewen offers an eye-opening critique of existing textbooks, and a wonderful retelling of American history as it should―and could―be taught to American students.

In his groundbreaking book, "Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong", James W. Loewen exposes the many inaccuracies, omissions, and distortions that have been perpetuated in American history textbooks for generations.

Loewen meticulously examines a wide range of topics, from the arrival of Christopher Columbus to the Vietnam War, and reveals how textbooks have consistently whitewashed history, glorified American imperialism, and suppressed the voices of marginalized groups.

Loewen argues that this sanitized version of history has had a profound impact on the way Americans understand their own country and its role in the world. He calls for a more honest and comprehensive approach to teaching history, one that acknowledges the complexities and contradictions of the American past.

"Lies My Teacher Told Me" has been hailed as a groundbreaking work that has revolutionized the way history is taught in American schools. It is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the true story of America's past.

Here are some of the key themes explored in "Lies My Teacher Told Me":

• The myth of American exceptionalism: Loewen challenges the idea that America is a uniquely virtuous and benevolent nation, arguing that it has a long history of racism, imperialism, and violence.
• The omission of Native American history: Loewen shows how textbooks often ignore or marginalize the experiences of Native Americans, perpetuating harmful stereotypes and erasing their contributions to American history.
• The glorification of American wars: Loewen argues that textbooks often glorify American wars, portraying them as heroic and necessary, while downplaying their costs and negative consequences.
• The suppression of labor history: Loewen reveals how textbooks often ignore or downplay the role of labor unions and workers' movements in shaping American history.
• The whitewashing of American history: Loewen demonstrates how textbooks often whitewash American history, ignoring or minimizing the contributions of women, African Americans, and other marginalized groups.

"Lies My Teacher Told Me" is a powerful and provocative book that challenges the traditional narrative of American history. It is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the true story of America's past.