Paperback, 464 pages
Chinese language
Published 2009 by 中央编译出版社.
詹姆斯·洛温发现，美国课堂上使用的教科书都充斥着错误的信息和短视的见解。本书针对这一现象写作而成，它改变了我们与美国历史的关系。在书中，洛温详细剖析了美国现行的历史教科书，并对教科书中的谎言进行了细致入微的分析，展示了历史的生动性与复杂性。
他从前哥伦布时代着笔，涉猎重建、海伦·凯勒、第一个感恩节、梅莱大屠杀等多种人物与事件，对现有的教科书提出了令人大开眼界的批评，对美国历史进行了令人着迷的重述，指出了美国历史应该如何以及能够如何向美国学生讲授。他指出爱国主义是谎言的主要温床，为了宣扬爱国主义，美国中学历史教科书不惜“肢解”历史，英雄化历史人物，如哥伦布、杰斐逊、帕特里克·亨利、海伦·凯勒、威尔逊、林肯，等等。洛温痛心地指出，爱国主义无助于培养学生的独立思考能力。
在这本修订版中，洛温进一步考察了初版《老师的谎言》问世之后出版的6本中学历史教科书。他以一种独特的手法，为每章添加了新的素材，指出了这些新版教科书哪些地方更为正确，哪些地方仍有严重的错误，哪些地方反而变得更遭了。修订版中，洛温还增加了一章，分析教科书如何对待2001年恐怖袭击以及伊拉克战争。
This book introduced me to so many facts about history that I hadn't realized.
It also opened my eyes to the history text book approval process and the pressures on and motivations of history text book authors, publishers, and teachers as well as legislators.
I learned so much about American history from this book, and unlearned so much misinformation about history! It's a lively, interesting read and I can't recommend it highly enough.
What ages would I recommend it too? – Twelve and up.
Length? – Several evening's read.
Characters? – Multiple characters.
Setting? – Historical, global.
Written approximately? – 1995.
Does the story leave questions in the readers mind? – How many stories are there that he couldn't cover in this book? How much of history, like science, is a theory, and not a fact?
Any issues the author (or a more recent publisher) should cover? For students reading this book - what to do if you teacher doesn't want to learn the new facts - how to retain the correct information, and still pass the class of the teacher who won't learn.
Short storyline: Covers the finding of America, Thanksgiving, Racism, government, war, and the problem of recent history not being in the history books, and yet adults expecting children to remember events that happened before they were born.
Notes for …
What ages would I recommend it too? – Twelve and up.
Length? – Several evening's read.
Characters? – Multiple characters.
Setting? – Historical, global.
Written approximately? – 1995.
Does the story leave questions in the readers mind? – How many stories are there that he couldn't cover in this book? How much of history, like science, is a theory, and not a fact?
Any issues the author (or a more recent publisher) should cover? For students reading this book - what to do if you teacher doesn't want to learn the new facts - how to retain the correct information, and still pass the class of the teacher who won't learn.
Short storyline: Covers the finding of America, Thanksgiving, Racism, government, war, and the problem of recent history not being in the history books, and yet adults expecting children to remember events that happened before they were born.
Notes for the reader: This author uses a lot of unusual terminology. In some cases, he seems to take the opposite side of an issue from what was commonly learned in history classes 20 or 30 years ago. Then, at the end of the chapter, seems to mellow and find a happy medium. A few chapters are common sense now - especially the ones on Christopher Columbus and Thanksgiving. Others can be a bit difficult to read, especially the racism ones.
Overall - it is a great book for opening the mind as to what knowledge is out there beyond the minimal coverage in the school books. Hopefully, it has a section that will help students, and adults alike discover the "truth" of the hidden histories of our planet through learning how to choose reliable resources, and recognizing unreliable resources.
This book was pretty amazing. The Lies My Teacher Told Me really opened my eyes to public education and fictionalized history. Through out school, history was my least favorite class. Constantly I was bored with the empty fact crunching. Now I know why, and feel invigorated to learn more.<br/><br/> I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone. Shout it from the rooftops!
