I have had the original version of Lies My Teacher Told Me on my shelf since my years as an undergraduate education student many years ago. The content has interested me, but the density and length of the text was a little intimidating. I was quite excited, therefore, to find a graphic adaptation of this same text! The graphic novel format made the text feel more accessible, and I imagine that many readers will feel the same. Though I have been fascinated with US history for about as long as I can remember, I learned plenty of new facts in this book. This title is essential for those who teach, those who learn, and those who live in the United States. This title is a bit beyond the scope of my elementary library, but I will absolutely be recommending it to all of the teachers I work with.

Summary:

As adults, many of us have learned that the facts taught to us by our history books aren't always so accurate. Not only is there an inherent bias in the writing (history is told by the winners, and all that), but there's a lack of checking and a focus on heroification.

Lies My Teacher Told Me aims to delve into American history books, examining what they do – and don't cover. Likewise, it's meant to help open our eyes. History should be making us ask questions – not shut down.

Review:

I'm SO excited that Lies My Teacher Told Me is getting a graphic novel adaptation! I hope this makes it even more approachable to a larger audience. That said, I sat down and read the original novel in preparation for the graphic novel. Yes, I wanted to read and compare the book that compares history books. It seemed appropriate.

I was not disappointed. Lies My Teacher Told Me: A Graphic Novel Adaptation does a great job of focusing on the central points and concerns. It doesn't feel like it's heavily summarized or cut down. Additionally, the graphics and illustrations help to drive home many of the points.

I was hoping that some of the statistics would be updated for the graphic novel (since we all know things change so quickly), but I also understand why this may not have been feasible. I still hope that this adaptation helps put an informative and interesting book into more hands.

Highlights:
Graphic Novel Adaptation
American History
Analysis of American History Textbooks

I had never read the original book and was captivated by the history lessons in this adaptation. As an English teacher in France, this book is a precious tool to give a new perspective on what my students think they know about American history and I am grateful that this illustrated version exists to help them understand it better.

This graphic adaptation is very text-heavy, but it allowed for a lot more details than I thought would be possible in such a short history book. I was pleasantly surprised about the comprehensive way it debunked the stories that textbooks teach us as facts and truths, and would recommend it for anyone interested in the questions of history-writing.

I first read Lies My Teacher Told Me in my AP U.S. History course in high school. I was super excited to be approved for this ARC because my son is going through American History right now, and I thought this format would be more engaging than a long (and dry) textbook. It was a hit!!! I can't wait to purchase a hardcover edition of the book.

Thank you The New Press and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this great book. This very detailed and meticulously researched book is a graphic novel adaptation of the previously published book with the same title. The content is very interesting and I highly recommend it, however, the text font was very hard to read, especially in a black and white version and the graphic aspect felt more like an illustrated text rather than a graphic novel. Nonetheless, it is an important book that provides a wider access to an important subject of history and should be read by those who would like to explore the subject from multiple viewpoints.

I received an electronic ARC from The New Press through NetGalley.
Powell remains true to Loewen's POV in his books in this graphic non-fiction version. Readers see Loewen's points illustrated clearly. Hopefully, the content makes readers think and engage in dialogue about United States history. Each chapter explores a different time frame that concludes with the present time. The artwork is highly detailed and captures the viewpoints and events missing in US History textbooks. The author is blunt in his opinions on textbook publishing companies while acknowledging why they write history as they do. There is much to absorb in this book and will take time to process the arguments and points. Well done to offer this information in a different style.

Much more dense than I expected, but it had ALOT of information in it. Gave me some new perspectives on some topics and some stuff that I need to research on other topics to verify. Overall it was worth the read.

I received this DRC from NetGalley.

For a comic, it's pretty dense. But I thought it was interesting. I wouldn't have otherwise read a nonfiction history book; the reasons why were talked about in this book. It also gave some insight into how textbooks are made, which was disappointing but unsurprising. A lot of what's talked about has to do with issues involving racism and social class. And because of the nature of this book, it made me (encouraged me to?) think about the perspective and biases being presented here as well. This is a good read for anyone that wants to get upset about American propaganda/information censoring and/or wants confirmation that your history classes sucked.

Thank you Netgalley & The New Press Publishing for an eARC 🔥

Greetings, readers! I've just finished perusing the graphic adaptation of "Lies My Teacher Told Me" and I must say, it's a truly enlightening experience. Nate Powell's illustrations bring a fresh perspective to the text, making it feel more engaging and accessible.

I must admit, I was previously unaware of the extent to which American history has been whitewashed. This book sheds light on the darker corners of our nation's past, revealing uncomfortable truths about figures like Columbus and Wilson. It's a sobering reminder that our understanding of history is often incomplete and biased.

While the book is an engaging read, it's not a lighthearted one. It confronts us with the harsh realities of our nation's past and present. But that's precisely why it's so important. By facing these truths head-on, we can work towards a more informed and inclusive understanding of our shared history.
"Lies My Teacher Told Me" is a must-read for anyone interested in a more nuanced understanding of American history. It's a thought-provoking and eye-opening book that challenges us to think critically about the stories we've been told and the implications they have for our society today.

Lies My Teacher Told Me tells the stories left out of (or radically changed in) the usual American history textbook—and invites readers to reconsider what they’re learning by thinking about who’s telling this story, and what’s being omitted. From the ‘discovery’ of the Americas to the Civil Rights Movement and beyond, it analyzes the lies, embellishments, and omissions that characterize the typical US history curriculum and uses them to consider American society as a whole, and the beliefs this one-dimensional portrayal of history perpetrates.

As a fan of the original Lies My Teacher Told Me, I knew immediately when I saw this book that I had to read it. This graphic novel adaptation of the original (a nonfiction classic with the same premise) captures the core ideas, messages, and thoughts while streamlining it into something immensely readable, making it accessible to a whole new audience without losing any of the purpose.

This is probably the most text-heavy graphic novel I’ve read, which meant that it managed to include way more information in under 300 pages than I would’ve thought possible, while still taking advantage of the illustrations and handwriting styles to carry the reader more fluidly through the narrative. That said, although it’s an easy read, it’s not a quick one; I often read graphic novels in one or two sittings, but I found this one was better to read in smaller chunks (a chapter at a time, for example), so I was able to really consider what I’d read before plunging into the next section.

If you’re a history nerd, a graphic novel connoisseur, or just exasperated by your US history class, this is a book for you!

A graphic novel version of the book originally released in the 90s. This is an intriguing insight into the evolution of American unipolarity throughout the ages but arguably doesn’t go far enough into its analysis or challenge the systemic issues behind what’s presented. It’s a bit ironic that a book so critical of textbook authors failing to question the status quo for fear of being shelved comes close to an unvarnished critique but can’t quite bring itself to get over the edge either.

Regardless, you’ll learn a lot from this. I didn’t know Helen Keller was so based for example, beyond her overcoming her disabilities.

I've been interested in Lies My Teacher Told Me ever since the original book was released, but I never made time to read it. When I saw that it was available in graphic novel format, I jumped at the opportunity to review an eARC. As an educator, I've been shocked to discover that so much of the history I learned in school was whitewashed and/or downright false which is why this book is so important. This book does an excellent job of explaining what textbooks have traditionally gotten wrong and why. I love the graphic novel format of this book. The illustrations help present the facts without taking away from the text. This book is aims to condense American history into a graphic novel format, so it does contain more text than many graphic novels do (just something to be mindful of, it is NOT a quick, easy read).

I'm also a homeschool parent and this book is one resource that I would add to my children's high school American history curriculum (of course it would be used along other resources). There is A LOT of information in this graphic novel, so I'd be most likely to use it with older teens. I would absolutely love to see something similar available for upper elementary and middle school students so they could be presented with the facts rather than using inaccurate/incomplete textbooks.

Thank you to NetGalley and The New Press for the opportunity to review an eARC of the graphic novel, Lies My Teacher Told Me.

Not my cup of tea unfortunately, but I am most grateful to have received the opportunity to read the ARC.

Great artwork. But repeating what BIPOC voices have been saying. Did not credit properly in my opinion

Somehow, during the last few years I have been coming across more and more stories about how the history we were taught at school was either heavily edited, or just plain made up. The more I read about it, the more I see that the same thing applies to other subjects as well. Not just history. Science classes still teach dated ideas that have been disproved long ago, and last I looked – history lessons still teach the same old made-up versions of events. And somehow, to get a passing grade in those subjects, kids still nowadays have to be able to recite those un-truths.
Loved this book! It focuses on history – the same one kids are still learning about at schools.
Loved the format of a graphic novel – it makes it an easy read, keeps you glued to the pages while you read a concise yet clear explanation of what is what.
I wish there were more books like this one. For other subjects also.
My tween is getting this in print when the book comes out.

Wonderful content put into an easy to follow format.
The Lies Teacher Told Me is a fantastic explanation of the filters that have been put on the truth of history. This book shines a light on the injustice to the past being done in the classrooms of today.
My Only negative comment at all is that the font used is often times hard to read but that could just be a me issue.
I highly recommend this book to everyone. Perhaps with content like this we can actually LEARN from history and not be 'doomed to repeat it'.

3.5 Lies My Teacher Told Me builds an excellent argument against textbooks. However, even in graphic novel form, it remains inaccessible to all but the most astute high school students. I think this book would be great to read with a group of US history teachers. It would provide hours of deep discussions. I think most US history teachers, myself included, don’t teach directly from the textbook, but rather in spite of it. Native American history is taught, and required by law to be taught in my state. The perspective on US History, it’s framing, IS changing. However, the iron triangle of textbook companies, lobbyists, and politicians leave teachers (not to mention students) entirely out of the process. The ideas in the book are fantastic, but people in the seats of power aren’t reading it.

Nate Powell, who worked on the March trilogy about John Lewis, has adapted the Lies My Teacher Told Me to graphic novel adaptation, and let me tell you, this should be required reading of everyone, not just high school and college students.

I like to think of myself as well informed, especially about American history, but I found things in this book that I remember being taught that I still believed, despite the amount of history I have consumed. Things that didn’t make sense at the time, and I never question.

The book is told in sections. What we got wrong about Christpher Columbus, the First Thanksgiving, the Civil War, the Vietnam War, and more. It ends with why history is taught this way, and what it means for the future.

The author explains that people who have lived through history know it better than those who weren’t even born yet. As history recedes in the background, things are left out, and there is no one to ask why, or question it.

A good example of history not making sense, if you read it as it is taught, is when we were taught that the indigenous people of this country did no farming. If that were the case, then how did they teach the European settlers how to plant the Three Sisters (squash, corn and beans), so that they could survive to have the first Thanksgiving?

There is so much in this book that it is hard to highlight every single thing that is pointed out. But one thing that the author points out is that things happen in history books that are not explained. Wars just start. People just do things. And these things are not explained.

And sadly things that have happened in my lifetime, such as the Vietnam war are just glossed over, including Mai Li.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This is being published the 16th of April 2024. If you have not read the original version, get this version. If you have read the original, this has been expanded.

This was first written in the 90's. It isn't so much that your teacher lied to you as it is that your textbooks takes a revisionist version of history to make the U.S. look more positive removing many of its warts from history. Most of the book looks at atrocities in American history such as our treatment of Native Americans, slavery, income inequality and the U.S.'s involvements in the overthrow of foreign governments throughout our history. Powell's graphic adaptation of the content doesn't make this any less dense, nor does it make it less powerful. It's sobering stuff that makes you think of all the whitewashing we try to do to our past. Powell does add in some 21st century events into this version such as 9/11 and the invasion of Iraq.

The one thing I found missing were sources to back up the topics mentioned in this. For a book that is a look at things we try to revise or forget, I expected a lengthy bibliography in the back and found none. Hopefully it'll be in the actual release and it's just missing from the advance copy I read.

This book starts with good intentions yet somehow goes in a completely opposite way. It manages to alienate anyone coming with an open mind. It goes the other way. Just did not do it for me.