Loewen still thinks history textbooks not only fail miserably to interest students in history, they are biased and often wrong. Sometimes it’s not what they say but what the books omit.

The history professor cites the cases of Helen Keller, Woodrow Wilson and Christopher Columbus. Most students know Keller was a blind and deaf child who was taught to read and speak by Annie Sullivan.

Students may learn she went on to graduate from Radcliffe, but few will know she became a lifelong socialist. Keller is an inspiring person who overcomes multiple handicaps, but the author feels it is dishonest to totally ignore her leftist political leanings.

Wilson was an important president for his role during and after World War I. The history teacher claims textbooks ignore Wilson’s blatant racism and his willingness to intervene in the Caribbean, Central America more than any other president.

The man who stressed self determination for peoples, even sent troops to Russia to aid the Whites against the Reds during the Russian Civil War.

Loewen calls this brand of history ‘‘heroism.” Only the positive aspects of historical character’s life are discussed. This is worse than bad history, he claims, it causes students to be bored silly.

Students learn Columbus’s first voyage was underwritten by Queen Isabella of Spain and his crew threatened to mutiny when they sailed too far over the horizon. Textbooks tell us Columbus died penniless never knowing he had discovered a New World.

The author claims all of these statements are myths. Columbus’s crew never threatened him. He knew what he had ‘‘discovered” and he died fairly well off and respected.

Columbus didn’t really discover anything. The Vikings and others had traveled the Western Hemisphere before.

The mariner supposedly sought a western route to the far east because of the fall of Constantinople to the Turks. Supposedly the Turks closed the spice trade, but research has proven this false since the Turks made a profit from the trade.

Not much attention is paid to the havoc Columbus wrought in the native societies. His men tortured and killed in search of gold. The diseases the Europeans brought with them wiped out millions of people.

Loewen examines the weak way textbooks examine Indian-European relations and the glossing over of slavery and racism in America.

‘‘Lies My Teacher Told Me” covers just about all eras of history and finds both past and present textbooks wanting. The author feels the watering down of history makes it boring to students, so they pay no attention to subjects which should stimulate them.