Good analysis of history books

This is a more important book than at first glance, otherwise Loewen presents an analysis of American history which gets past the glowing narratives of history books.
Upon competeion of this book, my own contention that history and politics should follow the money to explain events that have, do and will occur are more often than not the result of a profit motive, not excluding the outright racism and religious intolerance that also pervades the thinking of politicians and populations.
Loewen does himself a disservice later in the book when he describes the images of the Vietnam war. He is drawing comparisons of how history texts percieve pictures and as a background to the opposition to this unjustified intervention into this part of the world. He describes the execution of a Viet Cong guerilla by the police chief by pistol shot without explaining the context. General "Big" Minh did execute this man and quite out of hand. However this same man had been captured immediately after his brutal murder of a number of women and children, who were merely the family of another officer. I do not condone execution, but context has been been ignored. He could be accused of colouring the facts.
Overall, this book is thought provoking and leaves you to wonder what our own texts have left out or glossed over.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!