Product Description

Almost everything you know about American history is wrong, because most textbooks and popular history books are written by left-wing academic historians who treat their biases as fact. But fear not, Professor Thomas Woods has written the perfect antidote. This delightful book--funny and inviting, but factually sound--shatters the myths about American history and separates fact from fiction.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7165 in Books
• Published on: 2004-12
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 270 pages

Amazon.com
Claiming that most textbooks and popular history books were written by biased left-wing writers and scholars, historian Thomas Woods offers this guide as an alternative to "the stale and predictable platitudes of mainstream texts." Covering the colonial era through the Clinton administration, Woods seeks to debunk some persistent myths about American history. For instance, he writes, the Puritans were not racists intent on stealing the Indians' lands, the Founding Fathers were not revolutionaries but conservatives in the true sense of the word, the American War Between the States (to even call it a civil war is inaccurate, Woods says) was not principally about slavery, Abraham Lincoln was no friend to the slaves, and FDR's New Deal policies actually made the Depression worse. He also covers a wide range of constitutional interpretations over the years, particularly regarding the First, Second, Ninth, and Tenth amendments, and continually makes the point that states' rights have been unlawfully trampled upon by the federal government since the early days of the republic. Though its title is more deliberately provocative than accurate, Woods' attack on what he sees as rampant liberal revisionism over the past 25 years proves to be an interesting platform for a book. He's as biased as those he rails against, of course, but he does provoke thought in an entertaining way even if he sometimes tries to pass off opinion as hard facts.

This quick and enjoyable read is packed with unfamiliar quotes, informative sidebars, iconoclastic viewpoints, and a list of books "you're not supposed to read." It is not a comprehensive or detailed study, but that is not its aim; instead, it offers ideas for further research and a challenge to readers to dig deeper and analyze some basic assumptions about American history--a worthy goal that Woods manages to reach. --Shawn Carkonen

From Publishers Weekly
This book is not so much politically incorrect as it is contrarian, as well as utterly contemptuous of anything supported by Liberals or "Intellectuals." At every opportunity, Woods quotes government leaders, media sources and "distinguished" academics who have said something that he feels backs up his view. That view is, by and large, classically conservative, with a focus on states' rights and small government. Any flaws in or missteps by politicians become instant basis for rejecting them wholesale (i.e., Lincoln's racial views; the fact that JFK's two major books were ghostwritten), as Woods dredges up accusations both familiar and long-forgotten. The historical coverage is hardly comprehensive, since Woods focuses on telling the "truth" about issues Liberals have allegedly distorted, like the New Deal and the Civil Rights movement. Some ideas that he claims are controversial are anything but: most people know the Civil War was not fought primarily to abolish slavery, and it's no secret that Stalin starved his people. Woods writes with zeal, and speckles his narrative with suggestions for further reading labeled "Books You're Not Supposed to Read" (which are mostly Right-wing revisionist histories) and "PC Today" boxes containing a grab-bag of conservative gripes and assertions (i.e. "It is not true, as most people believe, that the Indians had no conception of land ownership and did not understand what they were doing when they sold their land to the Puritans"). Diehard Republicans may find this book an inspiring corrective to supposedly Liberal-biased history texts, but others will be put off by Woods's cherry-picking approach and supercilious tone.
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From the Inside Flap
Everything well, almost everything you know about American history is wrong because most textbooks and popular history books are written by left-wing academic historians who treat their biases as fact. But fear not: Professor Thomas Woods refutes the popular myths in The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History. Professor Woods reveals facts that you won't be or never were taught in school, tells you about the "Books You're Not Supposed to Read," and takes you on a fast-paced politically incorrect tour of American history that will give you all the information you need to battle and confound left-wing professors, neighbors, and friends.

Customer Reviews

I love History!
I really enjoy history and my home proves that well. This book is simple and truthful and I'm so glad that it has been written. I only wish it went into more depth.

The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History
Though the author of this book holds a PhD, the overall appearance of this book, and my impression of it, is that it is amateurishly (if there is such a word) assembled and presented. He does not really get into any great thesis or argument, he just makes various points about various subjects. Having listened to Professor Woods' lectures on mp3, I thought there would be some more substance to the book he constantly referes to in the lectures. There is not. If you've heard the lectures, you know the book.

The presentation of the book is another laughing matter. It looks like an overgrown right wing brochure or pamphlet. The line spacing is odd and there are several"politically correct" (pc) sidebars to distract the reader and not really make any important point. The Americans in the revolution were really conservatives he says. How many conservatives overthrow their government? The act of overthrowing the government is radical no matter how it is presented.

All in all I was wholly unimpressed with this book and do not really recommend it to anyone.

Absolutely a must-read!
I knew my high school teachers were brainwashing me when it came to American history and politics, but until I read this book I never realized just how bad the brainwashing was. This book is absolutely a must-read for anyone who really wants to know the truth about some of U.S. history's biggest lies. Every american should read this book before voting this November!

By the way there are several other books in the P.I.G. series, including one on the Constitution. I haven't read that one yet, but if it's anything like this book, it's likely to be another eye-opener.