Not So!: Popular Myths about America's Past from Columbus to Clinton

by Paul F. Boller Jr.

Book Overview

In sailing westward in 1492, did Columbus defy the prevailing belief that the Earth was flat? Was Thomas Paine an atheist? Was Truman plucked from obscurity to be FDR's running mate in 1944? Are presidential campaigns nowadays far dirtier than they were in the past? Is Hillary Clinton the most active or influential First Lady ever? Not so, says Paul Boller, in this delightfully informative look at some of the most common myths and misconceptions about...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195091868
• ISBN13: 9780195091861
• Release Date: October 1995
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.16 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 8.6" x 5.8"

Customer Reviews

Excellent layman's book

This may not be a "scholarly" tome, that just makes it readable. In the various chapters he relates on what is commonly believed is false. The Jefferson/Hemmings controversy will never being agreed upon by all. Some reviewers have claimed there was a right-wing biased, but if he was right-winged biased, then why did he defend Elanor Roosevelt from charges of infidelity. If he was so conservative, then how come he did not write so fondly of Joseph McCarthy as Ann Coulter has done? Written by a Emiritus Professor of History, you can rest assured of this book's accuracy. I highly recommend. Even as a professional historian, I find this a delightful break from harsh "scholarly" tomes.

Excellent

More people need to read books like this. It is short sweet and full of interesting little known facts about US(North American) history.

Interesting, eye-opening

This is an entertaining and eye-opening book. Although it wasn't written for scholars, it is well-written and anyone who wishes to go beyond the many myths that are taught to most of us in grade school should read it. It is as interesting as Loewen's Lies My Teacher Told Me.

Interesting, eye-opening book

This is a well-written book that should be read by anyone with a desire to go beyond the many myths Americans learn while in grade school. I particularly found interesting chapters 1, 28, and 39, although all of the chapters are enlightening. This book is just as interesting as Loewen's Lies My Teacher Told Me.

Wonderfully Written. Entertaining and Informative.

It is said that you learn something new every day. Indeed. Today I learned about forty new facts. I didn't realize that I had been the "victim" of modern myths. You probably have too! The author does a wonderful job of revealing a few of our most "cherished" myths in an intriguing and often entertaining manner. Definitely a must read for every American.