James W. Loewen at Busboys & Poets

James Loewen at Busboys & Poets - 9/20/10

Sales have passed 1.5 million copies for James Loewen’s book, Lies My Teacher Told Me. His book Sundown Towns gives a shocking portrait of racism throughout the country, of white people refusing to let those of other races and religions live in their towns, suburbs, and neighborhoods—African-Americans, Chinese, American Indians, and sometimes Japanese—and often, people of the Jewish religion.  Sundown Towns was one of the books that helped shape my thoughts on the color line, interracial interaction, and hate crimes in Well Considered. Loewen’s other books include Lies Across America, about historical markers that “get it wrong” and The Truth About Columbus. Now comes The Confederate And Neo-Confederate Reader: The “Great Truth” about the “Lost Cause,” edited by Loewen and Edward H. Sebesta. This collection of documents provides essential evidence that the cause of the Civil War was the Southern states’ attempt to preserve slavery and the rights of slaveholders to take slaves into free states, to maintain ownership of slaves who have escaped into free states, and to pursue them there if necessary. You may be interested to read what Loewen says about states’ rights, tariffs and taxes, and the election of Lincoln as “causes” for the Civil War.  Once again, Barbara and I were delighted to travel to Busboys & Poets at 14th and V Streets in Washington, D.C. on Monday evening to hear this consummate truth-teller make another compelling presentation to a packed audience. The program was sponsored by Teaching For Change Bookstore at Busboys and Poets, http://bbpbooks.teachingforchange.org/, which I’m proud to say carries Well Considered and Cologne No. 10 For Men online.