I have this set and we love them! I don't agree with everything in them, but they cover many viewpoints and I love how they give the perspective of all people groups in them. They don't just talk about men and war. They talk about the lives of kids and women too and all ethnic groups. They talk about everyday life. They talk about art and music. Much of it is told in story form. I find them fascinating. They were made into a PBS documentary series.
I really appreciate this video as we actually have the set but I haven’t taken the time to read through everything. We will no longer be using this. Thank you!!!
Wow. This was eye-opening. I wasn't planning on using this resource anyway, but I'm actually astonished that so many secular homeschoolers recommend this as a good US history spine 😖 Thank you once again for bringing some much needed substance to this TH-cam community. I'm so, so grateful to have found your channel.
I’ve considered using these books for our US history for a while and have heard all good things. This video has truly been eye opening. Thank you for sharing
Hi, great video as always. To offer a differing perspective. I don't think you need to purchase this resource. But, my background is in education with a Master's Degree and a concentration in history for the middle grades, but I took Master's classes with high school teachers as well. I was first introduced to this book about ten years ago when I began teaching social studies. My department head gave this to me and told me this was largely where our school district, one of the top ten ranked districts drew it's information and curriculum from. I read it and while I chose not to use this resource in my classroom as my base. I don't think you need to throw out the baby with the bath water. One of things that we our taught as teachers and as social studies teachers is to evaluate multiple resources and to provide students with a clear framework of how to evaluate primary, secondary, and supplemental resources for evidence of bias. I think a very constructive thing to do would be to take snippets of the book or sections like you have done and compare them to another resource such as the other book that you offered. In addition, you could create a compare and contrast diagram that examines each author's viewpoint. While this book obviously does not agree with your viewpoint, the reality is that we are doing our children a disservice when we pull resources or information both good and bad out of their hands without having them analyze and make their own sound judgement. We are not always going to be holding our children's hands and sitting directly next to them throughout every educational situation and setting to help them be able to determine bias nor is every resource they encounter in higher education or college not going to be present and without bias. I sat through many a number of college courses where books like this were actually the required course materials and I did my due diligence every class to offer counterpoints and to really take the time to dig and refute with other primary and secondary sources how material such as this is inaccurate.
I appreciate you sharing your thoughts and experience on this. I think you make a good point that restricting information to kids isn’t the answer but allowing a framework to develop so that individual child will have the tools necessary to evaluate resources for themselves. I also really appreciate you sharing some usable examples of how to evaluate this text with a student.
Gah! Thank you so much, this was super helpful. I didn’t have plans to use this resource, but I’m happy to know that we won’t be missing a single thing by skipping it. And I had thought that there might be a chance that we would use her science, but now plan to steer clear of that as well! This was super helpful and I love that you showed us actual passages from the book.
Gosh the world needs more humans like you in it!!!! You truly inspire me to be more inclusive and make sure I use materials with as little bias as possible! Thank you for this review…it was certainly in my list of things I thought we were going to be using in a few years. Definitely not now!
I’m glad your finding my channel helpful! My goal for this channel has always been to be a helpful resource so knowing that’s coming across really makes me happy 😁
I agree with the commenter who warned against "throwing the baby out with the bathwater." Every textbook has bias-most of them far more insidiously than Joy Hakim, who makes hers explicit (see James Loewen's Lies My Teacher Told Me). Hakim's series is actually very good as long as you use it with a critical approach to some of the parts you point out. The text features are excellent! I use this book with my fourth graders and here's how I handle the sections you mention: depending on the class, I either (a) skip the questionable parts altogether or (b) teach the students to recognize bias in a text and have discussions about the parts in question. Two corrections of your critique: •When Joy Hakim talks about "wasteful people" bringing the buffalo to near extinction, she is foreshadowing the white European Americans who came later. She is NOT talking about Indigenous people! •When she talks about European colonizers enslaving Africans to be "field workers," she is explaining specifically what kind of forced labor the European colonizers forced enslaved people to do. She explains about the rise of tobacco as a profitable crop-the "gold" that the Europeans finally "struck"-and explains how the tobacco economy and the Europeans' desire for maximum profit made them want to use enslaved people instead of paying for indentured servants every few years. A closer read, a critical approach with students, and access to additional sources makes Joy Hakim's History of Us series a great source in the classroom.
In my experience a lot of people who use the label 'secular home schoolers' for themselves, are more concerned about being anti religion rather than having robust curricula. I am often shocked by what pretty things people will use but have very little substance. I am also shocked by so many secular homeschoolers using TGATB and telling others in facebook groups that it is 'not that Christian...you can hardly notice it...' I wanted to be a TGATB fan as it is so pretty BUT I can't find a map of pregression or the rhyme and reason with the structure... In general I don't ever follow a curriculum completely but just use them as a base to plan our learning from.
I too fell down the rabbit hole of TGATB. I kept trying it over and over and I couldn’t figure out why it was working so well for everyone else but not me. It’s definitely pretty but lacks substance.
I had picked this up when I saw it at the used book store because I’d seen it on so many secular lists. After reading it I donated it for many of the reasons you mentioned, and decided not to even look at the rest. It also tainted my view on her science books, which I had originally been so interested in. I also have the Rethinking Columbus book and think it’s great.
I really appreciate you taking your time and making this video. I wish there was more reviews like this about other curriculums to show ppl what is good and what is not so good before ppl buy the curriculum and find out after buying it.
I think that was one of the things I found so surprising about this resource. A lot of the reviews talk about how great it is, but very little about how problematic it is or even at some points blatantly inaccurate.
I’m glad you reviewed this book. The fact that this is so widely used in the HS community but these biases haven’t been discussed by others reviewing this same resource is troubling. Your channel is a breathe of fresh air.
I too found it concerning that these issues haven’t been raised before 🤷♀️ It’s not just that’s it’s a little bias, but the fact that it has inaccurate information I find quite troubling.
Wow. I had no idea. I’ve seen this recommended many times for secular homeschoolers but I haven’t checked it out myself. I appreciate your frankness about this! I’ll be crossing it off my list.
I had heard so many good things about this curriculm, and though it wasn't on my radar with much better resources out there, I did check it out at the library incase I might use it as a suppliment. But I had this same rant about it!! It's very eurocentric, innacturate, and offensive to bipoc peoples. That pattern is atleast the first two books of this series, so I'd say the whole collection is like this. This is how I feel about Generations curriculm too. We are secular and non-religious, and Generations is heavily religious. They're curriculm is primirly scripture - which is totally fine if you're religious and implimenting faith into your cirruclum. I am clearly not their target audiance. But I somehow stumbled on it and had to probe because they have a whole history series that is 'Taking Africa for Jesus' or 'Taking Egypt for Jesus', ect. They painted people of Africa as dirty, living in mud huts, needing support and gods guidance because they're sinful and riddled with AIDS. It's just one long bias indoctrination with no actual facts. We do our children a disservice not teaching them real and honest history. It's going to make someone uncomfortable, but telling a false narrative is damaging and neglectful to our childrens education. Not to mention the way they precieve the world and interact with other people.
Yes! 👏. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experience with this. It’s comforting to know I’m not the only one that had an adverse reaction when reading it!
I guess one of the things I found most shocking is that like you said even with a quick glance it’s easy to see some glaring red flags within the book. Not just bias, but inaccurate information been shared. 🤷♀️
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts. You are the first person I’ve heard discuss this. I was considering this as a spine. What history did you decide to use?
This is why I tend to get Savvas textbooks off Rainbow Resources. Oak Meadow is pretty good too. I almost got this set but won’t be buying because I dislike history books with opinions and bias. Thanks for pointing out the difference between real history and biased history. And Indians is an outdated term. Most of us like indigenous or the name of our tribe.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. I’ve had success with Savvass textbooks as well. I would like to try oak meadow but it’s a bit out of my price range right now.
I looked at this series briefly and was turned off pretty quickly as well. I'm thinking about using the Core Knowledge US history textbook (for middle school I think) as a spine but then pulling in Build Your Library level 5 resources. If you have experience with that Core Knowledge text, I'd love to hear about it, but I think your kids haven't hit that level yet so probably not. That rethinking columbus book looks amazing.
I plan on using CK A History of the United States next year. I think it looks really promising and although it doesn’t provide every perspective, I think it’s a great jumping off point.
I've been using the Core Knowledge US history reader for my 7th and 5th graders this year. I really like it. I pull in resources from Oh Freedom! and Build Your Library as we go. It will take us 2 years to complete, but it's been very thorough, and my kids have learned a lot.
@@Lmalatz thanks for sharing your experience with it. Sounds like a great line up! We will also take 2 years for U.S. History. There is so much information to cover, especially when you bring in multiple perspectives.
@michellegf and @practicalandplannedhomeschool I just realized that on the CK website, they offer a Lousiana Bayou version of US history. It appears more unit-based, probably moves at a slower pace, but dives deeper. It also has unit assessments and activity pages, something that is a bit lacking in the regular version (which we've used in a socratic style). Definitely worth looking at and comparing to see what fits your homeschool best.
I’ve always heard this series was problematic by fellow homeschoolers, so I always avoided it. Now I clearly see why! I don’t understand how people can use such biased history garbage.
I don’t know any homeschoolers in real life that use it, but I know it’s been widely recommended in the online homeschooling community. Even if you took the bias away there was still factually wrong things within the book itself. I don’t get the appeal 🤷♀️
One of the absolutely worst reviews I've encountered on here. You read half of the first book in a 10 part series and thought that you would talk about *its* bias? Good Lord. I'll point out 3 issues here, and leave the rest to parse for other people - but, generally speaking, the biggest bias that comes through here is yours. You are unable to, apparently, even *try* to give Hakim a benefit of the doubt, regularly in just a 20 minute video, *completely* misinterpreting her. 1. You are comparing a broad, general history of the US (intended for young, i.e., pre-HS, readers!) with a specific, focused history book on one issue that was aimed . Of course one book is going to have more details and have the space to dive into complex subjects! This is a complete failure to distinguish between text purpose. 2. The broader series Hakim does absolutely couldn't be seen as undercutting slavery or the experiences of indigenous people, unless you cherry pick passages and ignore the broader way she treats the subject. Hakim actually popularized and brought out a lot of neglected history, especially of NAs in the US. 3. Just one example of the illiteracy of this review. You spend a *lot* of time talking about how Hakim supposedly calls the NA tribe wasteful regarding the Buffalo, completely missing the point she was making, that it was *not* the NA tribe that was wasteful but the settlers that came later. Again, if you bothered to read beyond half of the first book in a 10 book series, you might have realized that. Very disappointing review, and I'd point anyone interested in the series to the many other reviews out there. It's highly rated for a reason.
Just because it’s intended for a young audience does not mean it can’t offer multiple perspectives. There is in no way indigenous voices were at all shared in this book. Removing those perspectives or not including them isn’t creating a broader view of a subject but narrowing it. A child would not under the nuisance of the responsibility of the near extinction of Bison sentence. She could have easily added to that about what really happened instead of assuming the child would understand, especially if this is meant for a younger audience. A younger audience wouldn’t have the background knowledge or exposure to understand the situation, without explicitly stating what happened.
@@michellegf It *does* offer multiple perspectives, throughout the entire series. In fact, some of the passages you cited display that - where she's interacting, and bringing multiple views on a moment together. If the child doesn't understand that 'nuance,' then they're not really reading. It's actually clearly implied, by the parentheses especially. I'm not sure how you, personally, failed to grasp what she was saying there, but she connects it fairly clearly. In fact, it seems it was either *your* bias against Hakim OR a bias against NA (that your mind, maybe, associates them with waste/laziness) that led you to assume she was implying that about NA. She's telling a story. It's a great way to approach history, rather than just a presentation of facts and perspectives. History is a story, ultimately. This is a series intended for 5th-8th to get an overview of US History. For that purpose, it does the job well. By all means, it should be supplemented, as you go through each era/chapter. But rejecting it because it doesn't cover *every* element of a complex history... is ridiculous, and especially so when you're judging an entire 11 book series off of your skimming through the first chapter. That is insane, and a terrible practice for reviewing a book, let alone a series. *nuance
Very well said, and I couldn't agree more! That is everything I got out of this video also. Where is her "degree in history" she talks about the author not having? She doesn't know that this author did a plethora of research and went out of her way to be accurate to history. These books were praised by Oxford University, as well as many others. It appears this video is meant as a hit piece by a left winger trying to dissuade homeschoolers from purchasing it.
@michellegf I have an idea "professor", why not YOU write some "history books" to include all the add on perspectives you claim are so important to a 10yo, and watch how fast they fly off the shelves in sales?
I chose to skip The First Americans because like you, I try to use resources from created by the people/people groups we are learning about. But I have been using Book 2, Making the Thirteen Colonies with my 11yo this year, and it has been a great fit for us. The author does plainly state her opinion frequently; I'm ok with that as I appreciate it when people own their bias outright instead of hiding it. I would call this series solidly moderate/liberal in its philosophical bias, and after long deliberation, decided that is my preference for a spine. Just wanted to offer my 2 cents for consideration here. Great, provocative video!
At first I was thinking you were being a little extra offended, but the more this went on, I completely agree. The second you got to the part about the buffalo being killed off by wasteful people, I was like... Nope. That's not right. Those buffalo were killed by white settlers as a way to force the natives to comply and eventually move to reservations. I suppose there were wasteful people. My husband and I have traveled around to some of these places and seen photos of hundreds of buffalo being stacked up so that people could take pictures with them. I will say that I'm really big on teaching kids critical thinking and I think that this book could be a great resource for that. Read this book to the kids, then read the native perspective and teach the kids how to look for ways to double check what they're reading. Right now there are a lot of people in this country that listen to a news station and believe everything they hear, but then there are other people listening to a different news station and believing everything they hear. Nobody seems to be questioning the information they're being fed. There are SO many photos and resources that disprove the information in this book that I actually think this book (+ a native book) could be used to teach children about bias and how people develop biases. And also this could be used to reiterate the need for critical thinking. I appreciate your perspective on this. I was hearing a lot of good things about these books. It's always good to hear the other perspectives. 😊
I'm a Dutch 36yo single dude without kids so I really don't know why this was recommended to me haha. But before you started talking about bias I was already expecting a too much of a US centric history and glorification. Just by the cover and the name. I finished typing this just when you opened the book and got to the first point lol.
I guess TH-cam was taking a shot in the dark with my video recommendation 😆. I appreciate you commenting anyway. I guess in this case you can really judge a book by it’s cover.
@@maggedmagged1 random TH-cam videos is how I originally started down the rabbit hole of homeschooling 😆. Thanks for commenting! I have no idea how TH-cam algorithms work, but it really seems like their throwing this video out there randomly.
As a Canadian I wouldn't use this anyways but that's crazy. I was curious what was wrong with it but I have only seen 1/3 of the video and I can already say I wouldn't use it if I was American.
I’m curious as a Canadian, do you have a lot of homeschooling resources for teaching Canadian history? Also do find they are often skewed or have a lot of bias like American history curriculums tend to?
Native American Indian homeschool mama, we like these books but I prefer Christian American history viewpoints, it’s more accurate to my history. Thank you for sharing
Yikes. Most native people are appalled by Christian viewpoints of the genocide (them as saviors of the land and bringing Christianity to indigenous groups) that happened here but do you I guess but know it’s a racist viewpoint.
@@megansmith2585 I guess each to its own. All my ancestry are Native Indian Christians - who have given their lives to Jesus Christ and forgiven. And we Native American Christians exist and are forever grateful for the gospel. But Thank you for for sharing your feeling.
I haven't seen this resource. The lack of cultural respect from early Christian settlers is mine blowing! If you have time, watch my term 4 homeschool update. If you can't watch the whole thing, watch the seminary life chapter. I talk about how, as a culture, we're all living out someone else theology and how we messed it up with the genocide of the Indigenous people and the slave trade. Why wouldn't people be resistant to Christianity? We're constantly living in a state of atonement. We say we believe in Jesus. We say we believe he died on the cross so that we don't have to take on the punishment. Why in the world are we constantly trying to make others small.....kill others...... Take away rights of others, So that we are lifted up. I just want people to wake up! 😭 This is totally a burden of mine. We aren't living out truth and subsequently we (as a culture) have no real concept of what it means to be a follower of Christ --- to be "Christian". 🔥You got me fired up Michelle! 😆
This book definitely got me fired up so I totally understand! I watched your update video and I really appreciate your talking about the things that are on your heart. I think you made some excellent points and have the ability to really articulate your thoughts and feelings around it. I wish more people were talking about the things you mentioned!
I have them too. I hadn’t gotten to planning them out but her video just saved me from having to do it. It is a bummer that so many people recommend them but just goes to show you that a lot of homeschoolers on here are not really paying attention. It’s getting sold shortly!
If you have the books on hand already I would suggest looking through them and gauge if it’s a reliable resource for you and your homeschool. For me there was just way too many red flags that I would spend more time correcting it than using it as a teaching side.
Thank you for this detailed breakdown. I purchased them as we were beginning and trying out different curricula. We’re several years in and I’m sure all of this would have jumped out at me when we got to them but this simply puts it in this sell pile for me. We’ve stopped books when we find problematic white washing resources and it has started conversations where we compare and contrast just how biased resources can be. But glad to avoid it had I planned a whole unit or semester around it and encountered this
I’ve encountered books that have bias, or highlighted a very specific viewpoint before, but this was just too much for me. So much of this book would be unusable for me because I would spend more time correcting it than using it as a teaching aide.
@@michellegf same here. I've tried out different resources and it is so time consuming to be taking more out than you're using. I simply know how to choose better now that I know how each of my kids learn and what is type of curricula is best for the way they enjoy learning
Oof. Thank you for highlighting this. I had bought this set to look through, because I had heard that it offered a detailed perspective on US history... but now I am going to reconsider this. These go beyond being problematic... this is whitewashed eurocentric revisionism. Gross. Thank you for your input.
@748 Wow, I'm so glad you're here to add your reasoned arguments to the conversation. Well done. We can always count on your uneducated ilk showing up to spew garbage and pollute the conversation. So predictable.
NickFreitasDidAVideoOnIt...LastYear?YearBefore? Selfrighteouspeoplebeingoffendedandvirtuesignallingovereverylittlething, basically. And no, I'm not some lunaticrightwinger...not even close.
I believe there are varying definitions for woke. For me it means being consciously aware of the way different groups are treated and examine my role in that. It’s deeply rooted in social justice and empathy.
Supplementary materials are always a good idea. No one resource will cover all perspectives, however I have definitely found it harder to find resources that take into account black, indigenous and people of color perspectives.
wow, i have seen this recommended so many times! I'm shocked it's this bad. I thought her history of science series looked promising but I am also no longer interested after this
I too found it shocking, especially given how much it’s recommended. I’ve never looked into the science books she writes. If I did I would definitely try to get it from the library first to really vet if it would be a good resource for my homeschool.
I wish you would have done a video on what you do suggest and why instead of bashing this resource. If you have a beef with other you tubers then don’t watch.
She didn’t bash any other TH-camrs? She brought awareness to how this particular book being utilized in the homeschooling community is problematic. Asking someone to be quiet and not speak out when things are wrong is asking for complaisance during injustice and ignorance. This is harmful for everyone! Asking someone to not be critical of the resources available that can be (and clearly are) problematic is erroneous. This is literally the opposite of what she stands for and what progressive, critical thinking calls for. We must stand up for what is right, even if it is uncomfortable.
Because she shares information of all kinds and in this video, it’s regarding a resource that is highly recommended for secular homeschoolers and she wants others to see why they might not want to use it because she is passionate about the topic. This was super informative and helpful.
This video did not refer to any other TH-camr once. She laid out her issues with it. If it helps you, great. If not, move on. When content doesn’t fit my goals for my hs , I simply unsubscribe. You can do the same. What’s silly is going out of your way to tell them what their content should and should not be
This history series by Hakim was one of the worst "history" books we ever came across during our homeschooling journey. We returned the series to the curricula company we bought it from. We returned them for different reasons than you. Imagine being from a modern society and seeing people living 4000 years in the past. We're talking stone age! They hadn't even made it to the bronze age yet. The spaniards massacred the cannibal indians, not the group being cannabalized. No one gets a pass from the slavery. Spaniards enslaved jews and they were no in the stone age. Indians also enslaved other Indians. btw, most don't mind being called Indians and don't care to be called "indigenous people" or "native Americans". Just like black people don't want to be called BIPOC. There's so much to touch on this video, but I'd like to recommend Collapse by Jared Diamond, Guns, Germs, and Steel also by Diamond. and just for a bonus White Gold by Giles Milton. They're much better than Hakim's books. =) I'm very curious to know why you're homeschooling. Your video was recommended in my feed. so I'm brand new to your channel.
I have this set and we love them! I don't agree with everything in them, but they cover many viewpoints and I love how they give the perspective of all people groups in them. They don't just talk about men and war. They talk about the lives of kids and women too and all ethnic groups. They talk about everyday life. They talk about art and music. Much of it is told in story form. I find them fascinating. They were made into a PBS documentary series.
I appreciate you sharing your thoughts and experience with this.
I really appreciate this video as we actually have the set but I haven’t taken the time to read through everything. We will no longer be using this. Thank you!!!
I’m glad you found the video helpful.
🤯Thank you Michelle!! I was planning on buying these books but after your video, I am NOT going to anymore.
I’m glad you found the video helpful. It’s definitely not a book I would consider a reliable resource.
You mean don't waste money to buy it?
Wow. This was eye-opening. I wasn't planning on using this resource anyway, but I'm actually astonished that so many secular homeschoolers recommend this as a good US history spine 😖
Thank you once again for bringing some much needed substance to this TH-cam community. I'm so, so grateful to have found your channel.
I’m glad your finding my channel to be a useful resource! I too was shocked that it is so highly recommended in the homeschooling community 🤷♀️
I’ve considered using these books for our US history for a while and have heard all good things. This video has truly been eye opening. Thank you for sharing
I too have heard really good things about this, that’s one of the reasons I was so shocked when I read it 😳
Hi, great video as always. To offer a differing perspective. I don't think you need to purchase this resource. But, my background is in education with a Master's Degree and a concentration in history for the middle grades, but I took Master's classes with high school teachers as well. I was first introduced to this book about ten years ago when I began teaching social studies. My department head gave this to me and told me this was largely where our school district, one of the top ten ranked districts drew it's information and curriculum from. I read it and while I chose not to use this resource in my classroom as my base. I don't think you need to throw out the baby with the bath water. One of things that we our taught as teachers and as social studies teachers is to evaluate multiple resources and to provide students with a clear framework of how to evaluate primary, secondary, and supplemental resources for evidence of bias. I think a very constructive thing to do would be to take snippets of the book or sections like you have done and compare them to another resource such as the other book that you offered. In addition, you could create a compare and contrast diagram that examines each author's viewpoint. While this book obviously does not agree with your viewpoint, the reality is that we are doing our children a disservice when we pull resources or information both good and bad out of their hands without having them analyze and make their own sound judgement. We are not always going to be holding our children's hands and sitting directly next to them throughout every educational situation and setting to help them be able to determine bias nor is every resource they encounter in higher education or college not going to be present and without bias. I sat through many a number of college courses where books like this were actually the required course materials and I did my due diligence every class to offer counterpoints and to really take the time to dig and refute with other primary and secondary sources how material such as this is inaccurate.
I appreciate you sharing your thoughts and experience on this. I think you make a good point that restricting information to kids isn’t the answer but allowing a framework to develop so that individual child will have the tools necessary to evaluate resources for themselves. I also really appreciate you sharing some usable examples of how to evaluate this text with a student.
Gah! Thank you so much, this was super helpful. I didn’t have plans to use this resource, but I’m happy to know that we won’t be missing a single thing by skipping it. And I had thought that there might be a chance that we would use her science, but now plan to steer clear of that as well! This was super helpful and I love that you showed us actual passages from the book.
I’m glad you found it helpful!
Gosh the world needs more humans like you in it!!!! You truly inspire me to be more inclusive and make sure I use materials with as little bias as possible! Thank you for this review…it was certainly in my list of things I thought we were going to be using in a few years. Definitely not now!
I’m glad your finding my channel helpful! My goal for this channel has always been to be a helpful resource so knowing that’s coming across really makes me happy 😁
I agree with the commenter who warned against "throwing the baby out with the bathwater." Every textbook has bias-most of them far more insidiously than Joy Hakim, who makes hers explicit (see James Loewen's Lies My Teacher Told Me). Hakim's series is actually very good as long as you use it with a critical approach to some of the parts you point out. The text features are excellent!
I use this book with my fourth graders and here's how I handle the sections you mention: depending on the class, I either (a) skip the questionable parts altogether or (b) teach the students to recognize bias in a text and have discussions about the parts in question.
Two corrections of your critique:
•When Joy Hakim talks about "wasteful people" bringing the buffalo to near extinction, she is foreshadowing the white European Americans who came later. She is NOT talking about Indigenous people!
•When she talks about European colonizers enslaving Africans to be "field workers," she is explaining specifically what kind of forced labor the European colonizers forced enslaved people to do. She explains about the rise of tobacco as a profitable crop-the "gold" that the Europeans finally "struck"-and explains how the tobacco economy and the Europeans' desire for maximum profit made them want to use enslaved people instead of paying for indentured servants every few years.
A closer read, a critical approach with students, and access to additional sources makes Joy Hakim's History of Us series a great source in the classroom.
In my experience a lot of people who use the label 'secular home schoolers' for themselves, are more concerned about being anti religion rather than having robust curricula. I am often shocked by what pretty things people will use but have very little substance. I am also shocked by so many secular homeschoolers using TGATB and telling others in facebook groups that it is 'not that Christian...you can hardly notice it...' I wanted to be a TGATB fan as it is so pretty BUT I can't find a map of pregression or the rhyme and reason with the structure... In general I don't ever follow a curriculum completely but just use them as a base to plan our learning from.
I too fell down the rabbit hole of TGATB. I kept trying it over and over and I couldn’t figure out why it was working so well for everyone else but not me. It’s definitely pretty but lacks substance.
Thank you so much for sharing. Many promote this resource, and I can clearly see it’s not for us!
I had picked this up when I saw it at the used book store because I’d seen it on so many secular lists. After reading it I donated it for many of the reasons you mentioned, and decided not to even look at the rest. It also tainted my view on her science books, which I had originally been so interested in. I also have the Rethinking Columbus book and think it’s great.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this!
I really appreciate you taking your time and making this video. I wish there was more reviews like this about other curriculums to show ppl what is good and what is not so good before ppl buy the curriculum and find out after buying it.
I think that was one of the things I found so surprising about this resource. A lot of the reviews talk about how great it is, but very little about how problematic it is or even at some points blatantly inaccurate.
Thank you for sharing this video. I think you did a nice job!
Thank you!
I’m glad you reviewed this book. The fact that this is so widely used in the HS community but these biases haven’t been discussed by others reviewing this same resource is troubling. Your channel is a breathe of fresh air.
I too found it concerning that these issues haven’t been raised before 🤷♀️
It’s not just that’s it’s a little bias, but the fact that it has inaccurate information I find quite troubling.
Wow. I had no idea. I’ve seen this recommended many times for secular homeschoolers but I haven’t checked it out myself. I appreciate your frankness about this! I’ll be crossing it off my list.
I was definitely shocked with how bias and outright inaccurate it was in some parts. Especially since it is so often recommended 🤷♀️
I had heard so many good things about this curriculm, and though it wasn't on my radar with much better resources out there, I did check it out at the library incase I might use it as a suppliment. But I had this same rant about it!! It's very eurocentric, innacturate, and offensive to bipoc peoples. That pattern is atleast the first two books of this series, so I'd say the whole collection is like this.
This is how I feel about Generations curriculm too. We are secular and non-religious, and Generations is heavily religious. They're curriculm is primirly scripture - which is totally fine if you're religious and implimenting faith into your cirruclum. I am clearly not their target audiance. But I somehow stumbled on it and had to probe because they have a whole history series that is 'Taking Africa for Jesus' or 'Taking Egypt for Jesus', ect. They painted people of Africa as dirty, living in mud huts, needing support and gods guidance because they're sinful and riddled with AIDS. It's just one long bias indoctrination with no actual facts.
We do our children a disservice not teaching them real and honest history. It's going to make someone uncomfortable, but telling a false narrative is damaging and neglectful to our childrens education. Not to mention the way they precieve the world and interact with other people.
Yes! 👏. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experience with this. It’s comforting to know I’m not the only one that had an adverse reaction when reading it!
Yes! Gross! I can’t remember what I saw years ago but only one super quick glance I took was enough.
THANK a YOU, Michelle for making this video.
I guess one of the things I found most shocking is that like you said even with a quick glance it’s easy to see some glaring red flags within the book. Not just bias, but inaccurate information been shared. 🤷♀️
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts. You are the first person I’ve heard discuss this. I was considering this as a spine. What history did you decide to use?
For U.S. History we’ve been using Oh Freedom wokehomeschooling.com/oh-freedom-secular-edition/
@@michellegf thank you!
This is why I tend to get Savvas textbooks off Rainbow Resources. Oak Meadow is pretty good too. I almost got this set but won’t be buying because I dislike history books with opinions and bias. Thanks for pointing out the difference between real history and biased history. And Indians is an outdated term. Most of us like indigenous or the name of our tribe.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. I’ve had success with Savvass textbooks as well. I would like to try oak meadow but it’s a bit out of my price range right now.
A big thank you from a non-American Critical Thinking and American Studies teacher!!
I looked at this series briefly and was turned off pretty quickly as well. I'm thinking about using the Core Knowledge US history textbook (for middle school I think) as a spine but then pulling in Build Your Library level 5 resources. If you have experience with that Core Knowledge text, I'd love to hear about it, but I think your kids haven't hit that level yet so probably not. That rethinking columbus book looks amazing.
I plan on using CK A History of the United States next year. I think it looks really promising and although it doesn’t provide every perspective, I think it’s a great jumping off point.
I've been using the Core Knowledge US history reader for my 7th and 5th graders this year. I really like it. I pull in resources from Oh Freedom! and Build Your Library as we go. It will take us 2 years to complete, but it's been very thorough, and my kids have learned a lot.
@@Lmalatz thanks for sharing your experience with it. Sounds like a great line up! We will also take 2 years for U.S. History. There is so much information to cover, especially when you bring in multiple perspectives.
@michellegf and @practicalandplannedhomeschool I just realized that on the CK website, they offer a Lousiana Bayou version of US history. It appears more unit-based, probably moves at a slower pace, but dives deeper. It also has unit assessments and activity pages, something that is a bit lacking in the regular version (which we've used in a socratic style). Definitely worth looking at and comparing to see what fits your homeschool best.
@@Lmalatz I remember getting an email about them adding that, I will check it out thanks!
So glad you did this! Unbelievable…
thank you so much for this review! I would be so mad if I got this.
I’m glad you found it helpful!
Thank you for sharing this!
I’ve always heard this series was problematic by fellow homeschoolers, so I always avoided it. Now I clearly see why! I don’t understand how people can use such biased history garbage.
It's literal trash. My 1990s public school education provided a more balanced account than this "resource" does.
I don’t know any homeschoolers in real life that use it, but I know it’s been widely recommended in the online homeschooling community. Even if you took the bias away there was still factually wrong things within the book itself. I don’t get the appeal 🤷♀️
One of the absolutely worst reviews I've encountered on here. You read half of the first book in a 10 part series and thought that you would talk about *its* bias? Good Lord.
I'll point out 3 issues here, and leave the rest to parse for other people - but, generally speaking, the biggest bias that comes through here is yours. You are unable to, apparently, even *try* to give Hakim a benefit of the doubt, regularly in just a 20 minute video, *completely* misinterpreting her.
1. You are comparing a broad, general history of the US (intended for young, i.e., pre-HS, readers!) with a specific, focused history book on one issue that was aimed . Of course one book is going to have more details and have the space to dive into complex subjects! This is a complete failure to distinguish between text purpose.
2. The broader series Hakim does absolutely couldn't be seen as undercutting slavery or the experiences of indigenous people, unless you cherry pick passages and ignore the broader way she treats the subject. Hakim actually popularized and brought out a lot of neglected history, especially of NAs in the US.
3. Just one example of the illiteracy of this review. You spend a *lot* of time talking about how Hakim supposedly calls the NA tribe wasteful regarding the Buffalo, completely missing the point she was making, that it was *not* the NA tribe that was wasteful but the settlers that came later. Again, if you bothered to read beyond half of the first book in a 10 book series, you might have realized that.
Very disappointing review, and I'd point anyone interested in the series to the many other reviews out there. It's highly rated for a reason.
Just because it’s intended for a young audience does not mean it can’t offer multiple perspectives. There is in no way indigenous voices were at all shared in this book. Removing those perspectives or not including them isn’t creating a broader view of a subject but narrowing it. A child would not under the nuisance of the responsibility of the near extinction of Bison sentence. She could have easily added to that about what really happened instead of assuming the child would understand, especially if this is meant for a younger audience. A younger audience wouldn’t have the background knowledge or exposure to understand the situation, without explicitly stating what happened.
@@michellegf It *does* offer multiple perspectives, throughout the entire series. In fact, some of the passages you cited display that - where she's interacting, and bringing multiple views on a moment together.
If the child doesn't understand that 'nuance,' then they're not really reading. It's actually clearly implied, by the parentheses especially. I'm not sure how you, personally, failed to grasp what she was saying there, but she connects it fairly clearly. In fact, it seems it was either *your* bias against Hakim OR a bias against NA (that your mind, maybe, associates them with waste/laziness) that led you to assume she was implying that about NA.
She's telling a story. It's a great way to approach history, rather than just a presentation of facts and perspectives. History is a story, ultimately. This is a series intended for 5th-8th to get an overview of US History. For that purpose, it does the job well. By all means, it should be supplemented, as you go through each era/chapter.
But rejecting it because it doesn't cover *every* element of a complex history... is ridiculous, and especially so when you're judging an entire 11 book series off of your skimming through the first chapter. That is insane, and a terrible practice for reviewing a book, let alone a series.
*nuance
Very well said, and I couldn't agree more! That is everything I got out of this video also. Where is her "degree in history" she talks about the author not having? She doesn't know that this author did a plethora of research and went out of her way to be accurate to history. These books were praised by Oxford University, as well as many others. It appears this video is meant as a hit piece by a left winger trying to dissuade homeschoolers from purchasing it.
@michellegf I have an idea "professor", why not YOU write some "history books" to include all the add on perspectives you claim are so important to a 10yo, and watch how fast they fly off the shelves in sales?
I chose to skip The First Americans because like you, I try to use resources from created by the people/people groups we are learning about. But I have been using Book 2, Making the Thirteen Colonies with my 11yo this year, and it has been a great fit for us. The author does plainly state her opinion frequently; I'm ok with that as I appreciate it when people own their bias outright instead of hiding it. I would call this series solidly moderate/liberal in its philosophical bias, and after long deliberation, decided that is my preference for a spine. Just wanted to offer my 2 cents for consideration here. Great, provocative video!
I appreciate you sharing your personal experience and thoughts on this.
At first I was thinking you were being a little extra offended, but the more this went on, I completely agree. The second you got to the part about the buffalo being killed off by wasteful people, I was like... Nope. That's not right. Those buffalo were killed by white settlers as a way to force the natives to comply and eventually move to reservations. I suppose there were wasteful people. My husband and I have traveled around to some of these places and seen photos of hundreds of buffalo being stacked up so that people could take pictures with them.
I will say that I'm really big on teaching kids critical thinking and I think that this book could be a great resource for that. Read this book to the kids, then read the native perspective and teach the kids how to look for ways to double check what they're reading. Right now there are a lot of people in this country that listen to a news station and believe everything they hear, but then there are other people listening to a different news station and believing everything they hear. Nobody seems to be questioning the information they're being fed. There are SO many photos and resources that disprove the information in this book that I actually think this book (+ a native book) could be used to teach children about bias and how people develop biases. And also this could be used to reiterate the need for critical thinking.
I appreciate your perspective on this. I was hearing a lot of good things about these books. It's always good to hear the other perspectives. 😊
I appreciate you sharing your thoughts on this!
I'm a Dutch 36yo single dude without kids so I really don't know why this was recommended to me haha. But before you started talking about bias I was already expecting a too much of a US centric history and glorification. Just by the cover and the name. I finished typing this just when you opened the book and got to the first point lol.
I guess TH-cam was taking a shot in the dark with my video recommendation 😆.
I appreciate you commenting anyway. I guess in this case you can really judge a book by it’s cover.
Lol I'm a 25 yo single female and got this video recommended as well but now I've dug into a homeschool video rabbit hole
@@maggedmagged1 random TH-cam videos is how I originally started down the rabbit hole of homeschooling 😆. Thanks for commenting! I have no idea how TH-cam algorithms work, but it really seems like their throwing this video out there randomly.
As a Canadian I wouldn't use this anyways but that's crazy. I was curious what was wrong with it but I have only seen 1/3 of the video and I can already say I wouldn't use it if I was American.
I’m curious as a Canadian, do you have a lot of homeschooling resources for teaching Canadian history? Also do find they are often skewed or have a lot of bias like American history curriculums tend to?
Native American Indian homeschool mama, we like these books but I prefer Christian American history viewpoints, it’s more accurate to my history. Thank you for sharing
Yikes. Most native people are appalled by Christian viewpoints of the genocide (them as saviors of the land and bringing Christianity to indigenous groups) that happened here but do you I guess but know it’s a racist viewpoint.
Thanks for sharing your perspective on this.
@@megansmith2585 I guess each to its own. All my ancestry are Native Indian Christians - who have given their lives to Jesus Christ and forgiven. And we Native American Christians exist and are forever grateful for the gospel. But Thank you for for sharing your feeling.
@@megansmith2585 and again as a Christian Native American, you’re very racist!
I haven't seen this resource.
The lack of cultural respect from early Christian settlers is mine blowing!
If you have time, watch my term 4 homeschool update. If you can't watch the whole thing, watch the seminary life chapter. I talk about how, as a culture, we're all living out someone else theology and how we messed it up with the genocide of the Indigenous people and the slave trade. Why wouldn't people be resistant to Christianity? We're constantly living in a state of atonement. We say we believe in Jesus. We say we believe he died on the cross so that we don't have to take on the punishment. Why in the world are we constantly trying to make others small.....kill others...... Take away rights of others, So that we are lifted up. I just want people to wake up!
😭 This is totally a burden of mine. We aren't living out truth and subsequently we (as a culture) have no real concept of what it means to be a follower of Christ --- to be "Christian".
🔥You got me fired up Michelle! 😆
This book definitely got me fired up so I totally understand! I watched your update video and I really appreciate your talking about the things that are on your heart. I think you made some excellent points and have the ability to really articulate your thoughts and feelings around it. I wish more people were talking about the things you mentioned!
@@michellegf I just bought the Rethinking Columbus book! Thanks for sharing an alternative resource. I got it used for $6 in very good condition.
Oh no. I just bought the whole set.
I have them too. I hadn’t gotten to planning them out but her video just saved me from having to do it. It is a bummer that so many people recommend them but just goes to show you that a lot of homeschoolers on here are not really paying attention. It’s getting sold shortly!
If you have the books on hand already I would suggest looking through them and gauge if it’s a reliable resource for you and your homeschool. For me there was just way too many red flags that I would spend more time correcting it than using it as a teaching side.
So helpful!
I’m glad you found it helpful!
Thank you for this detailed breakdown. I purchased them as we were beginning and trying out different curricula. We’re several years in and I’m sure all of this would have jumped out at me when we got to them but this simply puts it in this sell pile for me. We’ve stopped books when we find problematic white washing resources and it has started conversations where we compare and contrast just how biased resources can be. But glad to avoid it had I planned a whole unit or semester around it and encountered this
I’ve encountered books that have bias, or highlighted a very specific viewpoint before, but this was just too much for me. So much of this book would be unusable for me because I would spend more time correcting it than using it as a teaching aide.
@@michellegf same here. I've tried out different resources and it is so time consuming to be taking more out than you're using. I simply know how to choose better now that I know how each of my kids learn and what is type of curricula is best for the way they enjoy learning
@@3akhomeschool yes it’s definitely a learning experience.
Thanks for this review. I never knew. Almost purchased it.
Glad I could help!
Yikes!!! Thanks for sharing this!
Oof. Thank you for highlighting this. I had bought this set to look through, because I had heard that it offered a detailed perspective on US history... but now I am going to reconsider this. These go beyond being problematic... this is whitewashed eurocentric revisionism. Gross. Thank you for your input.
Someone who blindly buys into the antiW Narrative...gross.
@748 Wow, I'm so glad you're here to add your reasoned arguments to the conversation. Well done. We can always count on your uneducated ilk showing up to spew garbage and pollute the conversation. So predictable.
I’m glad you found it helpful. It raised way too many red flags for me.
Hi, I heard that term woke what that's really mean?
NickFreitasDidAVideoOnIt...LastYear?YearBefore?
Selfrighteouspeoplebeingoffendedandvirtuesignallingovereverylittlething, basically. And no, I'm not some lunaticrightwinger...not even close.
It means pro-minorities
I believe there are varying definitions for woke. For me it means being consciously aware of the way different groups are treated and examine my role in that. It’s deeply rooted in social justice and empathy.
that's why you have supplement materials. there are books that are more native Americans bias.
Supplementary materials are always a good idea. No one resource will cover all perspectives, however I have definitely found it harder to find resources that take into account black, indigenous and people of color perspectives.
wow, i have seen this recommended so many times! I'm shocked it's this bad. I thought her history of science series looked promising but I am also no longer interested after this
I too found it shocking, especially given how much it’s recommended. I’ve never looked into the science books she writes. If I did I would definitely try to get it from the library first to really vet if it would be a good resource for my homeschool.
This is horrible!
Thanks for the review & the examples.
I wish you would have done a video on what you do suggest and why instead of bashing this resource. If you have a beef with other you tubers then don’t watch.
She didn’t bash any other TH-camrs? She brought awareness to how this particular book being utilized in the homeschooling community is problematic. Asking someone to be quiet and not speak out when things are wrong is asking for complaisance during injustice and ignorance. This is harmful for everyone! Asking someone to not be critical of the resources available that can be (and clearly are) problematic is erroneous. This is literally the opposite of what she stands for and what progressive, critical thinking calls for. We must stand up for what is right, even if it is uncomfortable.
@@HeatherDeMeter there has been a back and forth between her and another you tuber lately.
Because she shares information of all kinds and in this video, it’s regarding a resource that is highly recommended for secular homeschoolers and she wants others to see why they might not want to use it because she is passionate about the topic. This was super informative and helpful.
@@stefanietaylor4989 ok if it helped you. I would rather see a curriculum suggested that is a good choice for secular homeschoolers.
This video did not refer to any other TH-camr once. She laid out her issues with it. If it helps you, great. If not, move on. When content doesn’t fit my goals for my hs , I simply unsubscribe. You can do the same. What’s silly is going out of your way to tell them what their content should and should not be
This history series by Hakim was one of the worst "history" books we ever came across during our homeschooling journey. We returned the series to the curricula company we bought it from. We returned them for different reasons than you. Imagine being from a modern society and seeing people living 4000 years in the past. We're talking stone age! They hadn't even made it to the bronze age yet. The spaniards massacred the cannibal indians, not the group being cannabalized. No one gets a pass from the slavery. Spaniards enslaved jews and they were no in the stone age. Indians also enslaved other Indians. btw, most don't mind being called Indians and don't care to be called "indigenous people" or "native Americans". Just like black people don't want to be called BIPOC.
There's so much to touch on this video, but I'd like to recommend Collapse by Jared Diamond, Guns, Germs, and Steel also by Diamond. and just for a bonus White Gold by Giles Milton. They're much better than Hakim's books. =)
I'm very curious to know why you're homeschooling. Your video was recommended in my feed. so I'm brand new to your channel.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this and for the resources you recommended.