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How the South Lost the Civil War, Then Rewrote the History
by Ann Bausum
Book Reviewed by:This powerful and unflinching examination of racism in America by award-winning historian Ann Bausum deconstructs the warped history of the Civil War for teen readers, perfect for fans of Stamped, Just Mercy, and Accountable.
Warning: This is not your average U.S. history book.
After the Civil War, the Confederates may have laid down their arms, but they were far from accepting defeat. By warping the narrative around what really happened during and after the Civil War, they created an alternate history now known as the Lost Cause. These lies still manifest today through criticism of Critical Race Theory, book banning, unequal funding for education, and more.
This book sets the record straight and explains the true history of the Civil War, and its complex and far-reaching aftermath. Written by historian and award-winning author Ann Bausum, White Lies is an impeccably researched chronicle filled with photos, robust back matter, additional resources, and more that fans of Howard Zinn's A Young People's History of the United States will enjoy.
LIE #1: Slavery was a compassionate institution.
EACH FALSEHOOD of the Lost Cause sought to sway public opinion. The history of slavery in America was one of the most popular subjects for distortion. White southerners were eager to convince others—and themselves—that they were taking part in a mutually beneficial arrangement. If they succeeded, they could avoid facing blame or guilt for their participation. The lies persisted even after slavery ended in 1865.
Contrary to all evidence—including the traumatic memories that haunted the formerly enslaved and the lash marks that scarred so many of their bodies—proponents of this false narrative claimed that slavery had been conducted in a humane and thoughtful way. Enslavers had treated the enslaved like members of their families, said the promoters of this falsehood. They had fed, clothed, and cared for them during sickness and old age. Violent treatment had been the exception, not the rule. Southern enslavers had ...
BookBrowsers ask Ann Bausum, author of White Lies
kim.kovacs: Thanks so much for being here, Ann! We've really appreciated chatting with you. Before we close the conversation, is there anything you'd like to mention that we haven't touched on? Gosh, Kim, I think you've covered the scene. Thank you for inviting me to visit with this community and...
-ANN_BAUSUM
Visiting author: Ann Bausum
Just a reminder that https://www.annbausum.com/ Ann Bausum will be visiting for a Q & A next week, Wednesday January 14 through Friday January 16. She is the author of 17 works of nonfiction geared toward young adult readers. Her latest book, https://www.bookbrowse.com/reviews/index.cfm/book_numb...
-kim.kovacs
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (1/8/2026)
I finished https://www.bookbrowse.com/reviews/index.cfm/book_number/5077/white-lies White Lies by Ann Bausum. It was very interesting and I'm looking forward to chatting with her next week. I'm about to finish Faulkner's https://www.bookbrowse.com/bb_briefs/...
-kim.kovacs
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (1/1/2026)
I finished up the On the Calculation of Volume series (books 2 & 3) and I'm looking forward to the next one, which comes out in April. It's a fascinating approach to the time loop plot. I can't say I'm exactly loving it, but I've also found the books intriguing regardless. The author's style remi...
-kim.kovacs
Ask the Author mug winners
Here are the latest BookBrowse mug winners for the questions to our visiting authors: Eve J. Chung ( https://www.bookbrowse.com/reviews/index.cfm/book_number/4821/daughters-of-shandong Daughters of Shandong ): @Jorene_J Princess Joy L. Perry ( https://www.bookbrowse.com/bb_briefs/detail/index.cfm...
-kim.kovacs
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BookBrowse Awards
2025
What caused the Civil War? Nearly since Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox Courthouse in 1865, Americans have said it was a complex conflict relating to states' rights versus the decrees of the federal government. But as Ann Bausum's White Lies: How the South Lost the Civil War, Then Rewrote the History shows, this is just one of the many lies that make up the Lost Cause—a fraudulent yet commonly accepted narrative of American history. Drawing upon extensive research and written with unflinching honesty for a young adult audience, this book is an extremely valuable corrective to the falsifications surrounding the Civil War and the damaging legacy of those lies in the centuries that followed. The author's language can be a little dense, as in describing a monument that "summarizes the sentiments that supported a war of rebellion and presents them as worthy of commemoration and celebration, in perpetuity." In the classroom, White Lies is therefore best suited to AP US History and college courses. This doesn't diminish the book's usefulness—it simply means educators should be thoughtful when incorporating it into their syllabi...continued
Full Review
(947 words)
(Reviewed by Rose Rankin).
Americans know the names Martin Luther King, Jr., and Rosa Parks, and many may be familiar with W.E.B. Du Bois, but if asked about Black activists, fewer would recognize the name of William Monroe Trotter. This is an unfortunate oversight because Trotter was a passionate defender of Black civil rights and founder and editor of one of the most important Black-owned newspapers in American history. His relative obscurity today demonstrates how those who have challenged the dominant narrative about equal rights and racial progress in America are often erased from the historical record.
Trotter was born in 1872 in Ohio, but he lived most of his life in Boston. His father was a lieutenant in the Union Army during the Civil War, and despite ...
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