What readers think of White Lies, plus links to write your own review.

In a country where we tear down Confederate statues and also whitewash any history that reflects poorly on the United States of America, politics confuse me. Ann Bausum has no such problem. “White Lies: How the South Lost the Civil War, Then Rewrote the History” will tick people off who have learned to believe a certain version of historic events.

They say that you are doomed to repeat mistakes if you do not study them, and this theory that a repeated lie becomes a truth really hit home with me. Generations of people looked upon Confederates as heroes, which makes the re-teaching of the past more problematic, as films like “A Birth of a Nation” and monuments to Southern heroes prove.

Bausum has some tricks up her sleeve to make her novel different, following the lies of the Confederacy to the days of World War I and movies like “Birth of a Nation.” Since the beloved “Gone with the Wind” has endured cancellation on all sides, I enjoyed the author’s perspective on how that great work remains problematic.

The book examines history vs. propaganda, and many have chosen the version of the story that suits their political needs. Even those who supported the North had to rely on their own prejudices. The heritage vs. history debate drives the narrative, and most will not agree with all of the author’s assertions. The past is messy, complicated, and full of grey areas.

I always recommend books with caveats, and if you are firm in your opinion that we should celebrate Confederate heritage in public forums, you probably will disagree with this motif; that said, the anti-cancel culture crowd tends to deny that a large chunk of people feel this way and only notice the naysayers that support their stance. Bausum doesn’t care.