"33 Questions About American History You're Not Supposed to Ask" - Book Review

I recently finished an insightful book by Tom Woods, a Massachusetts native historian, titled “33 Questions About American History You’re Not Supposed to Ask.” If you aren’t familiar with Mr. Woods, he has a bachelor’s degree in history from Harvard, and his master’s, M.Phil., and Ph.D. from Columbia.

Spanning topics from “Was the Civil War all about slavery, or was something else at stake as well?” to “How does Social Security really work?” to “Did capitalism cause the Great Depression?”, 33 Questions enlightens the reader by advancing questions that most have never asked, and then proceeds to explain what really happened with plain language and logical thinking. This is accomplished by providing the reader with the typical “myth” for each topic, including how the myth came to be, and then deconstructing that myth with “truth” based in historical fact.

As I read through each chapter, I thought back to my formal education to see if I could recall what I was taught. What struck me most, time and again, was that for most all of the topics covered, my “education” was more in line with “The Myth” than with “The Truth".

For example, quoting at length from the chapter on Social Security, Woods states:

The Myth: “Social Security operates like an insurance program: individuals pay a premium into a fund and are thereby entitled to receive benefits in the future. This is just as President Franklin Roosevelt sold the program to the American people.”

The Truth: “As the US government has conceded only when forced to before the Supreme Court, the Social Security payments an individual makes are not an ‘insurance premium’ but a tax, which does not give the individual the right to any benefit or earmark funds for him. The individual receives nothing but a promise ‘to tax your children to take care of you in your old age.’”

What?

I have known ever since I began work at age 15 (and had taxes automatically deducted from my paycheck for the first time) that I would never see any Social Security “benefits” when I turned old enough to be eligible.  However, I have never heard it explained in such black and white.

Mr. Woods’ explanation (provided above as his synopsis only) references actual documents produced by the government in order to get Social Security passed, and provides quotes from government officials such as, "I believe we have nothing to worry about because it [Social Security] is so enormously complex that nobody is going to figure it out." Then, he proceeds to show how the government has changed their explanations and documents through the years so that they suit their ends at a particular point in time.

And here is the real beauty of 33 Questions. Each topic’s “truth” is solidly anchored in the facts of the day, not through rose colored lenses, and Mr. Woods’ ability to weave these facts together to produce the bigger picture is second to none.

If you are looking for something different to read as the summer days begin to shorten, I highly recommend this book. Its chapters are self-contained and are small enough to read between trips from the beach chair to the water. They will also add some variety to the typical beach conversation!

If you prefer audiobooks, Mr. Woods has many lectures available on iTunesU.  A similar topic to 33 Questions is his lecture series “The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History.”

If it is true that we are doomed to repeat history, I, for one, prefer to know what really happened – not what someone wants me to believe. Mr. Woods provides that knowledge in a down to earth style, through his books or lectures, that makes history enlightening, instead of rote memorization.

No matter your choice, book or podcast, Mr. Woods is a great historian with an entertaining style – this is not the type of history book or lecture that you are used to – and I am excited to finish my next selection from his catalog.