Sometimes my critics say, "Woods says X but the truth is Y." More often they argue like this: "Woods says X! Can you believe the gall of that guy?"
That was never more true than back in late 2004, when I released The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History. It was the first in what became a series of Politically Incorrect Guide books for Regnery Publishing by various authors, and the inspiration for the animated Politically Incorrect Guide series I produced several years ago with Michael Malice.
That book enjoyed great success: twelve weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, and after cracking the Amazon Top 100 -- and the Amazon Top 100 includes fiction, self-help, cookbooks, and other books people buy more than nonfiction -- it stayed in the Top 100 for three months.
On the McLaughlin Group's year-end program in 2004, Pat Buchanan cited my book to justify naming me as his choice for the "Most Original Thinker" category. They were interesting times.
But it wasn't all ham and plaques, as The Simpsons' Mr. Burns would say: I was denounced in a signed editorial on the New York Times editorial page by a representative of that notorious enemy of free thought, the Southern Poverty Law Center.
For that matter, neoconservative Max Boot condemned me on the website of the now-defunct Weekly Standard, the once-influential neocon magazine. Since then, Max ostentatiously abandoned whatever part of the conservative movement he may once have occupied, which more or less proves what I tried telling people about him at the time.
As the book continued to sell, I received an email one day from a literary agent who said: I'm sure you already have representation, but just in case you don't, I would like to offer my services. He became my agent on the spot.
He said: you have a really hot-selling book. That means you need to be working on your follow-up.
He didn't have to tell me twice. I had barely begun to scratch the surface with the Politically Incorrect Guide. They had given me a strict 80,000-word limit. That flies by in an instant.
So the result was 33 Questions About American History You're Not Supposed to Ask -- a dumb title, but I'm otherwise very proud of that book.
Some of the questions I answer in it:
*Did Martin Luther King Jr. oppose affirmative action?
*Were the American Indians really environmentalists?
*Were states' rights just code words for slavery and oppression?
*What was "the biggest unknown scandal of the Clinton years"?
*Just how wild was the "wild West"?
*Did the Iroquois Indians really influence the United States Constitution?
*Did desegregation of schools significantly narrow the black-white educational achievement gap?
*Was George Washington Carver really one of America's greatest scientific geniuses?
*Was the U.S. Constitution meant to be a "living, breathing" document that changes with the times?
*Did Indian wisdom help the Pilgrims grow corn?*What made American wages rise? (Hint: it wasn't unions or the government.)
*Is "discrimination" to blame for racial differences in income and job placement?
Well, it so happens that that book turns 20 years old this year. I can hardly believe it.
Speaking of commemorations/celebrations, Saturday was my birthday, but since I only occasionally write on Saturdays, you didn't hear from me. Let's just say that unlike the book, ol' Woods turned more than 20 years old this year.
So in honor both of that anniversary, and of my birthday, today only I'm sending a free autographed and personalized copy of that book to everyone who joins Liberty Classroom -- which by coincidence is also having a Woods birthday sale today.
(This offer is valid only for U.S. residents; people in other countries can still enjoy the Liberty Classroom sale today, but I can't send the book to addresses outside the U.S.)
Liberty Classroom is my dashboard university in which people (including me) who don't hate your guts teach you the history, economics, literature, and philosophy you didn't get in school -- and at any time of day or night, from anywhere in the world where there's an Internet connection.
Try taking a literature course at the college level nowadays. Or history, for that matter. Or even economics. You'll be memorizing, and then be tested on, fallacies and craziness.
Meanwhile, one of the dozens of Liberty Classroom courses involves going through one of the most popular college texts chapter by chapter and refuting the fallacies one by one. There is no other course like that anywhere in the world.
Join as a master member today and not only save some serious dough, but also get a free personalized and autographed copy of my 33 Questions About American History You're Not Supposed to Ask!
Remember, the Liberty Classroom discount that's in effect today only is valid for the whole world, but the free book (also available today only) part of the offer can be shipped only to U.S. addresses.
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