While the version of American society presented by American History textbooks is dull, rosy and optimistic, the version presented by Loewen is pessimistic.
Loewen makes no secret about how he views heroification. In the first line of the first chapter, he describes heroification as "a degenerative process... that makes people over into heroes" (pg 19). Degenerating according to answers.com is defined by falling "below a normal or desirable state, especially functionally or morally". When textbooks discuss heroic figures in American history, the books usually delete all of the flaws of character, and all of the morally undesirable actions that they have performed.
The version of Christopher Columbus's story presented by history textbooks contrasts greatly against the version presented by Loewen. Loewen describes the textbook version as "canonizing him". They make Columbus into a saint-like figure. However, in the canonization by the textbooks, there are factual inaccuracies. For example, the textbook Land of Promise describes Columbus's vessels as "Three small, storm-battered ships". Meanwhile, Columbus himself writes in his journal that the ships enjoyed lovely sailing and only experienced moderate rough seas on the last day. Textbooks teach that Columbus discovered America. Of course, there were already people there. Columbus wasn't even the first European to go to the Americas. The Vikings traveled to America centuries earlier.
