Robert E. Lee and Me: A Southerner's Reckoning with the Myth of the Lost Cause
Written by Ty Seidule
Narrated by Ty Seidule
4.5/5
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About this audiobook
"The narrator’s skill as an educator is evident in this production. Seidule's varied tone and pace keep listeners engaged while he describes historical events in detail." -- Booklist
This program is read by the author.
In a forceful but humane narrative, former soldier and head of the West Point history department Ty Seidule's Robert E. Lee and Me challenges the myths and lies of the Confederate legacy—and explores why some of this country’s oldest wounds have never healed.
Ty Seidule grew up revering Robert E. Lee. From his southern childhood to his service in the U.S. Army, every part of his life reinforced the Lost Cause myth: that Lee was the greatest man who ever lived, and that the Confederates were underdogs who lost the Civil War with honor. Now, as a retired brigadier general and Professor Emeritus of History at West Point, his view has radically changed. From a soldier, a scholar, and a southerner, Ty Seidule believes that American history demands a reckoning.
In a unique blend of history and reflection, Seidule deconstructs the truth about the Confederacy—that its undisputed primary goal was the subjugation and enslavement of Black Americans—and directly challenges the idea of honoring those who labored to preserve that system and committed treason in their failed attempt to achieve it. Through the arc of Seidule’s own life, as well as the culture that formed him, he seeks a path to understanding why the facts of the Civil War have remained buried beneath layers of myth and even outright lies—and how they embody a cultural gulf that separates millions of Americans to this day.
Part history lecture, part meditation on the Civil War and its fallout, and part memoir, Robert E. Lee and Me challenges the deeply-held legends and myths of the Confederacy—and provides a surprising interpretation of essential truths that our country still has a difficult time articulating and accepting.
A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press
"Perhaps the best attribute of this fine book is the author’s honesty. It’s difficult to imagine a more timely book than Robert E. Lee and Me. At this pivotal moment, when we are debating some of the most painful aspects of our history, Seidule’s unsparing assessment of the Lost Cause provides an indispensable contribution to the discussion.” -- Washington Post
"In this fine book Ty Seidule scorches us with the truth and rivets us with his fierce sense of moral urgency. I can't think of a better book to enrich and invigorate our national discussion about race and memory and the troubled legacy of Robert E. Lee and the Confederacy." -- New York Times bestselling author of Alexander Hamilton
“A beautiful, often searing meditation on race, history, and the American narrative. Evocative and provocative, Robert E. Lee and Me is honest, wry, and utterly engaging.” -- Rick Atkinson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The British are Coming
Ty Seidule
Brigadier General TY SEIDULE, U.S. Army (Retired), is the Chamberlain Fellow at Hamilton College and Professor Emeritus of History at the United States Military Academy at West Point. He served in the U.S. Army for more than 35 years, including two decades in the Department of History at West Point. He serves as Vice Chair for the Naming Commission to rename Department of Defense assets that honor Confederates.
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Reviews for Robert E. Lee and Me
39 ratings4 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Excellent. Detailed history of why Lee is so revered, and why that is a problem. Mixed with a bit of memoir, but as a fellow Southerner, I appreciated hearing from someone who faced facts and moved forward rather than clinging to a lie for nostalgia’s sake. This will go on my list of books that changed my mind about _____. Highly recommend.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Really good book, it is a truth that is so often untold or unrecognized by white America.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Should be required reading for everyone, but especially for every highschool. I was not raised in the South but still identified with so many of the myths that I had been taught, on the West Coast in the 80s and 90s. This book is well written combination of memoir and historical fact. Highly recommend.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book is factual. Ty Seidule personalizes the racial issues by describing his personal journey from wanting to be a “proper Virginia gentleman,” who believes The Lost Cause, to a well informed student of history who no longer believes The Lost Cause myth. Please read this one.