Robert E. Lee and Me, Ty Seidule
Robert E. Lee and Me, Ty Seidule
4 Rating(s)
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Robert E. Lee and Me
A Southerner's Reckoning with the Myth of the Lost Cause

Author: Ty Seidule

Narrator: Ty Seidule

Unabridged: 10 hr 45 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/26/2021


Synopsis

"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

About Ty Seidule

Brigadier General TY SEIDULE, U.S. Army (Retired), is Professor Emeritus of History at the United States Military Academy at West Point and served in the army for more than 35 years. He is the author of Robert E. Lee and Me: A Southerner's Reckoning with the Myth of Lost Cause and served as Vice Chair for the Naming Commission tasked by Congress to rename Department of Defense assets that honor Confederates. He teaches at Hamilton College.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Raymond on September 17, 2020

Imagine finding out everything you learned growing up was a lie, that the historical figure that you revered as a god and even ranked them higher than Jesus was actually a traitor to his country. Imagine believing a narrative of history that taught you all the wrong things about one of the most cons......more

Goodreads review by Steven on February 03, 2021

On January 6, 2021, the US Capitol was marred by an invasion of a mixture of Trumpists, military militias, white supremacists, and a collection of other conspiracy toting insurrectionists. What was very disconcerting for me apart from the violence is how these individuals wrapped themselves in a fla......more

Goodreads review by Donald on May 30, 2021

A book offering hope for some enlightenment. The author, with deep humility and contrition, starts with his veneration of Robert E. Lee as a child and young man. He becomes a PhD professor of history at West Point. The book documents the creation and perpetuation of the "lost cause" theory of the Wa......more

Goodreads review by Ryan on March 18, 2021

I'm probably not the target audience for this book. Before reading it, I thought that the Civil War was about the expansion of slavery and the nature of the Union, that Lee was a slavery apologist, and that Lost Cause mythology has had a pernicious influence on subsequent US history. In other words,......more

Goodreads review by Athena on November 10, 2021

There is no possible way to bring my blog review over to GoodReads due to the photos, quotes, video links, and more.... So I will leave this here along with my brief takeaways. Hours of work and i am extremely proud of this blog post [URL not allowed] My takeaways are briefly: 1)......more