Customer Reviews

The Angrey Aztecs

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I teach 5th Grade history, I mean "social studies", and let me tell you, as a teacher, I'm always on the hunt for material that will engage my students (and myself). The Horrible Histories series, and "The Angry Aztecs" in particular, are a godsend. My students and I love the information in the book and the humorous way it's presented (the illustrations are great, too).

I've read other books in the series, and the author shines the same light on the unfortunate aspects of every culture he presents (see "The Measly Middle Ages" for a great take on Europe). If nothing else, you will be grateful to be living in the USA in this day and age when you're through with the book.

Human beings have been (and continue to be) horrible to each other, but if we can learn how to move away from superstition and learn from history's mistakes, we'll be better off. These books will help in this endeavor.

This is apparently the fourth book in a series that considers "teaching history" to be synonymous with promoting racist stereotypes about "people with unpronounceable names." Sure, the Aztecs spent time on both ends of bloody conquests, but since when are genocide and enslavement topics for grade school humor? If you're a parent, you might want to check your school library to see if they're spending your tax dollars on this junk. Better yet, write the publisher (Scholastic) and tell them what you think.