Telling publishers that their books must instill pride 
    only guarantees a phony version of feel-good history. 
    Publishers, as a result, bend over backward to be 
    positive, whether writing about the genocidal reign of 
    Mao Tse-tung (presumably to avoid offending his admirers) 
    or the unequal treatment of women in Islamic societies 
    (to avoid offending Muslims). Certainly, textbooks should 
    accurately portray society in all its complexity. But to 
    impose contemporary political requirements on how the 
    events are portrayed only ensures that the history we 
    teach our students is inaccurate and dishonest. History 
    books have already grown larger and duller to accommodate 
    every group’s demands. What the state should expect of 
    publishers is that they produce books that are as honest 
    and accurate as possible. Such narratives would be far 
    likelier to instill humility, a recognition of human 
    folly, an understanding of conflict and differences and a 
    sense of our common humanity rather than a sense of pride.