GGS was a GREAT book. Collapse was OK, but not as good. The chapter on China in Collapse was worth the cost of the entire book and very interesting given current events.
The Third Chimpanzee was not so good. I liked the chapter where he discusses the roots of language, specifically all the Indo-European languages…but this particular book to me seems he is just asking a bunch of questions and not giving many answers.
James Michener writes a good historical tale. I read Texas to my daughter, I edited out some of the period racist terminology. The sections on the Rangers was really good.
PS my daughter was <1 at the time
[quote]heavythrower wrote:
My 13 year old daughter has, over the last 2 years, shown an increasing interest in world history, so far as to tell me that she wants to be a history teacher when she grows up.
I am a history buff myself(nearly double majored in Eastern European History while in college), and am thrilled that she has shown an interest in this.
I love the questions she asks me and the discussions it leads to.
I want to encourage and nurture this…
I chose to post this here because there are lots of smart very well read people on this forum…
any suggestions as to good books for younger readers that she might enjoy?
PS: please leave any partisan bickering out of this thread…I welcome liberal, conservative, and libertarian/moderates suggestions.
thank you…[/quote]
If she is showing an interest in history then you might also want her to become familiar with a framework for interpreting history instead of just reading authors and taking their word for it.
History is the method by which the establishment propagandizes its mythology and many establishment “historians” are infected by the mythology of the establishment. It’s good to become aware of the disease before becoming indoctrinated by it.
Libertarian class analysis, for example, teaches us, contrary to the Marxian dialectic, that all political and economic history is the history of the tax eaters versus the tax payers.
Horrible Histories. DOn’t know if you get them in USA but these are really awesome.
Civilisation by Kenneth Clark
A great general theory of society:
The Rise and Fall of Society by Frank Chodorov
A Team of Rivals. By Doris Kearns. About Abe Lincoln and his cabinet. It is long but a great read. The best non fiction book I have read.
I think it was when I was around your daughters age someone gave me a copy of D-Day by Stephen Ambrose and it sparked a huge interest all things history. Awesome to hear your daughter is interested in it.
[quote]USMCpoolee wrote:
I think it was when I was around your daughters age someone gave me a copy of D-Day by Stephen Ambrose and it sparked a huge interest all things history. Awesome to hear your daughter is interested in it.[/quote]
When I was about 12 or 13 I read a book about D-Day called “The Longest Day”. I remember how much I loved the stories in it from both sides. I remember looking at the front cover alot and thinking about what it must have been like to jump off of those boats and storm the beach, had a real lasting effect on me.
Also, your username brings me back a bit, as I was a poolee in '92 just waiting to get shipped out to MCRD. I remember hanging out at the recruiters office and doing pull ups, running with the other poolee’s, and hanging on every word of the crazy gunny that was the NCOIC. I also remember drinking beer at his house with some of the other poolees and recruiters while his also crazy filipino wife yelled at him. LOL…good times.
Also, I have to recommend “Escape from Warsaw” by Ian Serraillier. Amazing book that I read several times when I was a kid. Get this book, you won’t be dissapointed.
Will Durant’s “Lessons of History” is probably the best, most consolidated survey of human history ever written. It is a short, relatively easy monograph comprised of trends and patterns encountered by Durant and his wife during the research and writing of their monumental 11-volume “Story of Civilization.”
William Rosen’s “Justinian’s Flea” is an extremely engaging account of the first outbreak of Bubonic Plague in Byzantium. It reads like a novel but ties together a staggering number of historical developments at one crucial hinge point in the history of humanity.
If you consider other forms of Media than books, The Teaching Company produces MANY fine audio and video products. Big History, with Prof. David Christian was an AMAZING program - I’ve listened to it several times. These programs are between 30 and 50 1/2 hour lectures. It’s worth checking out.
Just to let everyone know…I AM checking out all the suggestions, except for Florilus’s bestiality one(damn, just damn…) lol
thanks for everybody who has chimed in…and keep them coming.
I bought “Caribbean” today, and starting to read it…not sure if it going to be the right one for my daughter, but I plan on reading it for sure.
funny how lots of the books being suggested here I have read,
Guns Jerms and Steele
Civilization
A Peoples History
A Team of Rivals
glad to know I have read some stuff some smart people liked…makes me feel smart.
smh23, going to check your suggestion out tomorrow…
BTW, for anybody who is interested…here are a few suggestions for some of you guys, check out:
American History X
Everything You Know Is Wrong
for the ancient history buffs… Sailing from Byzantium (this is one of my favorites)
and a good historical fiction book on the Balkans is The Bridge On The River Drina (like I said, I dig Eastern European History)
thanks again!!!
I forgot. this was the first real book I read cover to cover. Night by Eli Wiezel. Short book and easy to read and from the perspective of a teen.
Heavy Thrower Caribbean starts off slow and somewhat strange for the first few chapters, but this is only because it is a linear history of the Caribbean and life back then was slow and strange.
Once you get a few chapters in it is accounts of adventure and truly gives insight into the working of the world and how wide spread European civilization was in the Americas not just the colonies,a point history class will probably skim over.
I feel this book isn’t inappropriate, I read it at 14 ,although if you finished the first chapter than you know one of the books common themes, war.
I see no one has mentioned it so I also recommend “Two Years Before the Mast” a true classic and as historical as it gets.
Larry Gonick’s Cartoon History of the Universe.
Highly entertaining. Uses actual historical research. Covers the big bang to I can’t quite remember when. At least Ancient Rome. 3 volumes. Perfect for teenagers (its even a little racy to make it entertaining. There are some cartoon boobs, but I would give it to any reasonably mature teenager)
Cannot recommend highly enough
Edit: Apparently there are like 13 volumes or more as well as a seperate modern history. I guess he has continued publishing since I was a teenager.
I also read his Cartoon guide to physics before the 11th grade. This was less useful due to the rigorous nature of physics. Still didn’t hurt any.
Edit2: There were times when I didn’t bring home my textbook, consulted the cartoon history of the Universe and was able to contribute to my World Civ class with more authority than my classmates in highschool. This at a high quality private school.
http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/2007/cartooning-our-way-through-history-larry-gonick-talks-to-fpi/
Interview.
that looks great eli! gonna go check that out right now!