“Can You Recommend a Living Book on . . . ?”

Pet peeve time. I am disturbed by posts that ask for living books on particular topics like sharing or honesty. If you can say “this book is on honesty,” it is probably not a great living book. That is not how living books work. What makes a book living is that that you can come back to it again and again and find new ideas in it. Living books aren’t obvious. It takes some work to get what they are telling you.

What we get from a living book is very individualized. When I read Karen Swallow Prior’s take on Ethan Frome, I was disturbed by her interpretation because it didn’t match what I had gotten from this cherished book. But I recognize her prerogative to take from it what she will. I bet we could have some good conversations about it.

What this means for our children is that we cannot address behavior problems by finding that perfect book. There has been a lot of misinformation in the Charlotte Mason world about how we use books in habit training. Living books can be a great resource for character building, but they work slowly over time. You cannot target a book to a particular problem. Doing so will backfire. Either your child will not get the message you want them to get OR they will see the message you are trying to send — because it is so obvious — and they will resent you for it.

So by all means, fill your children’s lives with living books. Inspire them with stories of great men and women and warn them with stories of those who have gone astray. Better yet — look for books with moral complexity that the reader has to wrestle with. But don’t think that if your child hits his brother that there is an easy fix and that reading one story about kindness will do anything to address his heart.

Karen Swallow Prior’s On Reading Well

I heard Karen Swallow Prior being interviewed on a podcast and knew I wanted to read one of her books. On Reading Well (Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2018) provides a brief introduction to Prior’s theories on reading and books and then analyzes a dozen pieces of literature with an eye to drawing out the virtues their characters typify. From the foreward, written by another favorite author, Leland Ryken, I knew I would like what I found.

I don’t know if Prior is familiar with Charlotte Mason’s philosophy of education, but I think the two would find themselves kindred spirits. In so many points, Prior’s language mirrors that of Mason. She does not use the phrase “living books” (Mason’s 13th principle) but she gives us a wonderful description of the transformative power of the written word (pp. 10, 12) — if that word comes in a literary form (p. 11; Mason’s principle 13c). Like Mason (and citing Milton), Prior also sees the main task of man as developing virtue by the choosing of good over evil (p. 7; Mason’s 19th principle). To do so, she says, we must read both widely and well. “Literature embodies virtue, first, by offering images of virtue in action and, second, by offering the reader vicarious practice in exercising virtue . . .” (p. 7). She urges us to read hard books and to read slowly. She speaks of books as the food of the mind (Mason’s 8th principle) and speaks of “making connections” (Mason’s 12 principle) through our reading (p. 9). Prior also describes something like narration (Mason’s 14th principle) when she talks about asking her students to restate a passage, a process which “requires deliberation” (p. 8).

Though literature gives us examples of virtue — positive and negative examples — Prior, again like Mason (and citing C.S. Lewis) “cautions against using books merely for lessons” (p. 10). Her emphasis in this volume is on virtue, language much more tied to classical education. For Prior, a Christian, the end of virtue is not virtue itself or human happiness or flourishing but, in the words of the catechism “to glorify God and enjoy him forever” (p. 14).

For the bulk of the book Prior goes through twelve literary works and draws out the cardinal virtues they can teach us. I read this book through which is probably not the best way to approach it. It would be much better to read each work and then the chapter on it (though I had previously read a large number of the works she discusses). One could even do this with teens for a year’s literature course; there are discussion questions at the end as well. There was a time or two when Prior’s analysis rubbed me the wrong way. Her explanation of Ethan Frome, in particular, not necessarily because I disagreed but because it made the characters too understandable, if that makes sense. It is the complication in their characters and their relationship, the contours that are hard to grapple with, that gave them appeal and I did not find that I wanted them explained. This is not a fault on Prior’s part, just a caution from me if you find one of your favorite books here discussed. As Prior acknowledges, there is not one right interpretation of a literary work, though there can be wrong ones, not supported by the text (p. 17).

Perhaps it is only my own aversion to modern classical education (or some incarnations of it), but on a broader level, I am not overly enamored of the focus on virtue. I am not at all sure, though, that what Prior is saying is that all books should only be read with this focus on virtue.

With a few small caveats, then, On Reading Well is a book I would highly recommend. Personally, I would love to know also who Prior’s influences are. If she does not know Charlotte Mason, then she has through different means come to many of the same beliefs in an almost eerily close sort of way.

On Reading Promiscuously

This phrase — “to read promiscuously” — apparently comes from Milton. I heard it from Karen Swallow Prior. I had sought out a podcast interviewing Prior [1] because of some controversy about her theology. I am still honestly not sure of where she falls and whether she and I would see eye to eye on theological issues but I am enamored of her view of books.

Prior begins, in response to the host’s questioning, by stating her conviction that the primary thing that is wrong with the Church in America today is that we have “impoverished imaginations.” By this she means that we are unable to see another’s viewpoint, to put ourselves in their intellectual shoes. She says something that I have been thinking for a while [2] — that modern evangelical Christians tend to approach every problem with a blunt instrument. We have no sense of nuance.

The root of the problem, and the solution, according to Prior, lie in our reading habits. We must read both “promiscuously” (a la Milton) and well. To say that we must read promiscuously is not to say that we can or should read everything. Prior recommends “literary fiction.” She goes on to explain that not all fiction is literary. Literary works draw us in. They bring us into the world of a character or characters and allow us to experience it through them and thus to see the world from another’s point of view.

I do not know if Prior knows the philosophy of Charlotte Mason but it is quite clear to me that what she is speaking of here are what Mason called living books. The language the two women use is even similar; Mason in her 13th principle says that: “Knowledge should be communicated in well-chosen language, because his attention responds naturally to what is conveyed in literary form.”

Prior again sounds like Mason when she goes on to say that people must dig for knowledge themselves. She does not speak of narration as such, but she says that knowledge is much more meaningful when one unearths it for oneself. So many of the books that are written for Christians — and also those for children — put everything on the surface. They are so anxious that the message be received that they become just very obvious. The end result is that the message may be heard — indeed it is often hard to miss the point of such books — but it is not internalized. Often quite the opposite happens — the reader is turned off to the message because they have been force-fed with it. Even good food is repulsive when someone is shoving it down your throat.

When it comes to educating our children, we are often so concerned that they get the right things and avoid the wrong ones that we are willing to force-feed them. We also limit their diet. We do not let them read promiscuously because we fear that they will take in the bad as readily as the good. And there is perhaps some wisdom in that. I do not believe children are little angels or that they have some natural tendency toward the good. When it comes to their intellectual diet, it is not so much that we must trust to their natures but that we need to trust the power of Truth and trust them to the One who is Himself shaping their hearts and minds. It is God who works in them and all truth is His, even Truth that might come to us through non-Christian authors.

In fact, it is not the Christian parents who should be afraid of this promiscuous reading but the non-Christian ones. This last point struck me as I was watching a new documentary on the life of C.S. Lewis [3]. Lewis in his youth was not a Christian but he read everything he could, including Christian authors like George MacDonald. It was the works of MacDonald and a few others that stuck with him and crept into his soul. They began the process of awakening his heart and ultimately led to his salvation.

So, Christian parents, do not be afraid to read good books or to give them to your children.

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Notes:

[1] “Beth Moore’s Exit & the Problem of ‘Impoverished Imaginations’ with Karen Swallow Prior, ” The Holy Podcast, episode 448 (Mar. 17, 2021)

[2] See, for instance, this post on the Church’s response to the COVID crisis.

[3] “The Most Reluctant Convert: The Untold Story of C.S. Lewis” (2021)

Living Books for High School Chemistry (Updated)

This is an updated, streamlined version of my earlier post on living books for high school chemistry.  You can find all my booklists for science here and how we do a Charlotte Mason education (including high school) here.

Living Books for High School Chemistry

Spine books:

Life of Fred Chemistry — We love the Life of Fred series. It started as a math curriculum but has expanded into early readers, high school chemistry and more. This year my 10th grader was using no less than 4 of the LOF books. When I saw they had a chemistry one, I couldn’t resist. As with the whole LOF series, this book tells the story of Fred, a 5-year-old genius math professor. All the books incorporate the subject matter in Fred’s life. There are 36 chapters and each has a problem set with answers at the end. It is an fairly intensive book. My second child, who is my least science/math-y, did not do well with this book.

The World of Chemistry by John  Hudson Tiner — As an alternative spine, Tiner’s books are always good. They are more middle school level but can certainly be used in high school if combined with others. The writing is in a good, living style. We skip the end of chapter questions and just have them narrate.

For Labs:

The Joy of Chemistry: The Amazing Science of Familiar Things by Cathy Cobb and Monty L. Fetterolf.  We used this book as kind of second spine book. It’s main advantage is that it has experiments which are relatively easy to do with relatively accessible supplies.  While I prefer to outsource labs if possible, COVID made that impossible for a year or two. The supplies for the labs were not too difficult to find. I made a list of all we would need, bought whatever I could from Amazon and the rest at my local supermarket or hardware store. I also had my oldest son lead the labs himself. His ten-year-old sister was his audience/class so he had to read a chapter, figure out the lab and then lead her through it and explain it to her. (Side note: if you are looking for in-person labs and are at all near Philly, I highly recommend the two-day lab intensive offered by E=MC2. If you get enough people, they may be willing to travel to you as well.)

Other Books:

The Periodic Kingdom: A Journey into the Land of the Chemical Elements by P.W. Atkins  — The Periodic Kingdom treats the periodic table as a land with different countries within it. This paradigm allows the author to explain the landscape of the periodic table and the relation of the elements to one another. I’m not big on memorizing things like the elements and their characteristics but this book allows one to get the lay of the land, if you will, and to see how it all fits together very nicely.

Alternative: The Mystery of the Periodic Table by Benjamin Wiker and Jeanne Bendick —  A simpler book along basically the same principles as Periodic Kingdom. It could also work for younger children.

Crucibles: The Story of Chemistry from Ancient Alchemy to Nuclear Fission by Bernard Jaffe — As it name suggests, this book takes a historical approach to chemistry, showing its developments through time.

Napoleon’s Buttons: How 17 Molecules Changed History by Penny LeCouteur — I love how chemistry can be approached through different lenses. Napoleon’s Buttons looks at a number of molecules and tells their stories.

Alternative: The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean

The Chemical History of a Candle  by Michael Faraday — A slim volume by the famous scientist that goes through all the chemistry in a candle.

That’s the Way the Cookie Crumbles by Joe and Joseph Schwarcz — This is one of my favorites. Short, entertaining blurbs on chemistry-related subjects. It would work well just as a nature lore book for high school too.

Elements of Faith by Richard Duncan — If you are looking for an explicitly Christian book, you might want to check out this one. I have not used it.

Lastly, another one I wish we’d had time for:  Molecules of Murder by John Emsley looks at the chemistry in crime, specifically at poisons.

High School American History, A CM Reading List

My approach to history is pretty simple : find living books and have them read and narrate. Every 12 weeks or so we have an exam week. Exams at this level consist of open-ended essay questions that ask them to pull together some of the information they have been taking in. Over the years we have gathered a list of favorite authors so you will see a lot of names repeated on this list.

A Living Book List for High School Level American History, Exploration through 1900

Exploration

I had my students read Around the World as a kind of spine book to cover the major events and then one of the other books on a more specific person or topic. Lomask and Noble’s books are easier can can be used in middle school but I have included them here in case you need something shorter and quicker.

Around the World in 100 Years by Jean Fritz — Middle school and up. A good overview of the main explorers of the New World. Some don’t like Fritz’s non-Christian stance in this one.

The Sea-King: Sir Francis Drake and His Time OR The Terror of the Spanish Main: Sir Henry Morgan and His Buccaneers by Albert Marrin

OR: Ship’s Boy with Magellan by Milton Lomask — Middle school level

OR: Exploration (Great Lives) by Milton Lomask — Again probably middle school level; explorers are covered alphabetically

OR: Spain’s Gold Queen Isabella OR The Honor of Balboa by Iris Noble — Another good, older author. Like Lomask’s books, these are also middle school level.

OR: Inca and Spaniard: Pizarro and the Conquest of Peru OR Aztec and Spaniard: Cortes and the Conquest of Mexico by Albert Marrin

Settlement

We used the relevant portions of Coffin’s book as a spine. I read The World of Captain John Smith aloud to them because, though easier, it includes some international events.

Sweet Land of Liberty by Charles Carleton Coffin — A good spine type book for this era. It begins with the settlement of the colonies and has a section on each which is nice.

The World of Captain John Smith by Genevieve Foster — Foster’s books can be used for elementary and up. Though they are not hard reading, they are very through and I like that they bring in international events.

Worldly Saints by Leland Ryken — A wonderful book on the Puritans and their theology. Very fair.

Flames over New England by Olga Hall-Quest — Re King Philip’s War

Struggle for a Continent by Albert Marrin — Re the French-Indian War

Other options:

Sir Isaac among the Indians by Milton Lomask — Re a French missionary; easier book

Cross among the Tomahawks by Milton Lomask — set in the 1600s; easier book

The Nation Begins

Thomas Paine: Crusader for Liberty by Albert Marrin

“Common Sense” by Thomas Paine — The pamphlet which inspired the Revolution is not a long read.

Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

The War for Independence by Albert Marrin

OR: The First American Revolution by Milton Lomask

OR: George Washington and the Founding of a Nation by Albert Marrin — You probably don’t need to read both Marrin’s books since he tends to cover a lot of ground in one volume.

OR: 1776: The Adventure of the American Revolution by Irving Werstein

Founding Sins by Joseph Moore — Does America have Christian roots? Moore looks at the faith of our founding fathers.

The Spirit of 1787 by Milton Lomask — re the writing of the Constitution

OR: The Great Constitution by Henry Steele Commager — slightly easier than Lomask’s book

Other options:

Charles Carroll and the American Revolution by Milton Lomask — re the only Catholic signer of the Declaration; he is from Maryland

Beauty and the Traitor: The Story of Mrs. Benedict Arnold by Milton Lomask

The Early 1800s

1812:The War Nobody Won by Albert Marrin

I had my students pick one president to read more in depth on:

Son of the American Revolution: John Quincy Adams by Milton Lomask

Old Hickory: Andrew Jackson and the American People by Albert Marrin

This Slender Reed: A Life of James K. Polk by Milton Lomask

We read DiConsiglio’s book on the Mexican-American War. If you have more time, Marrin gives a wider view of the Spanish influence in Mexico, Texas, and the southwest.

The Mexican-American War by John DiConsiglio

Empires Lost and Won : The Spanish Heritage in the Southwest by Albert Marrin — Covers the Mexican American War, Texas’ statehood and more

Other options:

Aaron Burr by Milton Lomask (2 vol.)

Odd Destiny: A Life of Alexander Hamilton by Milton Lomask

The Cruise of the Essex by Irving Werstein — re the War of 1812

The Civil War

A Volcano Beneath the Snow: John Brown’s War Against Slavery by Albert Marrin

Volcano sets up the issues leading to the Civil War. Each of the following volumes, though they focus on specific people, discusses the war as a whole. You only need to read one.

Unconditional Surrender: U.S. Grant and the Civil War by Albert Marrin

Commander in Chief: Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War by Albert Marrin

Virginia’s General: Robert E. Lee and the Civil War by Albert Marrin

Other options:

General Philip Sheridan and the Union Cavalry by Milton Lomask

The Adventure of the Civil War Told with Pictures OR The Many Faces of the Civil War OR July, 1863 OR Abraham Lincoln versus Jefferson Davis by Irving Werstein

Post Civil War

This Wounded Land: The Era of Reconstruction 1865-1877 by Irving Werstein

Cowboys, Indians, and Gunfighters OR Sitting Bull and His World OR Plains Warrior: Chief Quanah Parker and the Comanches OR War Clouds in the West by Albert Marrin

The Spanish-American War by Albert Marrin

OR Turning Point for America: The Spanish-American War by Irving Werstein

Living Books for High School Biology (Updated)

I had previously published a list of the books we used for my oldest when he studied biology in 9th grade, but I realized that there are many others that I used with subsequent children which could be added to that list. I also have some related posts that may also be of use:

How we did high school biology labs with other local families

Living books on Diseases

Living books on anatomy and medicine

Living books for environmental science

My nature lore booklist

All my living science book lists

Living Books for High School Biology

“Spine” books (these are books which cover multiple subject areas and can be sued as the backbone of your studies):

.

The World of Biology by John Hudson Tiner — Tiner’s books are on the easier side and could be used for middle school also. They are laid out more like a textbook but are relatively interesting in how they are written. We skip the end of chapter questions and just have them narrate. Tiner has many others as well including The History of Medicine.

Instant Biology by Boyce Rensberger — A slightly longer book than Tiner’s but still fairly short and accessible.

The Riot and the Dance by Gordon Wilson — This is the thickest of these spine books and also the only one with a distinctly Christian perspective.  Wilson’s creationist view is discussed but is mostly confined to an appendix. We skipped the review questions.

Books on specific subject areas

Creation/Evolution

Evolution by Paul Fleisher — A thin, easily read book that can be used in middle school as well. I try to give my kids multiple perspectives on evolution/creation issues and let them decide where they fall. Fleisher writes as a scientist simply explaining evolution. I don’t believe he is a Christian and he is not trying to defend evolution against other theories. 

The Great Dinosaur Mystery: Solved! by Ken Ham. Ham presents the six-day creationist view. The whole topic led to a number of good in-the-car-type discussions and also led me to write this post on the evidence (or lack thereof) of dinosaurs in the Bible.

Four Views on Creation, Evolution, and Intelligent Design  — I didn’t know about this book when my kids were doing biology but am reading it now myself. This is the book that I wish I had had for them. Each view is presented by one of its proponents and then each critiques the others’ views as well. It is a longer book but one could just read selections. I was able to read it free online through my local library’s system so check for that as well. 

Fiction

The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells. This classic is about a scientist on an isolated island who is operating on live animals to alter them. The results are grotesque and disturbing. It’s a good book

Human Biology

Mr. Tompkins Inside Himself by George Gamow — Gamow is an older writer who has written a number of volumes which teach science in a narrative format. Most of his books are on physics but this one is biology. The premise of the book is that Mr. Tompkins goes about his day, starting with a visit to his doctor’s office, and falls asleep a lot and dreams of, for instance, traveling inside himself with his own blood cells. This is a fairly dense book. FYI, the book Mr. Tompkins Learns the Facts of Life seems to be a subset of this book and could be worth using if you have less time to spend on it. But if you have time, do the whole thing.

Germ Theory

Dr. Jenner and the Speckled Monster: The Search for the Smallpox Vaccine by Albert Marrin — Marrin is a favorite author. He has more on history and I suppose this one is history too in a way but it is medical history. (Again, see also this post on diseases.)

Microbe Hunters by Paul de Kruif — A history of germ theory through the men who developed it. 

 

Genetic Engineering 

Spare Parts :  From Peg Legs to Gene Splices by Wendy B. Murphy — The history of what we do to our bodies from ancient prosthetic noses (kind of gross and with pictures!) to modern genetic engineering. The modern stuff is a bit more scanty but the whole thing is pretty interesting. 

How to Clone a Mammoth by Beth Shapiro — Can we clone and reintroduce extinct animals? How would that work? And should we? This book covers all of that. It is not the easiest book but all my kids seemed to enjoy it. 

Taxonomy

Forgotten by Time: A Book of Living Fossils by Robert Silverberg — Silverberg is a science fiction writer who also did a few history and science books. This one discusses those species who bridge the gaps in our usual taxonomies (both plants and animals). 

The Environment (again, see also this list for environmental science)

Our Only World by Wendell Berry — A series of essays by a wonderful writer.

Silent Spring by Rachel Carson — This one is almost a homeschool must read. 

Lost Wild America by Robert McClung — Re extinct and endangered species. McClung has lots of wonderful books for younger readers as well. 

 

Reading: Should You Repeat?

I had an “aha” moment recently thinking about repetition in a Charlotte Mason education. As with most such epiphanies, this was a new thought to me but it may have been obvious to everyone else for a long time. If it is, feel free to be amused at my expense and then to move on.

We are always told in a Charlotte Mason education that a single reading is important. In fact, it is enshrined in Mason’s 20 Principles that ” . . .  children should ‘tell back’ after a single reading or hearing . . .” (Principle 14). The idea behind this is that to allow them to hear or read a text twice really just teaches kids that they don’t have to pay attention the first time.

The question inevitably arises: What if my child wants to read a book more than once? Little children in particular love to hear favorite picture books over and over again. One of my rules for deciding what is a living book at this level is that if the adult doesn’t mind reading it more than once, it is probably living. And then too, living books are books we should expect to get more out of with each reading because they do contain vital — that is life-giving — ideas.

These two ideas — the importance of a single reading and the continuing value of living books — seem to present a contradiction. But the solution is really a very simple one: The principle of a single reading is for school books that are to be narrated. That is, narration is to be done after a single reading of a passage. But in the rest of life — whether we are reading that favorite picture book to a preschooler once again or re-reading out own favorite classic — there are no limits. As long as you (or your young audience) is getting something out of the book, by all means read it again.

Booklist: 1950-2000

As we continue with booklists I have put together over the years, today we turn to modern times, that is, everything after WWII until the year 2000. I have arranged these by topic, roughly chronologically.

Living Books on the Post-WWII Era to 2000

The Cold War 

Caddis, John Lewis. The Long Peace. Teens.

Foster, Leila. The Story of the Cold War. From the Cornerstones of Freedom series (be sure to get the older books in this series which begin “The Story of . . .”). Elementary.

Marrin, Albert. Marrin is my favorite author for middle and high school. On this era he has: Stalin: Russia’s Man of Steel, Time of Fear: America in the Era of Red Scares and Cold War, and Mao Tse-Tung and His China. Teens.

Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. A classic drama, set in the Salem witch trials but written during the McCarthy hearings. Teens.

Mirabile, Lisa. The Berlin Wall. Middle years.

Seuss, Dr. The Butter-Battle Book. Read it even with older kids to discuss how an arms race gets started and escalates. Elementary +.

The Civil Rights Movement

Adler, David. Picture Book of Martin Luther King and Picture Book of Rosa Parks. Elementary.

Birtha, Becky. Grandma’s Pride. Elementary.

de Angeli, Marguerite. Bright April. Middle years.

De Leeuw, Adele. Barred Road.  Middle years-Teens.

Harrington, Janice. Going North. Elementary.

McKissack, Patricia. Abby Takes a Stand. Elementary.

Swift, Hildegard. North Star Shining. Poetry.

JFK & LBJ

Appelt, Kathi. Lady Bird’s Wild Flowers. Elementary.

Foster, Leila. The Story of the Great Society. From the Cornerstones of Freedom series. Elementary.

McConnell, William. Living through the Cuban Missile Crisis. First-hand documents. Middle years-teens.

Stein, R. Conrad. Cuban Missile Crisis: In the Shadow of Nuclear War. Middle years.

Vinton, Iris. The Story of President Kennedy. A good older author if you can find her books. Middle years.

Vietnam

Bunting, Eve. Wall. Elementary.

Garland, Sherry. The Lotus Seed. Elementary.

Hyunh, Quang Nhuong. The Land I Lost and Water Buffalo Days. Elementary.

Kent, Zachary. The Story of the Saigon Airlift. From the Cornerstones of Freedom series. Elementary.

Marrin, Albert. America and Vietnam: the Elephant and the Tiger. Teens.

Myers, Walter Dean. A Place Called Heartbreak. Middle years.

Wartski, Maureen.  A Boat to Nowhere. Middle years.

Whelan, Gloria. Goodbye, Vietnam. Middle years.

Chinese Cultural Revolution

Compestine, Ying Chang. Revolution is not a Dinner Party. Middle years.

Nixon & Watergate

Bernstein, Carl and Bob Woodward. All the President’s Men.  Teens. We watched the movie version starring Robert Redford with middle aged kids.

Buchwald, Art. “I am Not a Crook”. Political satire. I read portions aloud to my teens.

Hargrove, Jim. The Story of Watergate. From the Cornerstones of Freedom series. Elementary.

Carter & Iran Hostage Crisis

Farber, David. Taken Hostage. Middle-teens.

Holt, Willis. When Zachary Beaver Comes to Town. Set in 1970’s Texas. Middle years.

Kapuscinski, Ryzard. Shah of Shahs. Middle-teens.

Lawson, Don.  America Held Hostage. Iran Hostage Crisis and the Iran-Contra affair. Teens.

Mattson, Kevin. What the Heck are you up to, Mr. President? The story of a speech Carter gave. Teens.

Stead, Rebecca. When You Reach Me. Set in 1970’s NYC. Middle years.

Stein, R. Conrad. The Iran Hostage Crisis. Middle years.

The Reagan Years and the Fall of Communism.

Harvey, Miles. The Story of the Fall of the Soviet Union. From the Cornerstones of Freedom series. Elementary.

Kort, Michael. The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union. Middle-teens.

Matthews, John R. The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union. Decent. Middle years.

Nardo, Don. Cause & Effect: the Fall of the Soviet Union.  Decent, not great. Middle years.

The 1990s

Kallen, Stuart A. The 1990s: Decade in Photos: The Rise of Technology and A Cultural History of the United States through the Decades: the 1990s. More for pictures and cultural history than anything else.

McEvoy, Anne.  Fashions of a Decade: the 1990s. Again, we mostly used it for the pictures.

Hurricane Katrina

Herlong, M.H. Buddy. It is not the finest writing but I really loved this book. Middle years.

Philbrick, Rodman. Zane and the Hurricane. Middle years.

Miscellaneous

Hosseini, Khaled. Kite Runner. Afghanistan covering roughly 1960-2000. Adult content.

Miller, Debra, ed. Miller has edited a lot of books on modern topics that are not too long and seem decent. Examples include: Pakistan, The Iranian Green Movement, The Tea Party Movement, Modern-Day Piracy, and many, many more.

Booklist: Living Books on WWII

As we continue with booklists I have put together over the years, today we turn to WWII.

Living Books on WWII

Adler, David A. Picture Book of Anne Frank. Adler’s biographies are decent picture book level introductions. Elementary.

Ambrose, Stephen. The Good Fight. Covers the major battles and movements of WWII in a page each with good writing. He also wrote Band of Brothers and books for adults which could be an option for high school. Elementary +.

Benary-Isbert, Margot. The Ark. Middle years.

Bishop, Claire. Ten and Twenty. Wonderful story. Upper elementary-middle.

Borden, Louise. Across the Blue Pacific, Greatest Skating Race, and Little Ships. Picture books. Elementary.

Bunting, Eve. Terrible Things. Elementary.

Chaconas, Doris. Pennies in a Jar. Elementary.

Coerr, Elizabeth. Sadako and the 1000 paper cranes. Re Japan. Elementary.

Commager, Henry Steele. Story of the Second World War. I like Commager’s books. I am not sure of the level of this one.

Deedy, Carmen. The Yellow Star: The Legend of King Christian X of Denmark.  Elementary.

Gallaz, Christophe. Rose Blanche. Elementary.

Hughes, Shirley. The Lion and the Unicorn. A Jewish boy in England. Elementary.

Hunter, Sara. Unbreakable Code. Elementary.

Johnson, Angela. Wind Flyers. Picture book. Elementary.

Lowry, Lois. Number the Stars. Middle years.

Lutzer, Erwin. Hitler’s Cross. Hitler’s theology examined. Teens.

Marrin, Albert. A favorite author with a number of books on the war: Uprooted (on the Japanese in the US), The Airman’s War, Hitler, Victory in the pacific, A light in the darkness (re the holocaust), Overlord (re DDay), Secret armies (re code breakers). Teens

McSwigan, Marie. Snow Treasure. Wonderful book. Upper elementary-middle.

Miers, Earl Schenk. Men of Valor. An older author. Middle years (?).

Polacco, Patricia. Butterfly. Elementary.

Seredy, Kate. Chestry Oak. Upper elementary-middle.

Stevenson, James. Don’t You Know There’s a War On? Elementary.

Streatfield, Noel. When the Sirens Wailed. Middle years.

Tunis, John. Silence over Dunkerque. Middle years.

Werstein, Irving. Another favorite author with a lot of books on WWI. He has many on specific battles and also The Long Escape (re children in Belgium),  The Uprising of the Warsaw Ghetto, and That Denmark Might Live. Middle-teens.

Whelan, Gloria. After the Train and Summer of the War. Whelan has lots of good historical fiction. Middle years.

Booklist: Living Books on the 1920s & 1930s

As we continue with booklists I have put together over the years, today we turn to the period between the World Wars, roughly 1918-1940. 

Living Books on the 1920s and 1930s

The 1918 Spanish Flu 

Lasky, Kathryn. Marven of the Great North Woods. Elementary.

Marrin, Albert. Very, Very, Very Dreadful: The Influenza Pandemic of 1918. A favorite author. Middle-teens.

The Roaring Twenties

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. You can’t discuss the ’20s without Fitzgerald. Teens.

Hoobler, Dorothy. And Now, A Word from Our Sponsor : The Story of a Roaring ’20’s Girl. Middle years (?).

Prigger, Mary. Aunt Minnie McGranahan. Life in the 1920s. Elementary.

Rawls, Wilson. Where the Red Fern Grows. Not roarin’ but set in the ’20s. Middle years.

The 1930s, the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression

Brown, Fern. When Grandpa Wore Knickers. Life in the early 1930s. Elementary.

Burch, Robert.  Queenie Peavy. Elementary-middle.

Egan, Timothy. The Worst Hard Time. Re the Dust Bowl. I loved this book. Teens.

Gates, Doris. Blue Willow. Life in the ’30s. Middle years.

Hoff, Syd. Scarface Al and His Uncle Sam. Easy reader. From the wonderful author of Danny and the Dinosaur. Elementary.

Lied, Kate. Potato: A Tale from the Great Depression. Elementary.

Marrin, Albert. FDR and the American Crisis and Years of Dust. A favorite author. For international history, also try his Stalin: Russia’s Man of Steel. Middle-teens.

Peck, Richard. Long Way from Chicago and Year Down Yonder. Historical fiction; life in the 1930s. Middle years.

Peterson, Jeanne. Don’t Forget Winona. Elementary.

Stanley, Jerry. Children of the Dust Bowl. Elementary-middle.

Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath. The former is shorter and easier to read. Both are classics. Teens.

Taylor, Mildred. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. Middle years.

Turner, Ann. Dust for Dinner. Elementary.

Werstein, Irving. Shattered Decade 1929 and A Nation Fights Back. A favorite author. Middle-teens.

Aviation

Borden, Louise. Good-bye Charles Lindbergh. Elementary.

Dalgliesh, Alice. Ride on the Wind. Re the Spirit of St. Louis. Elementary.

Quackenbush, Robert. Clear the Cow Pasture. Re Amelia Earhart. Elementary.

Ransom, Candice. Fire in the Sky. Re the Hindenburg disaster (1937). Elementary-middle.

Wells, Rosemary. Wingwalker. Elementary.

Architecture/Building

Bunting, Eve. Pop’s Bridge. Re the Golden Gate. Elementary.

Clinton, Patrick. Story of the Empire State Building. From the Cornerstones of Freedom series (be sure to get the older books that begin “Story of . . .”). Elementary.

Movies on the 1930s:

We watched a number of movies relating to this period. The movie industry really took off in the ’30s so one can find both movies made in the ’30s and those set in the ’30s.

Gone with the Wind – Though set in the Civil War and Reconstruction, Margaret Mitchell’s classic was both a best-selling book and movie in the 1930s. I made my kids discuss why people living through the Depression might have been so attracted to this story.

Bonnie and Clyde – Enough humor and violence for my kids. A slightly older movie, it does not really show much nudity or blood but there are a couple of “adult” scenes and Bonnie and Clyde’s deaths at the end are vivid (though again not bloody). The movie does a good job of showing that crime does not pay though it also hints at why people supported outlaws like Bonnie and Clyde at the time.

The Untouchables – Criminal activity was booming in the ’30s. This movie tells the story of Scarface Al Capone and his capture.

O Brother, Where Art Thou? – We watched this a few years ago. It is the story of Homer’s Odysseus set in 1930s America. Humorous and and ultimately wholesome. I don’t remember how much adult content there was, not too much I think. Great soundtrack too.

The Grapes of Wrath – We didn’t want to take the time to read Steinbeck’s (long) classic but the classic movie covers a lot of the bases. My kids enjoyed it.

Kit Kittredge: An American Girl – We watched this movie last time we studied this era, when my kids were much younger. I am not a fan of the American Girl franchise but I think this movie is one of their better pieces. When we watched it, our neighbor’s house across the street was being foreclosed on.

To see what people in the ’30s were watching (and for a more wholesome choice), try some Shirley Temple classics. The Little Colonel (set in post-Civil War south) is one of our favorites.

Happy reading (and watching)!