Here is a partial list of what I have so far.
- The Lost History of Aztec & Maya by Charles Phillips
- The Civil War Strange & Fascinating Facts by Burke Davis
- A Taste of Freedom by Tommie Thompson
- Anthem by Ayn Rand (lesson plans)
- The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (lesson plans)
- The Bible According to Mark Twain
- A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain
- The House of the Seven Gables by Nathanial Hawthorne
And here is a partial list of what I want
- By Burke Davis - Gray Fox, Jeb Stuart, and To Appomattox
- By Ulysses S. Grant - The Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant & The Civil War Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant
- Faulkner
- Welty
- F. Scott Fitzgerald
I'll be using Glencoe's History of A Free Nation for history. I have the teacher's edition, so I just need to get the student edition for Lord Epa. We will also use The Federal Union by John D. Hicks (Third Edition) and Government and Politics in the United States by Harold Zink (Third Edition).
2 comments:
I have no idea what you or your kid(s) interests are, much less their age, so take this with a grain of salt. I am only speaking from my own experience as a passionate reader as to what books have done the most too create in me a passion for reading or mold me into who I am today.
I learned to love reading when I was in Jr. High by reading Lord of the Rings for the first time (of over a half dozen times). Not an American author, but anything that gets kids passionate about reading is a winner in my book. Yes, yes, I read a ton of books before that, but this was the one that “clicked.”
I learned to have a deep, abiding, and genuine love for nature and the environment by reading A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold in college, but I think it would suit an advanced high schooler. Dr. Leopold was literally the first wildlife biologist in the world. This book is a collection of his essays, poetry, and other writings that first set down a “Land Ethic” that laid the foundations for both conservation and environmentalism as we know it today. It is required reading, and rightly so, for all students at MSU’s College of Forest Resources.
Lastly I would recommend Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Persig. I read it while in grad school and I’ve heard others, while in graduate school, claim it is a slog and difficult, but I think everyone should get around to it eventually. The one problem is that by the time people get to the age where they can manage it, they are past the age where other people can make them read something. In any case, it absolutely changed my entire life. The moment I put the book down I saw the world completely differently than I did before picking it up. In fact I just gave my old paperback copy to a friend who was visiting from Oregon. Quality.
My all time favorite American authors are Mark Twain, Kurt Vonnegut, and Earnest Hemmingway, with For Whom the Bell Tolls being my favorite novel off all time, although it may not be the best for a kid – to demonstrate just how demented I am; I read it on my honeymoon. "Harrison Bergeron" by Vonnegut being my all time favorite short story - it still gets my emotions going. If you want some other ideas on short stories, this thread at a forum I frequent has some neat ideas.
I’m not really into biographies, but one I really dug that also teaches a lot of history is [George] Washington: The Indispensable Man by James Thomas Flexner.
That’s about all I got off the top of my head. Hope it helps.
Butch
Thanks Butch, I really appreciate your taking the time to comment, since often guys have different taste in literature then girls do. Lord Epa turns up his nose at the romances I love.
Lord of the Rings is our all time favourite. And has a funny story connected to it. My public school education never introduced me to Tolkien, so when Jonathan's literature book (he was in 6th grade at the time) had The Hobbit in it, I loved it and wanted to read the other books myself, so I checked Lord of the Rings out for myself. When I brought it home Jonathan said he wasn't going to read it. And I told him that was fine as I had gotten it for me not him. I was already reading something so I put it on my desk to read later. When I went back to get it it was GONE, I found it in Jonathan's room and he had already gotten to Return of the King. Sean (Lord Epa) who was in 4th grade was intimidated by it, but Jonathan and I enjoyed it so much and discussed it so frequently he was familiar with it. When The Fellowship of The Ring came out and we went to see the movie Sean was disappointed because it didn't tell the full story, so he sat down and started on The Two Towers & The Return of The King and enjoyed them so much he went back and read The Fellowship of The Ring. Hubby who doesn't usually read fiction even read it as he didn't want to be left out of our discussions. Jonathan is a huge Tolkien fan and has read all his work.
Thanks for the link to the forum, it looks interesting, I'll probably lurk for awhile.
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