Chris in VA Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Hi, We're doing 20th Century history with Sonlight--just the history, and I'm taking some of their suggestions for the literature. Using Sparknotes and even Cliff's Notes for commentary, because there just isn't enough in the IG for us. Anyway, what books can you recommend to assign for the 1950's? We've read The Jungle, Heart of Darkness, Metamorphosis,Grapes of Wrath, The Hiding Place, and some others so far--something along the lines of these, please. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 A book we enjoyed for that time period was The Mouse that Roared by Leonard Wibberley written in 1955. A movie of the same title came out in 1959 with Peter Sellers. Here is a link to the Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mouse_That_Roared Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 How about Failsafe? This is set in the cold war. The idea is that there is a breakdown in communications and the US accidentaly fires a nuclear weapon at the USSR. The story is in what happens next. There are a couple movie versions of this as well, on is older and one was made in the late 1990s. The movie Dr. Strangelove is partly a parody of Failsafe. Maybe QB VII (Queens Bench Seven) or Armeggedon by Leon Uris. These are set post WWII. QB17 is the story of a Dr living in UK who is charged with having been a Nazi concentration camp doctor. Armaggedon is about the rebuilding of Berlin after the war. These books probably bracket the 1950s. I think QB17 is a little later and Armaggedon is a little earlier. But they probably capture the spirit of the post war era. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenda in MA Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Chris, My son just finished Core 300, and one of his recent favorites was Alas Babylon. The story is about how the residents of a small town in Florida react when most of the US is destroyed with nuclear weapons. It was written in 1959, I think, and definitely reflects the "mood" of that era. We skipped several of the Core 300 books this past fall so my son and I could put more focus on the titles we did read. I also used supplemental guides, such as Spark Notes on line, to help with our discussions. One book I added in at the end was the modern novel "The Kite Runner". We both enjoyed that one very, very much, and we'd recommend the recently released movie, too. Kite Runner does have one scene where a young boy is gang raped by bullies in an alley. It's not very graphic, but the incident is in there, FYI. Brenda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenda in MA Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Chris, Someone on the other post about what your high schoolers are reading mentioned Cry, The Beloved Country. My ds and I also really enjoyed that one, too. However, the language is a bit lyrical, so we got the audio book version from the library. We enjoyed hearing the story read and the African words pronounced by someone who knew how they should sound. My son and I had great discussions over this one, too. I think it takes place in the 40s or 50s. Brenda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted January 19, 2008 Author Share Posted January 19, 2008 I loved the George Clooney version. Since we skipped Brave New World, I think Alas, Babylon would be a good choice (I don't know why, but I always lump these two together! I know they are very different--perhaps it's because they deal with "What if"). I think I will also add in Lord of the Flies, since it provides a nice counter to the "noble savage" ideal of the Romantics. I know we will also be reading The Good Earth, and a book about the Chinese cultural revolution, along with One Day in the Life.... Thanks for the suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 nt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brigid in NC Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 How about a play? "A Raisin in the Sun" was set in the 1950s I think. ~Brigid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelodyInTx Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 What about Animal Farm? It is an allegory of the Cold War Era. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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