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Help with a list of the best-ever biographies, histories and historical fiction.


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I'm pondering next year. Or possibly this summer. And I'm musing about putting together a list of biographies, histories, historical fiction for two of my sons. My thought is that instead of handing them a textbook, I could assign this list of books. Maybe we've done this before? If so, please link. But I'd LOVE to have a list here without extensively searching the web and I'd love to know what YOUR favorites. It can cover any time period. I may re-organize according to time period based on responses.

 

So, I'll start:

 

John Adams, McCullough

The Killer Angels, Michael Shaara

How the Irish Saved Civilization, Thomas Cahill

Covenant, James Michener (I really like Michener. Add to this list: Poland, Centennial, Chesapeake)

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, Dee Brown

I Will Fight No More Forever (loved this one!), Merrill? , about the Nez Perce indians

Night, Elie Weisel

The Hiding Place, Corrie Ten Boom

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I'll preface my response by saying I'm a little intimidated by the 'best ever' category. Some of these are more appealing to women/girls, sorry. May have more to post later. This is a great thread, even if it has been done before.

 

At any rate, these are a few books I enjoyed (even if they don't achieve best ever status :001_smile: )...

 

Mornings on Horseback, McCullough

Mayflower, Philbrick (I'm reading this now)

The Roosevelt Women, Caroli

Agatha Christie's Autobiography

A Passionate Sisterhood: The Sisters, Wives and Daughters of the Lake Poets (will never read those poets the same way again)

Upstairs at the White House, West

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A few books I've liked or plan to use at some point:

 

1066

1215 (don't have, but am considering using)

From Dawn to Decadence (Barzun) - highly readable, I've finished about 1/2 of it.

Red Land, Black Land: Daily Life in Ancient Egypt

 

Boorstin's books: The Creators, The Discoverers, The Seekers. - I've read portions of each.

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I loved Manhunt about the search for John Wilkes Booth. It was fascinating.

 

Thanks for the input. I'm adding it to the master list.

 

Anything by Ron Chernow. I read Alexander Hamilton and Titan (Rockefeller). Excellent info on time periods as well as the best biographies I have ever read. I want to read all his books this year..

 

I haven't read Chernow, but would love a biography on Rockefeller -- a book that might capture the American industrial revolution and the magnates of that day. Thanks!

 

Lisa

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I'll preface my response by saying I'm a little intimidated by the 'best ever' category. Some of these are more appealing to women/girls, sorry. May have more to post later. This is a great thread, even if it has been done before. At any rate, these are a few books I enjoyed (even if they don't achieve best ever status :001_smile: )... Mornings on Horseback, McCullough Mayflower, Philbrick (I'm reading this now) The Roosevelt Women, Caroli Agatha Christie's Autobiography A Passionate Sisterhood: The Sisters, Wives and Daughters of the Lake Poets (will never read those poets the same way again) Upstairs at the White House, West

 

Well, in my case, it's more like *the best that you can remember.* :closedeyes:

 

Mornings on Horseback is sitting on my shelf. And I have been wanting to read Philbrick, so thank you for reminding me of that!

 

A few books I've liked or plan to use at some point: 1066 1215 (don't have, but am considering using) From Dawn to Decadence(Barzun) - highly readable, I've finished about 1/2 of it. Red Land, Black Land: Daily Life in Ancient Egypt Boorstin's books: The Creators, The Discoverers, The Seekers. - I've read portions of each.

 

Ok, good to hear about 1066. That was another I recently became aware of. I'm glad to have a book for that critical time period. Thanks!

 

ETA: Don't know why the lists didn't make it through the multi-quote.

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Well, in my case, it's more like *the best that you can remember.* :closedeyes:

 

Mornings on Horseback is sitting on my shelf. And I have been wanting to read Philbrick, so thank you for reminding me of that!

 

 

 

Ok, good to hear about 1066. That was another I recently became aware of. I'm glad to have a book for that critical time period. Thanks!

 

ETA: Don't know why the lists didn't make it through the multi-quote.

 

There's a good audiobook of 1066

Jeff Shaara (all his books but especially Road to Rebellion)

Sharon Kaye Penman

Stephen Ambrose I've never been disappointed. There are several good audio versions. Pegasus Bridge is especially good.

Truman by McCullough

1776 especially the illustrated edition with period picture maps and documents

Tales from English History

Berlin Diary by Shirer again there is a good audio

 

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Hmm. . . interesting. Can you share a little about this book? I take it that it's not a straight biography but an analysis of the man and what made the man?

 

Lisa

 

 

Yes, the coauthor was a foreign service man under Wilson so the emphasis will be more on Wilson's psychology and his foreign emphasis. You'd also might want to be aware the Germans didn't like Wilson since they consider he sold them out (short take on that: Germans surrendered with the understanding that Wilson's points would be adhered to, but Wilson traded a key provision, no reparations, to get the league of nations).

 

This will be weighty and academic, not for the feint of heart, but those things can be attractive to the right student. And will add a new line of thinking that can be taken out to other studied figures.

 

If you are really into this sort of thing, I could also suggest Sandburg's Lincoln bio, but it goes on for volumes so probably not the right thing for a high school student.

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From Dawn to Decadence(Barzun) - highly readable, I've finished about 1/2 of it.

 

 

The above could be the "spine to end all spines". Highly recommended, but there's a lot there. Other well-known top tier histories:

 

  • The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

  • The History of English Speaking Peoples (or, really, anything by Churchill)

  • The Making of the Atomic Bomb

  • The Double Helix

  • The Killer Angels (and the rest of the Shaara books about the civil war)

  • The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich

  • All the President's Men

 

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Will (and Ariel) Durant--The Story of Civilization--it's a huge 11-volume series, though, so maybe just selections?

Daniel Boorstin--I particularly like the Discoverers/Creators/Seekers trilogy, although he also wrote some American history books

 

Reading The Story of Civilization has been on my to-do list for years ... someday ...

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There's a good audiobook of 1066

Jeff Shaara (all his books but especially Road to Rebellion)

Sharon Kaye Penman

Stephen Ambrose I've never been disappointed. There are several good audio versions. Pegasus Bridge is especially good.

Truman by McCullough

1776 especially the illustrated edition with period picture maps and documents

Tales from English History

Berlin Diary by Shirer again there is a good audio

 

 

Do you have a link for the 1066 audiobook? I appreciate any help :001_smile:

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Do you have a link for the 1066 audiobook? I appreciate any help :001_smile:

 

 

We listened quite a while ago. Long enough that it was a cassette set from the library. I'm pretty sure it was the Recorded Books version.

 

 

I checked iTunes, but it doesn't seem to be available there.

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Ancient History:

 

Daily Life in Ancient Rome, Jerome Carcopino (this was the book that sucked me into a vortex of classical era reading; it's a gateway book to absorption in ancient history, with a real feel for the place; well-organized by topic and engaging; like having a tour guide). Follow quickly with Suetonius' The Twelve Caesars if possible!

 

The Greco-Persian Wars, by Peter Green (history, brings the landscape of Greece alive; reads like a battle campaign book; coherent and readable). Green's books are excellent. Here is a portrait of Darius and the battles of Thermopylae, Marathon, and Salamis. Unforgettable portrait of Greece besieged.

 

British history:

 

The Offshore Islanders: From Roman Occupation to European Entry. 1972 work of historian Paul Johnson. I couldn't put it down.

 

Medieval history:

 

Joan of Arc (or the like) by Mark Twain. I was astonished to discover that Twain was so interested in her that he researched and wrote a biography, which is every bit as readable and engaging as Tom Sawyer. Highly recommended.

 

A Distant Mirror, by Barbara Tuchman. Unputdownable, as well. I read this when I was 14 and have reread it since. Narrative history classic which paints a detailed canvas of the 14th century.

 

Early Modern:

 

Memoir of the Plague Year (I think I have it right) by Daniel Defoe, dramatizing a family member's eyewitness account of the 1666 plague in London. Perhaps the Monty Python group sourced the phrase "bring out your dead" to this book; the cart and caller are in there. Lots of details; the sheer number of dead boggles the mind; we don't see that sort of mass casualty today from communicable disease. Made me appreciate life, medicine, and hygiene in a new light.

 

The Black Tulip, by Alexander Dumas. Covers the tulip speculation insanity in 17th century Holland. Lots of action, and an unfamiliar historical era to explore.

 

By Pike and by Dike, GA Henty (Protestant v. Catholic wars from this era in N. Europe viewed through a Protestant lens). Lots of action, weapons, and history.

 

 

Fluff-n-Stuff (non-sexy historical fiction):

 

Prince of Foxes, Samuel Shellabarger (set in Renaissance Northern Italy; lots of action, well-plotted, good vocab). These are written for adults but are not salacious. If your boys like Shellabarger, a 1950's novelist, this could open up another reading list.

 

Captain of Castile by the same author covers an adventure during the contact-period for the Aztecs and Spanish.

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First, and no offense here, but The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire is considered, well - not so good - anymore by historians. Might want to cross that one off the list. It is great as far as historiography goes, but beware the actual info, lol.

 

Here's a short list of some of mine (the ones I can see from the desk...):

 

The Battle of Salamis, Strauss

For Good and Evil (The Impact of Taxes on the Course of Civilization), Adams

The Columbia History of the World, Garraty and Gay

The Peloponnesian War, Kagan

The Histories, Herodotus

The Three Caesars, Suetonius

Plato - in general

Guns, Germs, and Steel, Diamond

The Guns of August, Tuchman

The History of the World in Six Glasses, Standage

Man's Search for Meaning, Frankl

Night, Wiesel

The Diary of Ann Frank, Frank

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I am so glad this thread is still going! I love signing on and seeing to my delight that someone else has added personal favorites. I see some birthday presents, summer reading and car-trip audio books coming from this thread!

 

Fluff-n-Stuff (non-sexy historical fiction): Prince of Foxes, Samuel Shellabarger (set in Renaissance Northern Italy; lots of action, well-plotted, good vocab). These are written for adults but are not salacious. If your boys like Shellabarger, a 1950's novelist, this could open up another reading list. Captain of Castile by the same author covers an adventure during the contact-period for the Aztecs and Spanish.

 

Love the subtitle. :001_smile: I tend to call these *airport reads.* I have some I could definitely put in this category.

 

When I have time tomorrow, I'm going to edit my original post and compile a masterlist by time period.

 

Thanks all,

Lisa

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A biographical book I really enjoyed is "Crucibles." My copy is packed in a box and I can't remember the author, but it's a trip through the history of chemstry from the alchemists to modern day, by way of short biographical sketches of major contributors.

 

I also enjoy James Michener's historical fiction.

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  • 6 months later...

Resurrecting this thread and adding my favorite summer read:  Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxes.  Started a bit slow with the background of his younger years and family.  But that was, of course, so integral to who he was.  Many of his brothers and brothers-in-law were also involved in the plot to assassinate Hitler and were executed along with Bonhoeffer.  The book covered his theological development well along with the events of the German church and the Third Reich.  Goes down as an all-time favorite.  

 

And, I've re-read all of the posts and come up with an excellent list of biographies and non-fiction which will cover American history this year.  And then, personally, I'm so happy to learn about Sharon Kay Penman's books (the Sunne in Splendor is on my library list!), the Barbara Tuchman books and some others that are just stand outs. 

 

And for those who don't see their favorites, I'd love to see yours. 

 

Lisa

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