My 9th grader is currently reading History of the Ancient World along with his Notgrass. I am LOVING HOAW. It is packed with information presented in a very engaging and interesting way. Notgrass is just the opposite. :glare: However we're reading it for it's conservative bias. I am looking towards the rest of highschool and am wanting an American History text that is similar to HOAW...interesting, engaging and packed with information. I'm not betting on SWB having her series finished by the time we get there and I think it might be beneficial to have at least one year that exclusively focuses on US history. I don't know. I was planning on following MFW for high school but I really am not thrilled. I haven't looked at Bob Jones American history. I am enjoying their Physical Science text but generally history texts are awful and I've steered clear. But maybe someone could give some positive reviews on it or suggest some engaging alternative books. Is Joy Hakim challenging enough for high school? I've heard good things about her books for the most part. Thanks so much!!

In my planning I stumbled across this history portal site, which looks to be quite a find; I thought I'd toss it out and tag it so y'all can find it when you are planning, too! Best of History Websites. "Best of History Web Sites has been recommended by The Chronicle of Higher Education, The National Council for the Social Studies, The New York Public Library, the BBC, Princeton University, -- and many others."

I always feel, in spite of my best efforts to keep up, that I am missing some key insights into modern history. Cold War to present day, 9/11 to now. I am looking for some good books to educate myself. I don't mind "tomes" but they need to be engaging and readable. They also don't have to be too general, I wouldn't mind a number of books on specific circumstances and issues either. Titles please?

This is what I have so far, comments welcome. I am really weak in the 1980's to now in books and films that capture the decades and would love ideas. Summer Reading prior to course: Oxford History of the US, Grand Expectations, 1945-1974, James Patterson 829 pgs Oxford History of the US, Restless Giant, James Patterson 496 pgs World War I Read: World War I, Richard Maybury 252 pgs The Guns of August, Barbara Tuchman 544pgs Watch: The Sinking of the Lusitania The First World War, The Complete Series 10 episodes World War I in Color (6 episodes) All Quiet on the Western Front A Night to Remember Sergeant York Gallipoli Lawrence of Arabia Post WWI Read: Letters from Rifka 176 pgs Animal Farm 128 pgs History of the Russian Revolution, Leon Trotsky 1040 pgs or Ten Days that Shook the World, John Reed 368 pgs Watch: Russian Revolution in Color 94 minutes Italian Fascism in Color 100 minutes Reds 194 minutes 1920's - 1930's Read: Where the Red Fern Grows, Wilson Rawls 208 pgs The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald 180 pgs Watch: Inherit the Wind Chariots of Fire The Grapes of Wrath Of Mice and Men The Hindenberg The War of the Worlds Scandal Public Enemies The Education of Little Tree The Johnstown Flood American Experience: Hurricane of "38" Sounder World War II Read: World War II, Richard Maybury 349 pgs The Second World War, Winston Churchill 384 pgs The Hiding Place, Corrie Ten Boom 221 pgs Watch: Churchill, The Gathering Storm Hitler: The Rise of Evil World at War 26 hours World War II in HD 10 episodes Battle of the Atlantic Defiance Das Boot Sink the Bismark Schindler's List Tora! Tora! Tora! Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State (?) 6 episodes The Thin Red Line Stalingrad Enemy at the Gates Casablanca Bataan! The Longest Day (compare and contrast with Saving Private Ryan) Battle of the Bulge Truman: American Experience Hiroshima: BBC History of WWII 89 minutes Judgement at Nuremberg 1940's Read: Kon Tiki 272 pgs and watch on YouTube 58 minutes On the Road, Jack Kerouac 304 pgs Watch: A Paralyzing Fear The Legend of Pancho Barnes Modern Marvels: Mount Rushmore Six Days in June CNN: Cold War The Atomic Cafe/The Day After Trinity and Beyond China: A Century of Revolution Berlin Airlift: American Experience Korean War MASH Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War Korea, The Forgotten War Korean War in Color Grand Torino 1950's and 1960's Read: Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger 288 pgs Watch: Thirteen Days Apollo 13 Go Tell the Spartans We Were Soldiers Rebel without a Cause Good Morning Vietnam Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman Malcolm X La Bamba Easy Rider The Killing Fields The Outsiders Rachel Carson's Silent Spring Hair American Graffiti Guess Who's Coming to Dinner Forest Gump First Blood 1970's Read: The Ruins of California , Martha Sherrill 384 pgs When the White House was Ours, Porter Shreve 280 pgs Jaws, Peter Benchley (?) Watch: Roe Vs. Wade American Gangster Dazed and Confused Raid on Entebbe American Experience: A Class Apart Let Freedom Sing Cry Freedom Munich Kennedy RFK All the Presidents Men 444 Days to Freedom American Experience: Jimmy Carter Saturday Night Fever (pg version) The Bronx is Burning (?) Nadia 1980's Read: When Character was King, Peggy Noonan 352 pgs The Official Preppy Handbook 224 pgs In Those Years In those years, people will say, we lost track of the meaning of we,of you we found ourselves reduced to I and the whole thing became silly, ironic, terrible: we were trying to live a personal life and yes, that was the only life we could bear witness to But the great dark birds of history screamed and plunged into our personal weather They were headed somewhere else but their beaks and pinions drove along the shore, through the rags of fog where we stood, saying I. ~ Adrienne Rich ~ Published in 1991, but surely speaks to the 1980s generation Watch: Pretty in Pink American Experience: Reagan Miracle The Wall: A World Divided Tankman, Frontline Pirates of Silicon Valley Live from Baghdad Bravo Two Zero Desert Triumph Inside Shock and Awe 21 Days to Baghdad Charlie Wilson's War 1990's Read: Microserfs, Douglas Copeland (?) Watch: The Special Relationship: Blair/Clinton Ghosts of Rwanda Hotel Rwanda Oklahoma City Bombing Bang Bang You're Dead (Columbine) Blood Diamond 2000's Read: Empire Falls, Richard Russo Watch: The Social Network Restrepo Engineering Disasters: New Orleans 7 Days in September 9/11 Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West

Looking for one? I've just uploaded one here. cheers! Lisa

I am toying with possibly doing modern history and lit next year with a group of teens. Any text recommendations? I will take a look at SWB's recommendations. I would also love to hear your reviews of those books if you have used them. Thanks!

This is for an 11th grader. Thanks, Karen

After doing a thread search, I have found book lists for SOTW4, but no video lists (Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime, library, etc.). Does anyone already have a list--or partial list--of video recommendations? Thanks!!! :001_smile:

My second to last child is starting high school and she doesn't want to do ancients because she just did them the year before last and truth be told, she learns better through themes. On another thread someone mentioned WP "Quest for Royals to Revolutionaries" however, it has no critical thinking and that is a large component of our high school science. I'm not sure that is the particular theme I would go with, but something like that including critical thinking. Any suggestion for themes or topic based history curriculum that is more classical than hands-on?

I want to cover contemporary American History from WWI to present day for myself and my dd. Not looking for textbooks per se unless there is a really good one. To read through this time period with living books for high school to adult is what I am really longing to do. Biographies as well. Movies are welcome as well but only if they are mostly accurate. TIA, I am really excited about this project. Books like Tulipomania : The Story of the World's Most Coveted Flower & the Extraordinary Passions It Aroused, Mike Dash Also, how many would you think to be reasonable, she is also doing Omnibus II?

If I want a story-type book and I really dislike Hakim (getting ready to sell my set - anyone want them) is SOTW4 the only choice? I've been looking at alot of Yesterday's Classics and Guerber books but I guess for obvious reasons they all stop a long time ago. Any other suggestions for these types of books but in the more modern time period? Heather