MamaAkins Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 Please, please, please help me narrow down our book list for our Introduction to World Cultures & Religions study for my 9th grader. I want to focus on studying the cultures and religions (we are doing a separate physical geography program). So far, this is a compiled list of various titles mentioned by other people studying world cultures. I have not yet previewed all titles and obviously, I don't plan to cover all of these. Please tell me which titles you would cover for each continent and why. If there are any that should definitely be eliminated, please tell me that too! Cultural Geography Book List Spines: ? Essentials of World Regional Geography Glencoe World Geography The Hungry Planet The Material World Women in the Material World World Religion Spines: God’s Smuggler The Narrow Road : Stories of Those Who Walk This Road Together I Dared to Call Him Father Unveiling Islam From Buddha to Jesus Surprised by Christ Asia from a Christian Perspective The Orthodox Church http://orthodoxmissions.wordpress.com/2011/01/12/why-a-chinese-buddhist-became-an-orthodox-athonite-monk/ But Don’t All Religions Lead to God? – Green Religions of the World – Breuilly Introduction to World Geography Feb 21-Mar 11 Around the World in 80 days-Jules Vern Around the World in 80 days – Michael Palin The Book of Marvels: An Explorer's Miscellany One Year Off WorldTrek Antarctica March 21-April 1 How To Survive In Antarctica Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage - Alfred Lansing Troubling a Star: The Austin Family Chronicles, Book 5 - Madeleine L'Engle (series) Oceania April 4-May 13 In a Sun Burned Country – Bill Bryson Our sunburnt country: An illustrated history of Australia Rabbit Proof Fence - Doris Pilkington Kon Tiki by F.H. Lyon and Thor Heyerdahl (S. America to Polynesia) Peace Child: An Unforgettable Story of Primitive Jungle Treachery in the 20th Century by Don Richardson Book Basket Patrick White – The Tree of Man Tales told to Kabbarli: Aboriginal legends The Silver Brumby by Elyne Mitchell Religion: Facing the World Head-on (David Bussau – New Zealand) Africa and Southwestern Asia (Middle East) August 1-September 30 Cry the Beloved Country Born Free King Solomon’s Mines Waiting for the Rain What is the What The Breadwinner – Afghanistan Swahili for the Broken-hearted Across the Limpopo Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortensen – Pakistan Book Basket: Flame Trees of Thika Facing the Lion: Growing Up Maasai on the African Savanna Out of Africa Travels with Livingstone: An American Family's Journey into South African Culture Into Africa: The Epic Adventures of Stanley and Livingstone Seven Daughters and seven sons – Arabian folktale Walking the Bible: A Photographic Journey by Bruce Feiler Religion: Saint Catherine (Egypt) Saints of Africa South Asia (India) & Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines) October 3-28 Climbing the Stairs – India Nectar in a sieve – Teresa of Calcutta: Serving the Poorest of the Poor - India India Clay Marble – Cambodia/Thailand The Sorrow of War: A Novel of North Vietnam With Daring Faith (Amy Carmichael – India) Russia & Neighboring Countries November 1-18 **The Turning – Russia Ella’s Story + Grand Duchess Elizabeth of Russia: New Martyr of the Communist Yoke (Saint Elizabeth – Russia) Wonderworker of Sarov and his Spiritual Inheritance or Flame in the Snow (Saint Seraphim - Russia) Holidays Around the World December 5-20 East Asia (China, Korea, Japan) January 2-February 10 An Artist of the Floating World - Japan, post-WW2 Wild Asia: Spirit of a Continent by Mark Brazil Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze – China Year of Impossible Goodbyes – Korea Homesick (Jean Fritz) – China River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze River – China Book Basket: The Samurai (Endo) – Japan Master Puppeteer – Japan The Good Earth – China Monkey: A Journey to the West – China A Single Shard – Korea Echoes of White Giraffe & Gathering of Pearls - Korea Religion: The Adventure of a Lifetime + No Mountain Too High (Gladys Aylward - China) Something Greater Than Gold (Eric Liddell – China) Forgive Your Enemies (Jacob Deshazer – Japan) Europe February 13-March 23 Bum Voyage New Europe Stalin's Nose: Across the Face of Europe by Rory MacLean A Year of Sundays: Taking the Plunge and (Our Cat) to Explore Europe by Edward D. Webster My Family and Other Animals – Greece Les Miserables – France The Wall ( Marlen Haushofer) – Germany The Endless Steppe – Poland/ Siberia Book Basket: The Winged Watchman – Netherlands No Gun for Asmir – Sarajevo The Mammy or Ireland: A Novel - Ireland The Fields of Bannockburn - Scotland Religion: Keeper of the Angels’ Den + The Watchmaker’s Daughter (Corrie Ten Boom – Holland/Germany) Keeper of the Light (Saint Macrina – Greece) Great Martyr Tsar Lazar of Serbia: His Life and Service (Serbia) Latin America/South America Mar 26-May 4 The Hungry Cyclist: Pedalling the Americas in Search of the Perfect Meal Searching in South America Life is a Jungle (Snell) Through Gates of Splendor Before We Were Free Book Basket: Amazon Stranger: A Rainforest Chief Battles Big Oil The Cay Religion: Bruchko North America May 7-June 8 Blue Highways ? Miles from Nowhere: Tales from America's Contemporary Frontier **A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson My Heart Lies South – Mexico Taste of Salt – Haiti Maria Chapdelaine - Canada Never Cry Wolf – Canada North (Napoli) – North Pole Anne of Green Gables – Canada The Circuit – Mexican immigrant series Esperanza Rising – Mexican immigrant Sing Down the Moon – Native American – Spanish/Mexican Slave Traders (available as an e-book from library) Land of Enchantment: Memoirs of Marian Russell Along the Santa Fe Trail – 19th century New Nexico Finding Manana: A Memoir of a Cuban Exodus A Walk Across America The Walk West Religion: Home Run to Heaven (Billy Sunday) Saint Innocent (Alaska) Father Herman (Alaska) Man of God: St John of Shanghai and San Francisco Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux Summer Reading Funny in Farsi – Iranian US immigrant O Kaplan, My Kaplan – Adult immigrants in the US Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloridaLisa Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 (edited) Oh boy. I haven't read most of the books on your list, but I will comment on those that I've read and whether I'd include them in a cultural geography class. I'm assuming this is limited to geography only, and your dc will have other books for lit that will be taking time from the day. Cultural Geography Book List Spines: ? Essentials of World Regional Geography Glencoe World Geography The Hungry Planet The Material World Women in the Material World World Religion Spines: God’s Smuggler Excellent book, one of my top reads from the past few years, but I wouldn't include it in a cultural geograpy study. The Narrow Road : Stories of Those Who Walk This Road Together I Dared to Call Him Father Unveiling Islam From Buddha to Jesus Surprised by Christ Asia from a Christian Perspective The Orthodox Church http://orthodoxmissions.wordpress.com/2011/01/12/why-a-chinese-buddhist-became-an-orthodox-athonite-monk/ But Don’t All Religions Lead to God? – Green Religions of the World – Breuilly Introduction to World Geography Feb 21-Mar 11 Around the World in 80 days-Jules Vern Around the World in 80 days – Michael Palin The Book of Marvels: An Explorer's Miscellany One Year Off WorldTrek Antarctica March 21-April 1 How To Survive In Antarctica Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage - Alfred Lansing Great book, but again I wouldn't include in cultural geography. Troubling a Star: The Austin Family Chronicles, Book 5 - Madeleine L'Engle (series) Oceania April 4-May 13 In a Sun Burned Country – Bill Bryson Our sunburnt country: An illustrated history of Australia Rabbit Proof Fence - Doris Pilkington Kon Tiki by F.H. Lyon and Thor Heyerdahl (S. America to Polynesia) Peace Child: An Unforgettable Story of Primitive Jungle Treachery in the 20th Century by Don Richardson This is up toward the top of missionary reads. Yes, definitely. Excellent look at a tribe of Papua New Guinea and how the their tradition met with the gospel. Book Basket Patrick White – The Tree of Man Tales told to Kabbarli: Aboriginal legends The Silver Brumby by Elyne Mitchell Religion: Facing the World Head-on (David Bussau – New Zealand) Africa and Southwestern Asia (Middle East) August 1-September 30 Cry the Beloved Country I HEART this book! Yes, include it. Gives such insight into the problems that were encountered in the cultural shift of moving from tribe to inner city. Born Free King Solomon’s Mines Waiting for the Rain What is the What The Breadwinner – Afghanistan Swahili for the Broken-hearted Across the Limpopo Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortensen – Pakistan Book Basket: Flame Trees of Thika Facing the Lion: Growing Up Maasai on the African Savanna Out of Africa Travels with Livingstone: An American Family's Journey into South African Culture Into Africa: The Epic Adventures of Stanley and Livingstone Seven Daughters and seven sons – Arabian folktale Walking the Bible: A Photographic Journey by Bruce Feiler Religion: Saint Catherine (Egypt) Saints of Africa South Asia (India) & Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines) October 3-28 Climbing the Stairs – India Nectar in a sieve – Teresa of Calcutta: Serving the Poorest of the Poor - India India Clay Marble – Cambodia/Thailand The Sorrow of War: A Novel of North Vietnam With Daring Faith (Amy Carmichael – India) Haven't read this, but have read some Amy Carmichael. Love reading about her work, but would probably wouldn't include in cultural geography. What about Passage to India by Forster? Russia & Neighboring Countries November 1-18 **The Turning – Russia Ella’s Story + Grand Duchess Elizabeth of Russia: New Martyr of the Communist Yoke (Saint Elizabeth – Russia) Wonderworker of Sarov and his Spiritual Inheritance or Flame in the Snow (Saint Seraphim - Russia) Holidays Around the World December 5-20 East Asia (China, Korea, Japan) January 2-February 10 An Artist of the Floating World - Japan, post-WW2 Wild Asia: Spirit of a Continent by Mark Brazil Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze – China Year of Impossible Goodbyes – Korea Homesick (Jean Fritz) – China River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze River – China Book Basket: The Samurai (Endo) – Japan Master Puppeteer – Japan The Good Earth – China Monkey: A Journey to the West – China A Single Shard – Korea -- great book; not really high school level, but you might want an easier read in the mix Echoes of White Giraffe & Gathering of Pearls - Korea Religion: The Adventure of a Lifetime + No Mountain Too High (Gladys Aylward - China) I cannot recall the biography we read of Glaydys Aylwad but we loved it! Follow it with the movie "The Inn of the Sixth Happiness" Something Greater Than Gold (Eric Liddell – China) Great man, but I think the Gladys Aylward bio will give you more insight into the culture/traditions of China Forgive Your Enemies (Jacob Deshazer – Japan) Europe February 13-March 23 Bum Voyage New Europe Stalin's Nose: Across the Face of Europe by Rory MacLean A Year of Sundays: Taking the Plunge and (Our Cat) to Explore Europe by Edward D. Webster My Family and Other Animals – Greece Les Miserables – France Love this book! But, if you read it, you will have little time for anything else. Save it for lit. Or summer.:001_smile: The Wall ( Marlen Haushofer) – Germany The Endless Steppe – Poland/ Siberia Book Basket: The Winged Watchman – Netherlands Good book, but I wouldn't include in a cultural geography study[/color] No Gun for Asmir – Sarajevo The Mammy or Ireland: A Novel - Ireland The Fields of Bannockburn - Scotland Religion: Keeper of the Angels’ Den + The Watchmaker’s Daughter (Corrie Ten Boom – Holland/Germany) Keeper of the Light (Saint Macrina – Greece) Great Martyr Tsar Lazar of Serbia: His Life and Service (Serbia) Latin America/South America Mar 26-May 4 The Hungry Cyclist: Pedalling the Americas in Search of the Perfect Meal Searching in South America Life is a Jungle (Snell) Through Gates of Splendor Excellent! I might choose Bruchko for a better look at the culture of some of the Amazonian tribes. Before We Were Free Book Basket: Amazon Stranger: A Rainforest Chief Battles Big Oil The Cay Religion: Bruchko And here it is! Yes, include this. Very, very good. North America May 7-June 8 Blue Highways ? Miles from Nowhere: Tales from America's Contemporary Frontier **A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson My Heart Lies South – Mexico My favorite book about cultural North America is Nine Nations of America. It's an insightful look into the different cultural regions of the U.S., separated not by state lines but cultural lines. So Miami is part of the Caribbean while North Florida is in the South. Written by a journalist. Very interesting and accurate. Taste of Salt – Haiti Havent' read this one, but I'm finishing up Mountain Beyond Mountains right now and I highly recommend. Pultizer Prize winner. Maria Chapdelaine - Canada Never Cry Wolf – Canada *Had to delete the tail end of your post b/c of the length, but I had no comments there. HTH, Lisa Edited February 15, 2011 by FloridaLisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaAkins Posted February 16, 2011 Author Share Posted February 16, 2011 Thank you for all of your insight! I apreciate you taking the time to look through that long, long list and help me weed it out a bit! A few of the books that you said you wouldn't include in a "cultural geography" study were included because I am titling the course: "Introduction to World Cultures and Religions." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in MN Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 God’s Smuggler The Narrow Road : Stories of Those Who Walk This Road Together Same book - there's one you can take off your list! Julie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaAkins Posted February 16, 2011 Author Share Posted February 16, 2011 God’s SmugglerThe Narrow Road : Stories of Those Who Walk This Road Together Same book - there's one you can take off your list! Julie LOL! Thanks for pointing that out, Julie! I think when I was trying to neaten up my list, I somehow hit "enter" and separated the title onto two different lines! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in MN Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 LOL! Thanks for pointing that out, Julie! I think when I was trying to neaten up my list, I somehow hit "enter" and separated the title onto two different lines! Well, it's two different editions of the same book, rather than one long title. God's Smuggler was the original title. The Narrow Road contains the same text but is jazzed up a bit with a CD song and different little stories and vignettes throughout the pages. Excellent book(s). HTH, Julie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 If you have Netflix I suggest some videos to round out your readings. Michael Palin's Around the world Series is available. We have not watched that one yet, but last week we watched Himalaya and this week we are watching Sahara. These were great for getting beyond the tourism of the area and into the true culture. As with any video I suggest you preview for acceptability for your family. IMO videos are a very important component to the study of geography and culture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 That's a very long list! It makes me feel like a slacker. (I'm kidding. It's okay.) I don't know a lot of the books on your list. But I can tell you what I'm planning for world geography for my son next year. He'll be using the Holt World Geography Today text as a spine, because I bought it a couple of years ago for my daughter and it's still sitting on the shelf. I also had six books here that I had intended for use in a world history course I'm not planning. (He'll be taking history with Florida Virtual School, instead.) So, I decided to sneak them into geography. Here's the rough outline of what I'm planning, using the unit titles from the text: Unit 1: The Geographer’s World Unit 2: The United States and Canada Unit 3: Middle and South America Unit 4: Europe Reading: The Wall (Berlin, 1989, wall comes down) Unit 5: Russia and Northern Eurasia Reading: Endless Steppe (Russia, WWII) Unit 6: Southwest Asia Unit 7: Africa Reading: Waiting for the Rain (South Africa / Apartheid) Unit 8: South Asia Reading: Nectar in a Sieve (India, 1940s) Unit 9: East and Southeast Asia Reading: Year of Impossible Goodbyes (North Korea, 1940s) Reading: Clay Marble (Cambodia, 1970s) Unit 10: The Pacific World I poked around online, too, looking for syllabi and ideas for high school geography courses. I found notes and lesson plans for several projects that look fun that I'd like to include. And I'm making a list of movies and documentaries from the library and Netflix. So far, it's a short list, but I'm sure I'll think of more: It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World The Great Race Around the World in 80 Days Assorted Rick Steves travel DVDs The whole world geography thing was something I just recently decided to add to his schedule for next year. So, I'm still working out the kinks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amtmcm Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 You've put together an excellent list and I'm going to bookmark it! I created the following list to go along with BJU World Geography for a co-op. The goal is to complete a chapter of the text each week and read a related novel every other week. I know you're not using this text, but I thought it might be helpful anyway.... I'm also specifically trying to coordinate with books available on Sparknotes to use as a Lit resource, which may not match your goals. Around the World in 80 Days BJU: Finding our Place in the World BJU: The Earth’s Surface and Climate Brave New World or 1984 or similar BJU: Industry: Man’s Use of God’s Resources BJU: Society: The Interactions of Mankind A Room with a View by EM Forster BJU: Western Europe BJU: Eastern Europe Tolstoy Short Stories BJU: Russia BJU: Canada Travels wih Charley by Steinbeck BJU: Landscape and People of the US BJU: Regions of the US Through Gates of Splendor or Bruchko or Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway BJU: Middle (Central) America BJU: South America Out of Africa by Dineson or Cry Beloved Country BJU: Southern & Eastern Africa BJU: Central & Western Africa Antony & Cleopatra by Shakespeare? BJU: Northern Africa (Egypt) BJU: Eastern Mediterranean (Turkey, Cyprus, Syria) 1001 Arabian Nights BJU: Persian Gulf BJU: Caucasus & Central Asia Passage to India by EM Forster or Theresa of Calcutta BJU: South Asia (India, Pakistan, Nepal, etc.) BJU: East Asia (China, Korea & Japan) The Good Earth? or Anna and the King BJU: Southeast Asia (Indochina, Malay) BJU: Australia & New Zealand Torches of Joy BJU: Oceania BJU: The Last Frontiers (Antarctica, Oceans & Heavens) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaAkins Posted February 16, 2011 Author Share Posted February 16, 2011 I poked around online, too, looking for syllabi and ideas for high school geography courses. I found notes and lesson plans for several projects that look fun that I'd like to include. And I'm making a list of movies and documentaries from the library and Netflix. So far, it's a short list, but I'm sure I'll think of more: It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World The Great Race Around the World in 80 Days Assorted Rick Steves travel DVDs Thanks so much for the input! I've noted the titles that you mentioned using....I'm hoping to narrow down my list to the "best" 2-3 books per unit, have 1-2 books per unit that we discuss deeply and/or write a paper on, and then have a few other books available for my dd to be able to read casually. She's an avid reader. I should also mention that we are planning to take almost 3 semesters to cover this amount of material. We are doing this in place of a traditional history credit. Do you have any links saved regarding the syllabi or projects that you mentioned? Those are the areas that I need the most "help" in finding age-appropriate materials and ideas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaAkins Posted February 16, 2011 Author Share Posted February 16, 2011 I'm also specifically trying to coordinate with books available on Sparknotes to use as a Lit resource, which may not match your goals. Can you tell me more about Sparknotes? What is it? I'm not familiar with it, but am always looking for lit resources! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 Thanks so much for the input! I've noted the titles that you mentioned using....I'm hoping to narrow down my list to the "best" 2-3 books per unit, have 1-2 books per unit that we discuss deeply and/or write a paper on, and then have a few other books available for my dd to be able to read casually. She's an avid reader. I should also mention that we are planning to take almost 3 semesters to cover this amount of material. We are doing this in place of a traditional history credit. Do you have any links saved regarding the syllabi or projects that you mentioned? Those are the areas that I need the most "help" in finding age-appropriate materials and ideas! Mostly, I save things as Word files when I find something interesting. But here are links to a couple of the syllabi I found helpful: http://www.bishopmoore.org/7322_7047132614/blank/browse.asp?A=383&BMDRN=2000&BCOB=0&C=56279 http://www.sad42.k12.me.us/files/course_syllabi/geography.pdf And here are links to a few of the project ideas I thought looked good: http://teacherweb.ftl.pinecrest.edu/SNYDERD/aphg/projects/Ferris%20Bueller/ferristhemes.htm http://teacherweb.ftl.pinecrest.edu/SNYDERD/aphg/projects/Global%20Mosaic.htm http://teacherweb.ftl.pinecrest.edu/snyderd/APHG/projects/Tour.htm http://teacherweb.ftl.pinecrest.edu/snyderd/APHG/projects/Hotel%20Rwanda/genocide.htm I hope that's helpful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amtmcm Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 Can you tell me more about Sparknotes? What is it? I'm not familiar with it, but am always looking for lit resources! Here's a link to sparknotes. You can search by author or title: http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/index_author_f.html Each book includes the following resources: Context Plot Overview Character List Analysis of Major Characters Themes, Motifs & Symbols Summary & Analysis Important Quotations Explained Key Facts Study Questions & Essay Topics Quiz Suggestions for Further Reading Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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