Two really awesome history books for self-education or high school

[Matryoshka]

As we go through history, I've ended up finding some real gems that have really shed light on parts of world history that I felt I didn't learn much of anything about in school.

 

I'm currently reading a really wonderful book about the Byzantine Empire. It's called Lost to the West: The Forgotten Byzantine Empire that Rescued Western Civilization by Lars Brownworth. It is written in an engaging and informative style, and I'm learning a ton! Even though my kids aren't reading it (the older two are probably ready for it, but we're trying to get through the Enlightenment by the end of the year, and there just isn't time for them to read it on top of everything else!) it has really helped me by enabling me to fill out bits in their reading that are overlooked or missing.

 

Another book I read a while back that I enjoyed enormously was Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford. Similarly engaging and enlightening. :)

 

Anyhow, just thought I'd pass those on to others who might appreciate them! I've found so many great suggestions here. I just finished The Roman Way by Edith Hamilton that someone here suggested - great read.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I'll add another one. 1491 by Charles Mann. I liked that it covered so much ground on what current scholarship on pre-Columbian empires seems to hold. It made the encounters between Spanish/French/English and the pre-existing peoples much more of a meeting of equals, without seeming to idolize or infantilize the indigenous or demonize the Europeans.

 

I highly recommend this. (I even had one of the kids picking it up every time I laid it down. So it might be a good read for high schoolers too.)

[Matryoshka]

I'll add another one. 1491 by Charles Mann. I liked that it covered so much ground on what current scholarship on pre-Columbian empires seems to hold. It made the encounters between Spanish/French/English and the pre-existing peoples much more of a meeting of equals, without seeming to idolize or infantilize the indigenous or demonize the Europeans.

 

I highly recommend this. (I even had one of the kids picking it up every time I laid it down. So it might be a good read for high schoolers too.)

 

Thanks for the recommendation - that's another period I find very interesting.