elegantlion Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 I'd like to pick a handful of titles to have ds read in high school. My goal is to have him pick one book a year, and have it large enough to pick at and absorb throughout the year. There would be no written assignments, just discussion. I'm leaning more towards history/science/human geography type titles, but need some more ideas. Currently I have: The Creators, The Discoverers, & The Seekers by Boorstin Churchill's History of the English Speaking People Volumes I - IV Barzun's From Dawn to Decadence I hope to read Bryson's Short History of Nearly Everything this year, otherwise it would be on the list. What other titles would make good options? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted March 4, 2012 Author Share Posted March 4, 2012 Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond Yes, thank you. I think I even own that one. Yes, I do. Borders closeout sales were a good thing. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingiguana Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 I would probably tend more toward books with a specific focus, rather than ones that try to cover everything. The more specific books have always been more interesting to me, and I learn more from them (as do my kids). Some suggestions: Guns, Germs, and Steel falls into this category, but if you get interested in that, you might also try Plagues and Peoples, which is where Diamond got most of his information. And you could read a few chapters out of Collapse, but it's not as well pulled together. If the Viking chapters in Collapse interest you, you could then move on to The Far Traveler -- you can kind of see how we pick out our books. Bryson's The Mother Tongue Women's Work, The First 20,000 Years In Defense of Food The Future of Life These are just a few that have worked for us. They spark an interest and then the student moves on to read more. For what it's worth, we tried Churchill, but gave up on it. He seems to assume we already know the history, so we didn't learn anything in those areas where we were clueless. On the parts where we did already know the history, we didn't learn anything further. We got more out of Simon Schama's History of Britain TV series. I wish I could find a good comprehensive British history book, because Churchill just didn't work for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlsdMama Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 My high school child enjoys making lists. Her GoodReads lists are in my and she has them divided by grade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted March 4, 2012 Author Share Posted March 4, 2012 I would probably tend more toward books with a specific focus, rather than ones that try to cover everything. The more specific books have always been more interesting to me, and I learn more from them (as do my kids). Some suggestions: Guns, Germs, and Steel falls into this category, but if you get interested in that, you might also try Plagues and Peoples, which is where Diamond got most of his information. And you could read a few chapters out of Collapse, but it's not as well pulled together. If the Viking chapters in Collapse interest you, you could then move on to The Far Traveler -- you can kind of see how we pick out our books. Bryson's The Mother Tongue Women's Work, The First 20,000 Years In Defense of Food The Future of Life These are just a few that have worked for us. They spark an interest and then the student moves on to read more. For what it's worth, we tried Churchill, but gave up on it. He seems to assume we already know the history, so we didn't learn anything in those areas where we were clueless. On the parts where we did already know the history, we didn't learn anything further. We got more out of Simon Schama's History of Britain TV series. I wish I could find a good comprehensive British history book, because Churchill just didn't work for us. My high school child enjoys making lists. Her GoodReads lists are in my and she has them divided by grade. Thank you, both. I'll check out your recommendations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mooooom Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 Lies My Teacher Told Me and thought Salt was much more interesting than Guns, Germs & Steel, although we read that too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted March 4, 2012 Author Share Posted March 4, 2012 (edited) Lies My Teacher Told Me and thought Salt was much more interesting than Guns, Germs & Steel, although we read that too. We'll read the first when we do US history, I ran across Salt in my search. I also happened across these titles: Plagues and Peoples The World is Flat I also have Napoleon's Buttons, which he will read for science, but I'd like some more science titles to consider too. Edited March 4, 2012 by elegantlion plagues not plaques Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 (edited) Paula, Not what you are asking about but something that I suspect your son would enjoy are the non-fiction books that Scott McCloud has written about comics: Understanding Comics and Reinventing Comics. How about Mary Roach's book Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers? (Can you tell I have a son? :lol::lol:) On topic: Sand County Almanac (Aldo Leopold) Anything by Sue Hubbell but I particularly like A Book of Bees and Broadsides from the Other Orders. I can't let one of these sorts of threads go by without mentioning the Oliver Sachs book Uncle Tungsten. And something that maybe you can get through an Interlibrary Loan: any volume in the Opposing Viewpoints Series. This is an tremendous resource for discussion and developing critical thinking skills. The books in the series present essays with various opinions on assorted facets of complex topics. Recently my husband borrowed the volume on Artificial Intelligence. Essays in the book examine technological and ethical issues on the subject and its applications. I recently read some of the essays in the book on Coal. (Yeah, I know I am a little weird.) So many issues facing us are reduced to five minute soundbites which do not even begin to tackle the issue or implications of a stance. These books are incredibly thought provoking but not cheap! I am grateful that our library has a number of them. (Link.) May I also suggest visiting a college library to examine one of the books by Edward Tufte? (Maybe I'm wrong but I don't think most small city libraries will have his works.) In the age of Powerpoint abuse, learning how to present data in a clear and meaningful fashion is critical. Tufte is the master. His website is great too. Edited March 4, 2012 by Jane in NC Another suggestion! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 Guns, Germs and Steel is great. A few more nonfiction books: Salt: A world history Alone: The Classic Polar Adventure In the Hear of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex Skeletons on the Zahara 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 I recently finished Hard Road West. It's the best science or history book I've read in the last two-plus years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted March 5, 2012 Author Share Posted March 5, 2012 Thank you, Jane, Karen, & Moira, you've given me some great titles to consider. These are giving me great direction, I appreciate the input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewelma Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 My husband loves the history of science and highly recommends the following narratives: Paralax: the race to measure the cosmos The Measure of All Things: The seven-year Odyssey and Hidden Error that Transformed the World Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moira in MA Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 A few titles I haven't seen others mention: For science in general: The Structure of Scientific Revolutions For chemistry: The Disappearing Spoon For biology: Darwin's Ghost For history (not a book but worthwhile anyway): History of the Supreme Court For art(?) Color hth ~Moira Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Lea Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 Bury My Heart at Wouned Knee and The Godless Constitution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Lea Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 My ds read that I really enjoyed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 Ds is currently reading "The Science of Michael Crichton". He started to read one on the science of Harry Potter but didn't like it because he said that the science was a bit iffy in that one. He's also read "What Einstein told his cook: kitchen science explained" by Marlene Parish. There was a sequel to that one that he liked too. "The velocity of honey and more science of everyday life" was one that he read a couple of years ago. I don't know if this is the sort of thing you were looking for. They are more popular science in a sense. Ds reads them for fun, not for school. Oh, and we liked "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind" by William Kamkwamba. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 I can highly recommend the books by Simon Singh: The Code Book (about cryptography) Fermat's Last Theorem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmos Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder (nominally a novel, but constitutes an introduction to the history of philosophy) Flatland by Edwin Abbot. Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter. (for the mathematically inclined) A Mathematician Reads the Newspaper by John Allen Paulos. A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking. Chaos by James Gleick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmos Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 My dh adds his suggestions: Among Schoolchildren, House, or Soul of a New Machine by Tracy Kidder Home or City Life by Witold Rybczynski Cuckoo's Egg by Clifford Stoll (about computer security, hacking, and ethics; reads like a spy thriller) Ever Since Darwin by Stephen Jay Gould Liar's Poker by Michael Lewis Your Money or Your Life by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 A couple of older threads on a similar topic: Looking for intriguing non-fiction to add variety to my teen's reading ... If you were to pick 10 contemporary non-fiction books... My husband enjoyed Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea by Charles Seife and several books by Michio Kaku. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twigs Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 Longitude The Double Helix Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kfamily Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 Great question Paula, thanks for asking it. I'm taking notes. :001_smile: You have several that were on our list too. I love the new ideas. My dd is interested in reading How to Read Literature Like a Professor too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiegirl Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 What great suggestions! I am making notes for future reference. :001_smile: I don't know if this is what you are looking for, Paula, but the first title that popped in my mind was ''The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HodgesSchool Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 Someone else mentioned Oliver Sachs' book Uncle Tungsten. Seconded! And try some of his other works, too. I love The Man who Mistook his Wife as well as his book on music, the one on deafness, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HodgesSchool Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 For those with students interested in medicine, I recommend The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot and The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee Both are terrific discussion starters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 I'd like to pick a handful of titles to have ds read in high school. My goal is to have him pick one book a year, and have it large enough to pick at and absorb throughout the year. There would be no written assignments, just discussion. I'm leaning more towards history/science/human geography type titles, but need some more ideas. Currently I have: The Creators, The Discoverers, & The Seekers by Boorstin Churchill's History of the English Speaking People Volumes I - IV Barzun's From Dawn to Decadence I hope to read Bryson's Short History of Nearly Everything this year, otherwise it would be on the list. What other titles would make good options? Boorstin's The Image is a favorite of mine. I try to reread it each presidential election cycle. Why We Buy by Paco Underhill 1491 Flu by Gina Kollata (not sure on spelling) The Road to Serfdom by Hayek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted March 5, 2012 Author Share Posted March 5, 2012 These are great, I have a lot of things to look up now. Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 Flu by Gina Kollata (not sure on spelling) This is a fascinating and worthwhile read. However, I was concerned over her portrayal of Kirsty Duncan vs the boys. The Kirsty I knew (not well, but also by reputation -- I was a student in the same department as her), while serious and intense, did not jive with the Kristy in the book. There are worse crimes than being female and young and attractive, and there was plenty to write about without going there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 For a completely different perspective than the others suggested :) Mere Christianity by CS Lewis Orthodoxy by Chesterton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBM Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 The Great Books Foundation has anthologies that might be of interest. http://store.greatbooks.org/grades-9-12.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 My dh adds his suggestions: Among Schoolchildren, House, or Soul of a New Machine by Tracy Kidder Home or City Life by Witold Rybczynski Cuckoo's Egg by Clifford Stoll (about computer security, hacking, and ethics; reads like a spy thriller) Ever Since Darwin by Stephen Jay Gould Liar's Poker by Michael Lewis Your Money or Your Life by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin Please thank your dh for me. Ds just finished Cuckoo's Egg today and absolutely loved it! I'm looking forward to getting other books from this thread.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connections Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 And something that maybe you can get through an Interlibrary Loan: any volume in the Opposing Viewpoints Series. This is an tremendous resource for discussion and developing critical thinking skills. The books in the series present essays with various opinions on assorted facets of complex topics. Recently my husband borrowed the volume on Artificial Intelligence. Essays in the book examine technological and ethical issues on the subject and its applications. I recently read some of the essays in the book on Coal. (Yeah, I know I am a little weird.) So many issues facing us are reduced to five minute soundbites which do not even begin to tackle the issue or implications of a stance. These books are incredibly thought provoking but not cheap! I am grateful that our library has a number of them. (Link.) snipped quote. Oh my! Thank you so much for mentioning the Opposing Viewpoints Series. I had never heard of these before. We just checked out a handful from our library and started reading Coal- fantastic. We are having some wonderful discussions here! (And we must be a little weird, too b/c Coal is fascinating to us- especially since we have been on a couple mining tours.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 snipped quote. Oh my! Thank you so much for mentioning the Opposing Viewpoints Series. I had never heard of these before. We just checked out a handful from our library and started reading Coal- fantastic. We are having some wonderful discussions here! (And we must be a little weird, too b/c Coal is fascinating to us- especially since we have been on a couple mining tours.) You are most welcome. Glad to hear that your library carries the series. Your fellow energy nerd, Jane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 I love this question and approach. Non-fiction so frequently gets short shrift. There have been many good suggestions, but they have mostly trended to recent books. Maybe some of these aren't meaty enough for a whole year, but they are all non-fiction classics. Off the top of my head: "What color is your parachute?" -- Not just advice about how to find a job "Godel, Escher, Bach" -- The ultimate book for the "mathy". "The Making of the Atomic Bomb" -- more interesting than you might think "The Soul of a New Machine" -- Or anything by Tracy Kidder "From the Crash to the Blitz" -- In-depth study of one American decade -- the 30s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted March 9, 2012 Author Share Posted March 9, 2012 Thank you, all. I know I'll be adding some of these to our regular schedule as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memphispeg Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 The Voyage of the Beagle by Charles Darwin along with In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin Moneyball by Lewis....good for sports and math geeks alike combined with Freakonomics - good for a "new" take on social problems Biographies of anyone who has a similar passion to your child. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Churchill's books are amazing. We *loved* them. I got them free at a library sale (the horror, that someone threw them out!). I second 8's list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T'smom Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 I'm loving this thread! I don't usually come over to the high school board, but I'm glad I did today! There are so many good suggestions here! I wanted to second 7 Habits of Highly Successful People suggestion. (Or the teen version) Aside from academic skills, I want to prepare my kids for life- and I think that book is EXCELLENT and I will definitely be requiring that. Also, some finance books. Total Money Makeover is popular, but I haven't researched all the options for this yet. My brother read one (maybe Automatic Millionaire?) when he was in high school and he started saving for his retirement at 16. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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