World History--Literature

[mom31257]

Ds will be doing When Worlds Collide at our co-op next year, and studying world history in one year using Oak Meadow's program at home. I'd like to have him read some world history based literature, but I know he'll have limited time with all that he'll be doing. 

What would you all say are your top five must reads to go along with world history in high school? 

[Lori D.]

Perhaps check out LLATL: Gold: World Literature -- esp. the lit. choices in the first 3 units.

However: it looks like Worlds Collide is a pretty full year of Lit all on its own, with 8 novels... so that makes it hard to suggest titles that wouldn't overload him, as most of the classic World Lit that I think of tends to be LONG and HEAVY: examples: ancient epics (Greece and Rome), the Ramayana (India), Don Quixote (Spain), Les Miserables (France) or War and Peace (Russia), All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany), Cry The Beloved Country (S. Africa)...

Just a thought: to give added feel for the cultures/times and NOT do as extra Lit to study, perhaps instead of 5 classics of World Lit,  just do some short stories. Or a few YA historical fiction works. Or even easier: watch films made in different countries of the world and set in different times. If that sounds of interest, I'd be happy to help brainstorm ideas.

[mom31257]

14 minutes ago, Lori D. said:

Perhaps check out LLATL: Gold: World Literature -- esp. the lit. choices in the first 3 units.

However: it looks like Worlds Collide is a pretty full year of Lit all on its own, with 8 novels... so that makes it hard to suggest titles that wouldn't overload him, as most of the classic World Lit that I think of tends to be LONG and HEAVY: examples: ancient epics (Greece and Rome), the Ramayana (India), Don Quixote (Spain), Les Miserables (France) or War and Peace (Russia), All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany), Cry The Beloved Country (S. Africa)...

Just a thought: to give added feel for the cultures/times and NOT do as extra Lit to study, perhaps instead of 5 classics of World Lit,  just do some short stories. Or a few YA historical fiction works. Or even easier: watch films made in different countries of the world and set in different times. If that sounds of interest, I'd be happy to help brainstorm ideas.

Thanks! He's never really done much ancient literature, so I could make that my focus. 

I like the movie idea, and maybe I could even do a combination of movies and shorter/YA lit selections. He has read Cry the Beloved Country. He doesn't love reading, but he will read what he is assigned for school. 

So, I looked and I own a couple of literature anthologies that I could use for some poetry and short selections! 

Edited April 15, 2019 by mom31257

[hollyhock2]

Some of our favourites were:

• The Cat of Bubastes
• Cyrus the Persian (Christian)
• Twice Freed (Christian)
• Eagle of the Ninth
• Men of Iron
• The Scarlet Pimpernel
• The Hiding Place
• Animal Farm

That's more than five, but they are all generally easier books. I would definitely not miss The Hiding Place or Animal Farm.

[mom31257]

11 hours ago, hollyhock2 said:

Some of our favourites were:

• The Cat of Bubastes
• Cyrus the Persian (Christian)
• Twice Freed (Christian)
• Eagle of the Ninth
• Men of Iron
• The Scarlet Pimpernel
• The Hiding Place
• Animal Farm

That's more than five, but they are all generally easier books. I would definitely not miss The Hiding Place or Animal Farm.

Thanks! He did Animal Farm in our co-op gov/econ class this year, so at least one is checked off the list!