After 30 years of childless marriage, we have custody of a 16 year old nephew. For various reasons, we have to home school him.
I need book recommendations for English/History by US Authors suitable for a 16 year old who will be forced to read.
I would especially appreciate a book at that level about the US Revolutionary War (or battle); WW1 and WW2. Again, 16 year old who does not like to read - not a groggy who loves to read.
Some of the books my wife and I are batting around include:
Two Twain short stories (Jumping Frog and the Lightning Rod salesperson)
The Call of Cthulhu
The Killer Angels
I really would appreciate help on this.
Would it be possible to take him to a library or book store and let him wander and pick out his own? Gives him some control over what he gets in to and gives you an opportunity to see how his mind works.
Greatest Stories Never Told (http://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Stories-Never-Told-Astonish/dp/0060014016/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1438128358&sr=8-1&keywords=greatest+stories+never+told) - good bite-sized nuggets of history that each last about 1 shitter session. Was published by the History Channel before they went reality/aliens/weird
"US authors" rules out Ivanhoe (http://www.amazon.com/Ivanhoe-Penguin-Classics-Walter-Scott/dp/0140436588/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1438128463&sr=8-1&keywords=ivanhoe) but it's an excellent read, and I'd still recommend it
Edgar Allen Poe (http://www.amazon.com/Collected-Works-Edgar-Allan-Poe-ebook/dp/B00515M23M/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1438128529&sr=1-1&keywords=edgar+allan+poe) short stories are always good.
Once he works up to it, I'd heartily recommend Geoffrey Perret's A Country Made By War (http://www.amazon.com/Country-Made-War-Geoffrey-Perret/dp/0679726985/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1438128771&sr=8-1&keywords=a+country+made+by+war) for the span of US military history
My dad happened to call tonight to talk to my son, and dad recently retired from a 2d career of teaching high school US history and (occasionally) American Lit, and he recommended the set of Civil War novels from Joseph Altsheler (http://www.amazon.com/American-Civil-War-Novels-Boxed-ebook/dp/B00MNSWI5C/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1438128564&sr=8-5&keywords=joseph+altsheler) that he read growing up, and that he recommended to some of his kids.
Dad also pointed out that when I was 13 or so, I read the Cornelius Ryan books that were turned into big movies: The Longest Day (http://www.amazon.com/Longest-Day-Classic-Epic-D-Day/dp/0671890913/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1438128889&sr=8-1&keywords=cornelius+ryan) and A Bridge Too Far (http://www.amazon.com/Bridge-Too-Far-Classic-Greatest/dp/0684803305/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1438128889&sr=8-4&keywords=cornelius+ryan)
After he reads them, let him watch the movies and compare to the books
that should be enough to get you started :)
Quote from: bayonetbrant on July 28, 2015, 07:16:04 PM
Dad also pointed out that when I was 13 or so, I read the Cornelius Ryan books that were turned into big movies: The Longest Day (http://www.amazon.com/Longest-Day-Classic-Epic-D-Day/dp/0671890913/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1438128889&sr=8-1&keywords=cornelius+ryan) and A Bridge Too Far (http://www.amazon.com/Bridge-Too-Far-Classic-Greatest/dp/0684803305/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1438128889&sr=8-4&keywords=cornelius+ryan)
After he reads them, let him watch the movies and compare to the books
Oh yeah!
Also, didn't Harry Turtledove have a series of young-adult novels about folks time-traveling to different interesting historical moments? Sometimes fiction, esp. sci-fi, time travel, and Alt History can be great motivators to learn more about the novels' subject matter.
Get the PBS DVDs on the civil war. Ken Burns. If he likes it there is an author on the war in many of the interviews. I like his style in the show. Shelby Foote.
WWI, II, Churchill's books
http://www.fleisherfilm.com/history.html
The American Revolution: A History, Gordon Wood
One for airboy, Gordon Wood got the Pulitzer for this one
http://www.amazon.ca/Radicalism-American-Revolution-Gordon-Wood-ebook/dp/B004HFRJT4/ref=sr_1_5?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1438139831&sr=1-5
Quote from: MetalDog on July 28, 2015, 06:34:24 PM
Would it be possible to take him to a library or book store and let him wander and pick out his own? Gives him some control over what he gets in to and gives you an opportunity to see how his mind works.
I think this is a great idea. Try not to be too critical of his selections. It is unlikely he will find anything harmful in the library but it may not jive with your tastes.
Get him into reading as a pleasurable pastime then work in the serious stuff.
Good luck. You and your wife should be commended for taking this on.
To introduce him to people in historical situations, he might get interested in John Kennedy's Profiles in Courage.
Each chapter is a different person in different kinds of stressful situations. It's kind of old, but remember being drawn in by the stories.
For something a little lighter, just about any of Robert Heinlein's "juvenile" stories might grab him if his imagination leans at all toward scifi or fantasy. At that age, recall liking Glory Road, Magic, Inc., Citizen of the Galaxy.
I would try and find something that relates to where you live or close by you. I got one of my nephews interested in the war of 1812 by having them walk on the deck of the Constitution with a copy of 6 Frigates. I had a couple of key passages already outlined and we read them together on the same spot where the action took place 200 years ago. He ended up reading most of the book (aside he was already an avid reader so this was not a hard sell for me).
Con
Quote from: besilarius on July 28, 2015, 10:48:58 PMFor something a little lighter, just about any of Robert Heinlein's "juvenile" stories might grab him if his imagination leans at all toward scifi or fantasy. At that age, recall liking Glory Road, Magic, Inc., Citizen of the Galaxy.
Good point - Tunnel in the Sky is another great one, too, along with The Menace From Earth.
Man, anything I can think of is pretty much necessarily for someone who already likes to read... ;) I have to say, a lot of the recs above go that route, too.
Still, okay. For WW1 and WW2 (and a lot of other war periods, Vietnam, etc.), there was a series of large coffee-table heavily illustrated books that, despite often needing small font print, were excellent bite-sized comprehensive reports on the wars and the history around them.
I can't recall who published them (and my brother has the ones we owned at his house), but I bet most of us know which series I'm talking about. Except for the occasional photos of dead people (which wouldn't have bothered me at that age), I'd even recommend them for pre-teens who need good history introductions but who don't like reading yet.
(I can't yet find them on Amazon, though surely they're there. Originally published back in the 90s. Dang but I cannot remember the series exactly...)
When I was a kid there needed to be something useful about the material. For example i did not give a damn about math until i started physics 11. Suddenly math had reason for taking my time. I could have been on the rugby field!
If you want him to see purpose in history you have to show how it gives insight into today's problems. Take him through the connection once, then give him a project. If he can make discovery his own, he is set.
Jason, I think there are memories of the series you describe. IIIRC John Keegan got his start by writing one on the Ruhr pocket. Want to say the series was by Ballantine, but this may be wrong.
Quote from: besilarius on July 28, 2015, 10:48:58 PM
To introduce him to people in historical situations, he might get interested in John Kennedy's Profiles in Courage.
Each chapter is a different person in different kinds of stressful situations. It's kind of old, but remember being drawn in by the stories.
For something a little lighter, just about any of Robert Heinlein's "juvenile" stories might grab him if his imagination leans at all toward scifi or fantasy. At that age, recall liking Glory Road, Magic, Inc., Citizen of the Galaxy.
Citizen of the Galaxy or Starship Troopers would work. Thanks.
The Star Beast was also one of my favorite Heinlein reads when I was a kid.
Don't ask me if I tried to call the Bro yesterday afternoon to figure out what series those books come from.
Because I one hundred percent forgot to even check. :buck2:
This probably isn't appropriate for hitting the most notable points in history, but it's an entertaining read featuring lesser known historical bits along the way:
The Mental Floss' History Of The world (http://www.amazon.com/Mental-Floss-History-World-Civilizations/dp/0061842672/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1438265747&sr=1-1&keywords=mental+floss+history+of+the+world)
If nothing else, get it for yourself for some less stuffy reading on interesting & odd stuff related to historical events & figures. Mental Floss also has a US history one I've not read yet, and some other similar ones (Big Hair to the Big Bang, etc).
Ray Bradbury most any of it to be honest, but you can never go wrong with Something Wicked This Way Comes.
I always knew I liked you, Bison! Bradbury ROCKS!!!
Cats Cradle is good, too.
Quote from: bayonetbrant on July 30, 2015, 06:23:21 PM
Cats Cradle is good, too.
Yes. Yes it is. As is Sirens of Venus, though bleak.
However, for a first introduction into the mind of Kurt Vonnegut you cannot beat 'Welcome to the Monkey House'. It's all in there, in some form or other.
Did I forget to check in with the Bro again last night to find that series?
Yes. Yes I did. :buck2: In my defense, their house is being worked on so they're not spending the night there at the moment. (Homonym trifecta, woo!)
To trick kids into reading more and better, though -- I mean generally -- you can always pick a movie or anime he'd like, then set the audio to non-English and turn on the subtitles. >:D
Asked my son, who is now in his 30s, what he recalls.
He suggested a series by Gordon Dickson, The Dragon and the George. First book is natureally the best, but all were intelligent, entertaining and made you care about the main characters.
You may remember Dickson for his Dorsai stories.
Oh... I thought this was a recommendation for a book on history. Did I misunderstand?
Quote from: Nefaro on August 02, 2015, 06:29:40 AMDid I misunderstand?
Quote from: airboy on July 28, 2015, 06:27:26 PMI need book recommendations for English/History by US Authors suitable for a 16 year old who will be forced to read.
Soooo... saying "English" just means anything printed in English then?
That's pretty almost everything, then. No? :P
Quote from: Nefaro on August 07, 2015, 08:15:49 PM
Soooo... saying "English" just means anything printed in English then?
That's pretty almost everything, then. No? :P
he did add "by US authors" ;)
I'd recommend William Forstchen, especially his Lost Regiment series (which isn't exactly history, but methodology, engineering, problem-solving, and the like come out in spades, and it's a fascinating series not to mention action-packed and reads like some kind of massive epic).
He and Newt Gingrich did some interesting alt-history stuff, like 1945 and Gettysburg.
I read Forstchen's The Gamester Wars trilogy. Great generals are plucked out Earth's past and made to fight on distant planets with native troops. A syndicate of alien gamblers funds the venture and they wager on the outcome. Fairly sure they are out of print, but, it's an easy read and might excite a peripheral desire to learn about the history of Alexander, Napoleon, etc.
Quote from: Banzai_Cat on August 29, 2015, 07:15:17 PM
I'd recommend William Forstchen, especially his Lost Regiment series (which isn't exactly history, but methodology, engineering, problem-solving, and the like come out in spades, and it's a fascinating series not to mention action-packed and reads like some kind of massive epic).
He and Newt Gingrich did some interesting alt-history stuff, like 1945 and Gettysburg.
+1 Forstchen has done some interesting books. The early Lost Regiment books are quite good, though the series went on too long, imho.
I used to game with Forstchen when he live in Maine, 25-30 years ago. Interesting dude, though you couldn't trust him in a game of laser tag.
Quote from: MetalDog on August 29, 2015, 08:50:32 PM
I read Forstchen's The Gamester Wars trilogy. Great generals are plucked out Earth's past and made to fight on distant planets with native troops. A syndicate of alien gamblers funds the venture and they wager on the outcome. Fairly sure they are out of print, but, it's an easy read and might excite a peripheral desire to learn about the history of Alexander, Napoleon, etc.
I actually found this in a used bookstore today...it jumped out at me, kinda. I was just browsing a couple of shelves after getting a book for my daughter for school and there it was. Thanks for the recommend.
Excellent! Who will read them? You, or your daughter?
Me, definitely. Not sure about her. My daughter needed a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird for English, so of course she waited until late Sunday afternoon to say so. ::)
BC, if your daughter sees the movie, Gregory peck told a little story on himself.
At one point, Harper Lee was on the set watching Peck and Miss Scout in a scene. When it was over, he saw that she was in tears. This made him feel pretty good that he was doing such good work.
"Oh, Mr. Peck, watching you, made my father spring to mind. You are both so similar, you both have that little pot belly."
Peck harrumphed it was just good acting.
^ LOL!
It'll be a good reference for my daughter. The school is putting on a production of To Kill a Mockingbird soon and she wants to audition for it.
If she's anything like her dad, she'd probably be pitch perfect for the Bobby Duvall role.