Each term we allow the students to pick the books that they read. Naturally, we present a list (about 20 books) of a combination of fiction and non-fiction in the time period we are talking about over the term. We then allow the students to pick their top three and generally they get their top choice (they only won’t if they would have to read on their own). They then form their own book groups. Here are their term one choices in no particular order.
1776 by David McCullough – Student review 6/10, Hoffmann review 8/10. RIP David McCullough.
:America’s beloved and distinguished historian presents, in a book of breathtaking excitement, drama, and narrative force, the stirring story of the year of our nation’s birth, 1776, interweaving, on both sides of the Atlantic, the actions and decisions that led Great Britain to undertake a war against her rebellious colonial subjects and that placed America’s survival in the hands of George Washington.”
Alexander Hamilton, Revolutionary – Martha Brockenbrough: Student Review 7/10, Hoffmann Review 7/10.
“Complex, passionate, brilliant, flawed—Alexander Hamilton comes alive in this exciting biography.
He was born out of wedlock on a small island in the West Indies and orphaned as a teenager. From those inauspicious circumstances, he rose to a position of power and influence in colonial America.”
Hero of Two Worlds by Mike Duncan: Student reviews: 7/10 and Hoffmann review 9/10.
“From the bestselling author of The Storm Before the Storm and host of the Revolutions podcast comes the thrilling story of the Marquis de Lafayette’s lifelong quest to defend the principles of liberty and equality”
Also, if interested, listen to Duncan’s incredible podcasts “The History of Rome” and “Revolutions.”
Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell: Student score 8/10 and Hoffmann score 8/10.
“From the bestselling author of Assassination Vacation and The Partly Cloudy Patriot, an insightful and unconventional account of George Washington’s trusted officer and friend, that swashbuckling teenage French aristocrat the Marquis de Lafayette. “
Salem Witch Judge: The Life and Repentance of Samuel Sewall: Student Review 8/10 Hoffmann review 9/10
“In 1692 Puritan Samuel Sewall sent twenty people to their deaths on trumped-up witchcraft charges. The nefarious witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts represent a low point of American history, made famous in works by Longfellow, Nathaniel Hawthorne (himself a descendant of one of the judges), and Arthur Miller. The trials might have doomed Sewall to infamy except for a courageous act of contrition now commemorated in a mural that hangs beneath the golden dome of the Massachusetts State House picturing Sewall’s public repentance. He was the only Salem witch judge to make amends.“
Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne: Student score 7/10, Hoffmann score 9/10.
“An “A” for “adultery” marks Hester Prynne as an outcast from the society of colonial Boston. Although forced by the puritanical town fathers to wear a bright red badge of shame, Hester steadfastly resists their efforts to discover the identity of her baby’s father. The return of her long-absent spouse brings new pressure on the young mother, as the aggrieved husband undertakes a long-term plot to reveal Hester’s partner in adultery and force him to share her disgrace.
Masterful in its symbolism and compelling in its character studies, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s tale of punishment and reconciliation examines the concepts of sin, guilt, and pride. The Scarlet Letter was published to immediate acclaim in 1850. Its timeless exploration of moral and spiritual issues, along with its philosophical and psychological insights, keep it ever relevant for students of American literature and lovers of fiction.”
Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northrup: Student Review 10/10 and Hoffmann Review 10/10.
“This unforgettable memoir was the basis for the Academy Award-winning film 12 Years a Slave. This is the true story of Solomon Northup, who was born and raised as a freeman in New York. He lived the American dream, with a house and a loving family – a wife and two kids. Then one day he was drugged, kidnapped, and sold into slavery in the deep south. These are the true accounts of his twelve hard years as a slave – many believe this memoir is even more graphic and disturbing than the film. His extraordinary journey proves the resiliency of hope and the human spirit despite the most grueling and formidable of circumstances.”
Book of Ages by Jill LaPore: Student Score 7/10 Hoffmann Score 8/10
“From one of our most accomplished and widely admired historians, a revelatory portrait of Benjamin Franklin’s youngest sister and a history of history itself. Like her brother, Jane Franklin was a passionate reader, a gifted writer, and an astonishingly shrewd political commentator. Unlike him, she was a mother of twelve.“
Autobiography of Ben Franklin by Benjamin Franklin: Student Score 8/10 Hoffmann Score 8/10
““Never confuse Motion with Action.” ― Benjamin Franklin, The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is the traditional name for the unfinished record of his own life written by Benjamin Franklin from 1771 to 1790; however, Franklin himself appears to have called the work his Memoirs. Although it had a tortuous publication history after Franklin’s death, this work has become one of the most famous and influential examples of an autobiography ever written.“
