10th grade AP US History summer reading list

[Larry]

AP History is no place for Rah Rah books.

Can we point that out to the chorus of people recommending Atlas Shrugged?

(I agree with you. Although I could also see the argument that, in an AP class, having students discuss propaganda books might well have some merit. Particularly if said propaganda books are behind major political movements currently affecting us.)

---------- Post added June-9th-2011 at 10:17 AM ----------

He is to that age where he's starting to surprise me with insight that he'd never shown before,, and he absolutely loves to read. He's read the usual sports biographies, but he's also shown an interest in the Civil rights movement. He's loved his US history class this year.

For pleasure he reads those Alex Ryder novels.. not sure how many of us grown ups know them, but they're a series of spy novels,, James Bond, Matt Cable, etc. They're pretty age specific for teenagers.

~Bang

Then I'd really throw Starship Troopers at him.

Like I said, it's a really fun, teenaged read. Boy joins army, kills bugs, Becomes a Man.

OTOH, several of the book's scenes take place when the character is in High School, taking a mandatory class in History and Moral Philosophy. (All of Heinlein's books contain a character who is actually a mouthpiece for Heinlein. In this book, Heinlein is the instructor of this class.)

Some of the concepts that are buried in there:

It's where I first observed the assertion that in nature, the Universe consists of forces, which always exist in the form of paired opposites. ("For every action, there is a reaction.") And that in the Universe, the opposing force to power is responsibility. That a system cannot survive in which power and responsibility aren't equal.

He asserts that the political power of the vote should reside in people who will use that vote for the benefit of society, rather than for themselves. (Heinlein caught a lot of flack for this book, because many people misread his book, and claim that he advocated that the only people who should be allowed to vote were former military. But he specifically said otherwise. In his future society, the power to vote was granted to people who volunteered to perform community service, so to speak, and the military was one of the ways to perform this service.)

Like I said, it's a really fun read, with some heavy philosophy in there.

[JMS]

Can't go wrong with reading The U.S. Constitution, especially for an AP US History class.

I disagree. I think it's rather impossible to really get a good grasp of the constitution over a single summer. And that's not a project for an individual but a subject for a class.

Best he can hope for is to memorize roughly the ammendments and a short subject for each.

That's a first step.. Then I would read "Plain Honest Men" so he can appreciate what kind of thought went into it.

It's interesting they have Upton Sinclair's Jungle, and Atlas Shrugged on the same list. The polar opposites of public policy. Those would be a great composite subject to discuss...

Atlas Shrugged speaking of the dangers of government Intervention from a purely fictional perspective. The Jungle speaking about the dangers of too little regulation from a historical perspective.

[Riggo-toni]

Avoid the Paul Kennedy book - dry, dated, and makes too many broad conclusions. Too bad Chernow's biography of Alexander Hamilton isn't on there - one of the best books for understanding early America.

[RichmondRedskin88]

The Fall of the House of Usher - Edgar Allen Poe

The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck

Both are classics

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

Good suggestion.

He's due home around 3 today,, I'll let him read over what y'all have said, and then I'll let him respond.. it'll be my screen name, but it'll be him.

I appreciate it y'all! I knew with the diversity of opinions and the overall intelligence of the members here that we'd get some good ideas.

Just for some background on what he likes .. his hero is Jackie Robinson. Has a huge poster of him in his room (stealing home). He tends to gravitate towards revolutionary figures, people who buck the system and succeed thru strength and resolve.. like Robinson.

He is to that age where he's starting to surprise me with insight that he'd never shown before,, and he absolutely loves to read. He's read the usual sports biographies, but he's also shown an interest in the Civil rights movement. He's loved his US history class this year.

Hire me for a tutor and I will have your son starting a Revolution in Mexico within two years.

[Tweedr01]

I'd have to say the legend of sleepy hollow and a streetcar named desire. Seeing as he's a sophomore in HS (age 15-16 right?) I think those would be the two most entertaining to read and more likely to keep his attention.

[Bang]

Too bad Chernow's biography of Alexander Hamilton isn't on there - one of the best books for understanding early America.

It does say that he can choose books not on the list, but the teacher would need to know what it is and approve it. I don't see why that one wouldn't be OK.

~Bang

---------- Post added June-9th-2011 at 03:00 PM ----------

Hire me for a tutor and I will have your son starting a Revolution in Mexico within two years.

No doubt

~Bang

[JMS]

You know what would be a great book for him to read which is not on that list.... Col. Mosby's autobiography. I read it a few months ago. It was a real page turner, and very interesting because he's talking about all the battles and landmarks in the DC suburbs... Great Great Book for getting the feel for what the civil war was all about and this man witness to how it changed over time.... Mosbey was captured in the first year of the war, the union officer who captured him offered to loan him money so he wouldn't be pennyless in the clink. Mosby made it back to confederate lines after 4 days in a prisoner swap involving several thousand men. AND he brought important intelligence back with him from his observations at the Washington Shipyard. The stories of the battles and skirmishes in this book are frankly not to be believed.. Based upon Mosby's account war is basically based upon two things.. confusion and incompetence.. Those are pretty much the constants in his recollections.

I would also highly recoment Robert Leickies "Helmet for my Pillow" about one marines experiences in the Pacific War... and the very different Eugine Sledge book "With the old Breed" on the same subject a little latter in the war. Both books being part of HBO's mini series... These books are especially cool for a young man because they involve young men trying to find themselves in turbulent times.

The Lecky book is a lesser known American Classic. I was very impressed with that book.

[Bang]

It's interesting they have Upton Sinclair's Jungle, and Atlas Shrugged on the same list. The polar opposites of public policy. Those would be a great composite subject to discuss...

Atlas Shrugged speaking of the dangers of government Intervention from a purely fictional perspective. The Jungle speaking about the dangers of too little regulation from a historical perspective.

I was very happy to see both on the list. I am a firm believer in letting young people make up their own minds as to what shapes their world view. Obviously parents have a lot of influence, but who he IS,.. that's up to him. It's good to have diverse perspectives available.

~Bang

[mardi gras skin]

M. I admitted to wife this year that I had not read "Little Women." She did not speak to me for a week.

Do you know how many men would kill for a trigger that worked similar magic on their wives?

[Henry]

It does say that he can choose books not on the list, but the teacher would need to know what it is and approve it. I don't see why that one wouldn't be OK.

~Bang

Oh, well then.

I'd say Battle Cry of Freedom by James McPherson. It's a little long and plodding for a 10th grader but really does a decent job explaining the pre-Civil War culture and politics as well as the war itself. Probably the best single volume account of the Civil War I've read.

And Jeff Shaara's Rise to Rebellion. A fictional account of the events leading up to the Revolutionary War. There are more informative books on the period but this book is an easy read and covers the basics quite well.

I would like to add at least one book that covers the 20th century, but we don't want to overwhelm the lad.

[JMS]

The Fall of the House of Usher - Edgar Allen Poe

The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck

Both are classics

The Grapes of Wrath was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1940 and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962.

I had a hard time reading it in highschool. There was a chapter in the beginning of the book entirely dedicated to a turtle crossing a road.. then at the end of the chapter the main character of the book picks it up and makes turtle soup out of it.

Still I really enjoyed it a few years latter when I picked it back up...

Again it's an indepth look at the social injustice which directly lead to the New Deal, it's a counter balance to Atlas Shrugged. Frankly a much better book too, although I enjoyed Atlas Shrugged too and it's frankly likely just as relivent to be familiar with today.

[Warhead36]

Whichever two are easiest to find on sparknotes

[EersSkins05]

I would discourage the Constitution itself without any companion work. I mean, it's never a bad idea to know what the Constitution says and what it means, but doing so as a summer reading project wouldn't be that beneficial.

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

I still think Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 tells you everything you need to know about live in these United States since 1946. But I'm insane.

I also like the various Teddy White books.

My summer reading list would get me jailed.

[mcsluggo]

for pure summer reading fun:

A Good Man is Hard To Find - Flannery O'Connor

The Fall of the House of Usher - Edgar Allen Poe

those are GREAT. if he actually wants to brush up on US history.. some of the others would be useful, but clearly much less "fun"

[renaissance]

The Grapes of Wrath was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1940 and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962.

I had a hard time reading it in highschool. There was a chapter in the beginning of the book entirely dedicated to a turtle crossing a road.. then at the end of the chapter the main character of the book picks it up and makes turtle soup out of it.

Still I really enjoyed it a few years latter when I picked it back up...

I found it hard to get through in college but honestly looking back it'd probably be a really interesting read if I were to tackle it again. I agree with someone else that if he's interested in this one he should watch the movie first.

I also agree with others that I don't think the Federalist papers would be a very good read at his age. I think I read parts in high school, college, and grad school and found them worthless without any further context or discussion. Reading them on your own in the summer, especially at that age, just doesn't seem productive to me. If I were him I'd stick with the Constitution + two of the novels.

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

I liked the Grapes of Wrath, but I think the movie may be better than the book.

I also like Woody Guthrie's songs about Tom Joad.

[JMS]

The Henry Fonda move Grapes of Wraith is a classic, but comparing it to the book hard to justify. The book is one of the great achievements in human history... Seriously... Nobel Prize is given to what one book (author really) a year. This is the only one so honored which dealt with the great depression. It's probable one of my top 3 american books so honored.

Read the book, enjoy the story... then get the cliff notes or better a literary critique of the book so you can appreciate what you just read. Then see the movie..

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

JMS,

It's a matter of taste. I really enjoyed The Grapes of Wrath as a book, but I've never had a desire to re-read it. I've rewatched the movie a dozen times.

The issue I have with it as literature is that it screams, "This is VERY important." I prefer the subtler Steinbeck in "Of Mice and Men" and "The Red Pony" and "The Pearl."

I'm a lit major and - generally speaking - I never enjoy the novels that win Nobel Prizes. They are like movies that are trying to win best picture. There is a level of self-consciousness in them that is off-putting.

I find Toni Morrison's novels have gotten more unbearable as she has become more "important."

[Bang]

Oh, well then.

And Jeff Shaara's Rise to Rebellion. A fictional account of the events leading up to the Revolutionary War. There are more informative books on the period but this book is an easy read and covers the basics quite well.

I would like to add at least one book that covers the 20th century, but we don't want to overwhelm the lad.

Loved that book.. love all of Shaara's books actually. I'm actually currently re-reading "To The Last Man".. i love his style.

~Bang

[Kilmer17]

Can we point that out to the chorus of people recommending Atlas Shrugged?

(I agree with you. Although I could also see the argument that, in an AP class, having students discuss propaganda books might well have some merit. Particularly if said propaganda books are behind major political movements currently affecting us.)

---------- Post added June-9th-2011 at 10:17 AM ----------

Then I'd really throw Starship Troopers at him.

Like I said, it's a really fun, teenaged read. Boy joins army, kills bugs, Becomes a Man.

OTOH, several of the book's scenes take place when the character is in High School, taking a mandatory class in History and Moral Philosophy. (All of Heinlein's books contain a character who is actually a mouthpiece for Heinlein. In this book, Heinlein is the instructor of this class.)

Some of the concepts that are buried in there:

It's where I first observed the assertion that in nature, the Universe consists of forces, which always exist in the form of paired opposites. ("For every action, there is a reaction.") And that in the Universe, the opposing force to power is responsibility. That a system cannot survive in which power and responsibility aren't equal.

He asserts that the political power of the vote should reside in people who will use that vote for the benefit of society, rather than for themselves. (Heinlein caught a lot of flack for this book, because many people misread his book, and claim that he advocated that the only people who should be allowed to vote were former military. But he specifically said otherwise. In his future society, the power to vote was granted to people who volunteered to perform community service, so to speak, and the military was one of the ways to perform this service.)

Like I said, it's a really fun read, with some heavy philosophy in there.

Atlas Shrugged WOULD be discussed in terms of the philosophy it propogates. Whereas the New Deal could be taken as fact.

I wouldnt recommend Atlas Shrugged for that class either though.

[PleaseBlitz]

Oh, well then.

I'd say Battle Cry of Freedom by James McPherson. It's a little long and plodding for a 10th grader but really does a decent job explaining the pre-Civil War culture and politics as well as the war itself. Probably the best single volume account of the Civil War I've read.

And Jeff Shaara's Rise to Rebellion. A fictional account of the events leading up to the Revolutionary War. There are more informative books on the period but this book is an easy read and covers the basics quite well.

I would like to add at least one book that covers the 20th century, but we don't want to overwhelm the lad.

Im reading (by reading, i mean listening to the audiobook) Battle Cry of Freedom right now. Just to give a hint to the level of detail and background: It took 8 hours! of listening to background on the causes leading to the war before the first shot was fired at Fort Sumter.

[FanboyOf91]

I still think Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 tells you everything you need to know about live in these United States since 1946. But I'm insane.

It's probably a bad thing that I read that and wondered how few things had changed.

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

It's probably a bad thing that I read that and wondered how few things had changed.

I think that's what makes it brilliant. It's a book that should be so dated as to make it incomprehensible. But you can read it today and say "Yea...that's how we are living."

I'm just stealing this from Wikiquote, but it's fun.

We've come to a point where every four years this national fever rises up — this hunger for the Saviour, the White Knight, the Man on Horseback — and whoever wins becomes so immensely powerful, like Nixon is now, that when you vote for President today you're talking about giving a man dictatorial power for four years. I think it might be better to have the President sort of like the King of England — or the Queen — and have the real business of the presidency conducted by... a City Manager-type, a Prime Minister, somebody who's directly answerable to Congress, rather than a person who moves all his friends into the White House and does whatever he wants for four years. The whole framework of the presidency is getting out of hand. It's come to the point where you almost can't run unless you can cause people to salivate and whip each other with big sticks. You almost have to be a rock star to get the kind of fever you need to survive in American politics.

If the current polls are reliable... Nixon will be re-elected by a huge majority of Americans who feel he is not only more honest and more trustworthy than George McGovern, but also more likely to end the war in Vietnam. The polls also indicate that Nixon will get a comfortable majority of the Youth Vote. And that he might carry all fifty states... This may be the year when we finally come face to face with ourselves; finally just lay back and say it — that we are really just a nation of 220 million used car salesmen with all the money we need to buy guns, and no qualms at all about killing anybody else in the world who tries to make us uncomfortable. The tragedy of all this is that George McGovern, for all his mistakes... understands what a fantastic monument to all the best instincts of the human race this country might have been, if we could have kept it out of the hands of greedy little hustlers like Richard Nixon. McGovern made some stupid mistakes, but in context they seem almost frivolous compared to the things Richard Nixon does every day of his life, on purpose... Jesus! Where will it end? How low do you have to stoop in this country to be President?