The Invention of Wings

The Invention of Wings

by Sue Monk Kidd

Why should you read this book?
This book is a historical fiction that is based on a real person, Sarah Grimke, and her sister Angelina Grimke.  They were born on a plantation in South Carolina.  Both were prominent abolitionists during the 19th century.  Kidd creates two other strong female characters who are slaves on the Grimke plantation who pursue their freedom throughout the book.  Hetty, whose nickname is Handful, is given to Sarah on her 11th birthday.  Charlotte is Hetty's mother and the seamstress on the plantation.  Their experiences are based on true stories.  When it was published in January of 2014, the book spent one hundred weeks on the New York Times bestseller list.  The appeal is the way in which readers see the empowerment of the oppressed.  The bonds between sisters, mother and daughter, and friends create a story that engages readers.


What will you learn about history?
The book starts in the year 1803 and follows two young girls; one white and one black.  Readers get a unique look at life in the Antebellum South. They are exposed to various views on slavery during the first half of the 19th century and the role of women in early 19th century America.  Sarah and Angelina grew up to become influential in both areas. They wrote the pamphlet that inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe to write Uncle Tom's Cabin! The book also explores the religious movements of early 19th century as well as the abolition movement.  Readers walk away with a unique look at this time period told from the perspective of an actual person.

The Clan of the Cave Bear

The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel

What will you learn about history?
Pre-history comes to life in this book and Jean M. Auel has done enough research to make it as authentic as possible.  The story follows Ayla, a young Cro-Magnon girl whose mother is killed in an earthquake.  After surviving an attack from a cave lion, she meets up with a clan of Neanderthals who lost their cave during the earthquake.  As the girl grows, the physical and cultural differences between the two groups that inhabited the earth thirty thousand years ago become evident.  Auel shows how traditions and religious practices dictate every day decisions.  She also shows how precipitous survival was during the prehistoric era.  Evolution has given Ayla advantages such as the ability to hunt with a sling and to think abstractly.  Her adopted mother is the clan's medicine woman and she quickly learns the locations and uses for herbs and other natural materials.  Ayla is close to the clan's tool and weapon maker and learns how to fashion these tools.  The other women in the clan teach her to make baskets and bags.  She is also capable of vocal language.  The Neanderthal clan that she lives with uses guttural utterances and hand gestures to communicate.

Why should you read it?
This book is the first in a series of books that follow the same character through her life.  Her stories are timeless:  the love of an adopted mother, living on the fringe of a culture that is not your own, and conflict with jealous peers.   In 1986 the book was released as a movie starring Daryl Hannah.  Although the movie was a box office flop, it was nominated for an Oscar for Make-up.  Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, and Allison Shearmur are producing a miniseries based on the book that will air on the Lifetime network in 2015.

I Am Malala

I am Malala:  The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban

by Malala Yousafzai

What will you learn about history?
Malala lived in an area of Pakistan that was controlled by the Taliban.  The issues facing people in this area are complex and hard for many in the West to understand.  Malala and her father offer a perspective of the last 30  turbulent years in history of this nation.  Their story of establishing a school and educating all children illustrates the cultural struggle of those who are opposed to jihad as defined by the Taliban.


Why should you read it?
It was fascinating to get a first-hand account of recent events in Pakistan.  Hearing the story of this from the perspective of a teenage girl made it easy to relate to and understand.  The circumstances of her life and her passion for education led her to be an activist who spoke out against the oppression of the Taliban.  Her voice was a clear advocate for women's rights that was not silenced even when she was shot by a Taliban gunman.  She was already well-known in Pakistan for broadcasting her views on education.  The attack on her brought her story into the international arena.  She has made her struggle an international human rights issue.  Her story will be one that is remembered by history.

Killer Angels by Michael Shaara

What will you learn about history?

Michael Shaara is a writer who turned his passion for the civil war into a re-creation of the Battle of Gettysburg.  The battle is described from the perspective of the men who led the two armies.  He doesn't just narrate the battles, he also presents the most notable leaders as human beings and gives readers some insight into their mentality.  They are men that are more similar than different.  They are former classmates who once fought side by side.  The men who fought the Civil War were friends who were divided over political causes and military pride.  They are men who appreciate the euphoria and adrenaline of the battle field.  The author was meticulous in his research of the events and tries to remain true, even to the most minute details.  Shaara also does a great job of showing how this was the last war for the great generals such as Robert E. Lee.  A modern era was beginning and new weapons required new tactics.


Why should you read it?

Although it received very little commercial success when it was first published in 1974, this book was awarded a Pulitzer prize in 1975.  The author did not live to see his book made into a movie in 1993, an act which put it on the New York Times' Bestseller list.  Ken Burns, whose name has become synonymous with the Civil War, is quoted as saying, "this book changed my life".  A pretty big build up for a book that remained unknown for most of the author's life.  You do not have to be a history buff or a Civil War enthusiast to appreciate this book.

11/22/63

What will you learn about history?

You might be surprised to see a history teacher recommending a book by an author that usually writes supernatural horror stories.  When I choose this book to read I did it because King is one of my favorite authors.  I did not expect to learn about history even though this is a tale about a time traveler who sets out to stop the Kennedy assassination.  What King does with his fictional tale is bring to life actual characters found in your history book.  He questions their motives and whether or not the conspiracies have any validity.  It is fiction.  King chooses to dismiss conspiracy theories and focus on Oswald as a lone assassin.  He has done enough research to justify his choice.  But there is also an inspiration to readers to decide if they agree with King's choice.  This would inspire students to do their own research and reach their own conclusions.  But of course the main reason that I would recommend this book to students of history is because King allows us to see the past through the eyes of someone from the twenty-first century.  The author brings the late 50s and 60s to life including all of the cultural norms and expectations of society.  The details about what the main character encounters provide more insight into this era than any history book can.


Why should you read it?
Like many of Stephen King's novels, this is a long one.  The paperback has 880 pages.  It is a commitment for any reader.  But King quickly presents his plot and readers become invested in Jake Epping's mission.  Ironically the theme does not focus on assassinations or the paradoxes of time travel.  The author creates a story that provokes the reader to question the impact that one person can have on the world and the value of an ordinary life.

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

What will you learn about history?
During the 1920's the United States was experiencing the final wave of immigration from Europe.  Most of the immigrants came from Southern or Eastern Europe to look for industrial jobs.  But the Irish also came to escape the rebellion from British rule.  One of the main characters of Orphan Train is an Irish immigrant who becomes an orphan and is put on a train with other orphans to be adopted by families in Minnesota.  Her fictional experience is similar to those of the two hundred thousand real children who made the journey from 1854 to 1929.  Very few of these children became members of the families that adopted them.  Most were used as labor.  Some were abused.  This book summarizes their experiences and explores how they dealt with them.


Why should you read it?
This was an easy story to read and once I became invested in the characters I was unable to stop reading.  Kline makes the story relative by intertwining the story of an orphan train rider with one of a modern ward of the foster system.  The author does a great job of drawing the two characters together and creating a bond between them with a school assignment about transition and what we take with us with we move from one situation to another.  One complaint is that the modern side of the story is filled with stereotypes (the foster child who dresses like a goth to keep people from trying to get close to her) while stereotypes that existed during Vivian's youth are brushed aside and their impact on immigrants, especially in the Midwest, is trivialized.

Winter of the World

What will you learn about history?

The book Winter of the Word is the second book in a trilogy that follows five families from across the world through three generations.  The second generation in the series must deal with the rise of fascism and communism and World War Two.  The book deals with social classes, women's rights, espionage, and the reactions that people had to fascism and communism.  The German characters in the book show how many businessmen supported Hitler at first because he brought about improvements in the economy.  It also shows how a mob mentality took over in Europe.  Fascism attracted young men who were bullies by nature and found a way to channel their aggression into oppressing those they labeled as liberals, homosexuals, or communists.  At the same time in Russia, the government was oppressing dissension with the same tactics.  The book follows a Russian intelligence agent and examines his feelings towards Stalin's regime.

Why should you read it?

The stories bring human faces to the events of World War II.  Readers are captivated by the situations that the main characters face and the decisions that they make.  Follett has done extensive research so that he is able to expertly entwine his characters into actual historical events.  He is able to both entertain and inform at the same time.  It is good to have some background in history because he has many characters that have sprung from the first generation and you must have historical bearings in order to keep track of each story line.   At times readers follow a character through a major event only to have Follett move on to other characters.  But the book gives readers a firsthand look at history.