AP History Reading List
The following titles were suggested by Mr. Jensen for his required AP book report.
Each book title is followed by a short annotation of the book.
Books held by our Media Center are in bold print. The Dewey Decimal Number is in parenthesis.
Addams, Jane, Twenty Years at Hull House (361 ADD) Though Twenty Years at Hull-House is meant to be an autobiography, it is Hull-House itself that stands in the spotlight. Addams devotes the first third of the book to her upbringing and influences, but the remainder focuses on the organization she built--and the benefits accruing to those who work with the poor as well as to the poor themselves. At times Addams's prose is difficult to follow, but her ideals and her actions are truly inspiring.
Ambrose, Stephen, Band of Brothers (940.542 AMB) As always, Ambrose, with his straightforward prose, does a great job of describing the circumstances, thoughts and feelings of the characters--you can almost feel the cold when he describes hunkering down in a foxhole in the Battle of the Bulge. And while Ambrose lauds Easy Company as heroes, he describes their faults and frailties as well, and neither shies away from nor unduly revels in the horrors of war. The scenes at the end of the war--with American paratroopers driving around Berchtesgaden in the cars of Hitler's senior staff and swiping the swastika silverware--are almost over-the-top; a fantastic addition to an already gripping story.
Ambrose, Stephen, Citizen Soldiers (940.542 AMB) Stephen E. Ambrose combines history and journalism to describe how American GIs battled their way to the Rhineland. He focuses on the combat experiences of ordinary soldiers, as opposed to the generals who led them, and offers a series of compelling vignettes that read like an enterprising reporter's dispatches from the front lines.
Ambrose, Stephen, Crazy Horse and Custer (920 AMB) On the sparkling morning of June 25, 1876, 611 men of the United States 7th Cavalry rode toward the banks of the Little Bighorn in the Montana Territory, where 3,000 Indians stood waiting for battle. The lives of two great warriors would soon be forever linked throughout history: Crazy Horse, leader of the Oglala Sioux, and General George Armstrong Custer.
Ambrose, Stephen, Undaunted Courage (917.804 AMB) A biography of Meriwether Lewis that relies heavily on the journals of both Lewis and Clark, this book is also backed up by the author's personal travels along Lewis and Clark's route to the Pacific. Ambrose, Stephen -The Supreme Commander Ambrose, Stephen - A Wisconsin Boy in Dixie
The Astronausts themselves, We Seven (629.45 AST) This is the story of Project Mercury, one of the very early space projects, written by the astronauts themselves. It is full of personal narratives, adventure, suspense and facts and opinions about the Mercury program.
Beals, Melba Pattillo, Warriors Don't Cry (370.19342 BEA) This work is perfectly sequenced and thoroughly documented, mainly because the author kept a detailed diary during this period. Years later, her diary, plus archived news reports and a great writing style combined to produce this searing expose. It is the story of the 1957-1958 integration attempt at Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, as seen through the eyes of a participant, one of the Little Rock Nine, Melba Patttilo Beals.
Bernstein, Carl and Robert Woodward, All the President's Men (351.9 BER) It says a lot about the character of Richard Nixon - his suspicion bordering on paranoia, his bitterness, his self-pity, and his intransigent resentment toward everybody who he perceives as an enemy (which was probably almost everybody), that he had to rubber-stamp the commitment of a crime in order to win an election he could never have lost anyway, by approving the break-in of the Democratic national headquarters in Washington in the summer of 1972.
Bernstein, Carl, The Final Days (973.924 WOO) This is an amazing account of the last few months of the Nixon presidency leading up to his eventual resignation. The first half of the book deals in larger chunks of time, but by the time the second half begins, each chapter encompasses a single day.
Bowden, Mark, Black Hawk Down (967.7305 BOW) Journalist Mark Bowden delivers a strikingly detailed account of the 1993 nightmare operation in Mogadishu that left 18 American soldiers dead and many more wounded. This early foreign-policy disaster for the Clinton administration led to the resignation of Secretary of Defense Les Aspin and a total troop withdrawal from Somalia. Bowden does not spend much time considering the context; instead he provides a moment-by-moment chronicle of what happened in the air and on the ground.
Brokaw, Tom, Greatest Generation (940.54 BRO) In this book, Tom Brokaw goes out into America, to tell through the stories of individual men and women the story of a generation, America's citizen heroes and heroines who came of age during the Great Depression and the Second World War and went on to build modern America.
Brown, Dee, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (970.4 BRO) Dee Brown's Bury My Heart at Wounded Kneeis a well researched one-volume accounts of the forced removal of the western Native Americans and the conquest of their lands.
Caputo, Philip, Rumor of War (959.704 CAP) Caputo describes "the splendid little war" as his road from an enthusiastic idealist poisoned by the romanticized view of war as a chivalrous and noble enterprise to the dehumanized and desensitized wreck that he becomes during his tour in Vietnam. The book is an amazing testimony about the true nature of war with all its atrocities and horrors.
Carson, Rachel, Silent Spring (632.2 CAR) When Rachel Carson published Silent Spring in 1962, her goal was to make everyone aware of what the toxic substance DDT was doing to the delicate ecosystems in North America, most notable its role in the destruction of bird populations. After reading Silent Spring,one can see why the book was a turning point in the movement of environmentalism.
Catton, Bruce, The Coming Fury (973.7 CAT) Released in 1961 and 1963, respectively, these are the first two volumes in Catton's trilogy on the Civil War. Fury traces the events that led to war during the 12 months prior to actual combat. Sword dissects the combatants reassessment of their positions and strategies during early skirmishes.
Catton, Bruce, Glory Road (973.7 CAT) This book by Bruce Catton follows Volume 1 in his famous Civil War Trilogy covering the Army of the Potomac. In this well written text, Catton covers the footsteps of the army dealing with the loss at Fredericksburg, following Burnside, then Hooker, Chancellorsville and then finally Gettysburg.
Clancy, Tom, Debt of Honor (PB FIC & FIC CLA) Razio Yamata is one of Japan's most influential industrialists, and part of a relatively small group of authority who wield tremendous authority in the Pacific Rim's economic powerhouse. He has devised a plan to cripple the American greatness, humble the U.S. military, and elevate Japan to a position of dominance on the world stage.
Clancy, Tom, Executive Order (PB FIC CLA and FIC CLA) The American political situation takes a disturbing turn as the President, Congress, and Supreme Court are obliterated when a Japanese terrorist lands a 747 on the Capitol. Meanwhile the Iranians are unleashing an Ebola virus threat on the country. Jack Ryan, CIA agent, is cast in the middle of this maelstrom.
Clancy, Tom, Red Rabbit (PB FIC CLA) The book's main heroes are the husband-and-wife team of Ed Foley, CIA station chief in Moscow, and his agent-wife, Mary Pat, and Oleg Zaitzev (code-named Rabbit), the mid-level employee in the KGB communications department who for conscience's sake decides to defect to America when he's asked to encrypt messages that reveal a plot, under the auspices of then-KGB chief Yuri Andropov, to kill the pope in response to the pontiff's secret letter threatening to resign the papacy and to return to Poland to resist Soviet domination.
Clinton, Bill, My Life(92 Clinton) An exhaustive, soul-searching memoir, Bill Clinton's My Life is a refreshingly candid look at the former president as a son, brother, teacher, father, husband, and public figure.
Clinton, Hillary Rodham,Living History(92 Clinton)Hillary Clinton writes with candor, humor and passion about her upbringing in suburban, middle-class America in the 1950s and her transformation from Goldwater Girl to student activist to controversial First Lady.
Cook, Robin, Toxin (PB FIC COO) Just how safe is America's meat supply? Recent health scares and new public awareness have made this one of today's most controversial topics, and the basis of Robin Cook's most startling and important novel. When a doctor's daughter becomes infected with E. Coli, the widespread dangers of bacterial contamination are no longer a subject for debate, but a grim reality.
Cooper, James Fenimore, Last of the Mohicans (FIC COO) Set in upstate New York in colonial times, Cooper here tells the story of the stolid colonial scout Hawkeye, nee Natty Bumppo, who, with his two Indian companions Chingachgook (the Big Snake) and his son Uncas (apparently newly come to manhood), stumble on a party of British soldiers conducting two fair maidens to their father, the commander of British Fort William Henry during the French and Indian War. Hawkeye discovers that the British soldiers are not what they seem.
Crane, Stephen, Red Badge of Courage (PB FIC CRA) Red Badge of Courage tells the story of a youthful boy, Henry Flemming, who goes to the Civil War. After many rumors of battle cause Henry to doubt his courage when faced with battle, Henry's group finally goes into battle. Henry does not run away during the fighting, and gains confidence. However, the second battle that he sees causes him to flee. The rest of the story tells of how Henry comes to terms with his fear, and eventually returns to the battle line.
NOTE: READ GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER IN CONJUNCTION WITH MISSISSIPPI TRIAL, 1955.
Crowe, Chris, Gettting Away With Murder (364.15 CRO) The kidnapping and murder of Emmett Till is famous as a catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement. Emmett Till, a fourteen-year-old Black teenager from Chicago, was visiting family in a small town in Mississippi during the summer of 1955. Likely showing off to friends, Emmett allegedly whistled at a white woman. Three days later his brutally beaten body was found floating in the Tallahatchie River.
Crowe, Chris, Mississippi Trial, 1955 (FIC CRO) Crowe uses fiction to retell the story of the Emmett Till murder of 1955, which sparked the Civil Rights Movement. The Mississippi Delta is seen through the eyes of Hiram Hillburn¾at first idyllically as a young boy, then more realistically when he returns to visit his beloved grandfather during his sixteenth summer.
Denenberg, Barry, Voices from Vietnam (959.704 DEN) This book is not about the politics of history of the Vietnam War. It is about what it was like to be in Vietnam. Using the words of men and women affected by the events in Vietnam, the author paints a disturbing picture of "the first war the United States ever lost." The quotes come from a variety of sources, including then-president Lyndon Johnson, Jane Fonda and Walter Cronkite, and provide conflicting viewpoints on the war and its purpose.
Dreiser, Theodore, An American Tragedy (FIC DRE) Dreiser does a very nice job in this novel of recreating early 20th Century America from the perspective of an ambitious young man, Clyde Griffiths. Through Clyde, we get a taste of what it's like to be poor, to be middle class, and even to be wealthy.
Dreiser, Theodore, Sister Carrie (FIC DRE) In Sister Carrie, Dreiser tells the tale of a girl who is disenchanted with her small town life, so she moves to Chicago in search of bigger and better things. The story is an amazing portrayal of a woman's life at the beginning of the twentieth century. Dreiser, through his characters, shows the difficulty of living as a single female trying to earn a living as well as maintain relationships.
Ehrenreich, Barbara, Nickel & Dimed (305.569 EHR) Poverty has been beaten. Or has it? This is the question posed by Barbara Ehrenreich, a female, fiftyish writer who also has a Ph.D. in biology. To look for an answer, Ehrenreich went undercover and lived for several months as someone trying to find and hold a minimum wage job and live on her income. She relates her experience in Nickel and Dimed.
Ellis, Joseph J., Founding Brothers; The Revolutionary Generation (920 ELL) An illuminating study of the intertwined lives of the founders of the American republic -- John Adams, Aaron Burr, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and George Washington.
Franklin, Benjamin, Autobiography (92 FRANKLIN) This book covers Franklin’s life up to his prewar stay in London as representative of the Pennsylvania Assembly, including his boyhood years, work as a printer, experiments with electricity, political career, much more.
Frazier, Charles, Cold Mountain (FIC FRA) Sorely wounded and fatally disillusioned in the fighting at Petersburg, Inman, a Confederate soldier, decides to walk back to his home in the Blue Ridge Mountains and to Ada, the woman he loved there years before. His trek across the disintegrating South brings him into intimate and sometimes lethal converse with slaves and marauders, bounty hunters and witches, both helpful and malign.
Galbraith, John Kenneth, The Affluent Society (330GAL) This book is dedicated primarily to re-assessing the role of production in an economy of increasing affluence. The author laid down the gauntlet for the post-cold war class struggle that was still far in the future in 1958 when the book was written. This book continues to influence government today.
Grisham, John, A Painted House (FIC GRI) The author presents the life of a young boy growing up on a Southern farm in hard times during the fall 1952 cotton-picking season. Luke, the young boy discusses the hiring of Mexicans during that time to do the hard work and how this affects his whole family. Halberstam, David - The Best and the Brightest
Haley, Alex and Malcolm X, Malcolm X (301.451 X) The book is very descriptive about Malcolm's childhood and his views. This is the story of a man who lived life intensely, first as a criminal and then transformed into the nation's leading prophet and social critic. You get to know him as a naive student, a hip hustler in 1940s Harlem, a jailbird and finally, as a Muslim activist acutely aware that he is a target, a man who confronts danger in the face without compromise.
Haley, Alex, Roots (920 HAL) Alex Haley writes of his seven generations of family life ~~ beginning with "The African" ~ Kunta Kinte ~ who was abducted from his village in The Gambia and ending with a brief biography of himself. From a proud African captured and forced to become a slave to freedmen and farmers, business owners and the women who prayed for the families while keeping the stories alive. Heinemann, Larry - Paco's story
Hersey, John, Hiroshima (940.54 HER) John Hersey tells the tragic story of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima in1945 from the viewpoint of six of the survivors. The emotional and physical experience will never be forgotten.
Hersey, John, The Wall (FIC HER) The Wall tells the inspiring story of forty men and women who escape the dehumanizing horror of the Warsaw ghetto. This novel documents the Warsaw ghetto both as an emblem of Nazi persecution and as a personal confrontation with torture, starvation, humiliation, and cruelty.
Jakes, John, American Dreams (PB FIC JAK) This is the story of the Crown family. As the second generation comes of age, the Crowns strive to find their place in a turbulent America, which stands at the dawn of a new century. This is a story of passion and adventure, glory, and ambition.
Jakes, John, North and South (PB FIC JAK) This is the story of two families, the Hazards and the Mains. Separated by vastly different ways of life, joined by the unbreakable bonds of true friendship, and torn asunder by a country at the treshold of a bloody conflict that would change their lives forever. Johnson, Haynes - Sleepwalking through History: America through the Reagan years
Karnow, Stanley, Vietnam (959.704 KAR) This book provides a comprehensive look at both sides of the Vietnam War through a collection of personal tales and delves into the political and military events in the United States and elsewhere that originally caused the war and the brought it to an end.
Kean, Thomas H., 9/11 Report (974.91 KEA) What happened on 9/11 and how? Are we safer now? Have we learned any lessons? These are the questions on the mind of every American since that terrible day. And on July 26th we may have some answers. On that day, The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (also known as the 9/11 Commission) will issue their complete report of the circumstances surrounding 9/11.
Kearns, Doris Goodwin, Team of Rivals (92 LINCOLN) Acclaimed historian Doris Kearns Goodwin illuminates Lincoln's political genius in this highly original work, as the one-term congressman and prairie lawyer rises from obscurity to prevail over three gifted rivals of national reputation to become president.
Lash, Joseph P., Eleanor and Franklin (92 ROOSEVELT) Joseph Lash, close friend and political associate, to Mrs. Roosevelt, tells her story from personal knowledge and the vast Hyde Park papers. His story reads like a drama and is filled with historical data. He tells of her anguished childhood in New York to becoming the First Lady of the United States.
Lash, Joseph P., Eleanor: the years alone (92 ROOSEVELT) Lash continues Eleanor's story by highlighting her seventeen years after Franklin's death. From her encounters with the Communist governement to her working with the United Nations, she truly was the First Lady of the World.
Lewis, Lloyd, Sherman: Fighting Prophet (92 SHERMAN) In this works, the author depicted Sherman's temperament and the fighting style. Analyzes the compaigns through Georgia and the Carolinas.
Lewis, Sinclair, Babbitt (FIC LEW) Sinclair Lewis wrote many novels about flawed, non-heroic, Americans living in the midwestern heartland of the 1920s. This one is about George Babbit, a real estate broker living in the up-and-coming city of Zenith. Babbit is a community booster, civic club member, and proud family man. He has an electric cigar lighter in his car and a fashionable sleeping porch on his house. Just the sort of citizen beloved by the Chamber of Commerce. But George becomes bored with this life and tries out some liberal ideas of this own.
Lewis, Sinclair, Main Street (FIC LEW) Sinclair Lewis's Main Street deals honestly with the negative aspects of small town life. In the book, Carol Kennicott, a big city girl marries Dr. Kennicott, and they move to the small town of Gopher Prarie. Carol is an idealist, but her efforts to reform the town are met with ignorance. She is ridiculed and made miserable by people who think their small town is perfect.
Limbaugh, David, PERSECUTION (323.44 LIM) In his new book, Persecution, David Limbaugh makes a compelling case that liberals across the country are waging an undeclared war on Christianity in our culture and in our government-especially our schools
Manchester, William, The Death of a President (973.922 MAN) William Manchester takes the reader through the bleak events of that long November weekend in 1963 when John F Kennedy was assassinated. The trip to Dallas, the motorcade, the assassination, the hospital, the plane trip back to Washington, the funeral, the inside details of the friction between the Kennedy and Johnson factions, the worldwide reaction, and Oswald's unplanned televised execution by Jack Ruby are all discussed in meticulous detail.
McCall, Nathan, Makes me wonna holler (305.28 MCC) An autobiography that captures the pain, anger, and fierce determination of a black journalist writing today for the Washington Post. McCall's open and honest description of his life as a boy in a black neighborhood in Portsmouth, VA, his participation in violent criminal acts, and his eventual imprisonment for armed robbery.
McCullough, David, John Adams (92 ADAMS) Left to his own devices, John Adams might have lived out his days as a Massachusetts country lawyer, devoted to his family and friends. As it was, events swiftly overtook him, and Adams--who, and not fond of politics--came to greatness as the second president of the United States, and one of the most distinguished of a generation of revolutionary leaders.
Meltzer, Milton, The Day the Sky Fell (303.6 MEL) The Day the Sky Fell provides a history of international terrorism, from terrorist states to terrorist revolutions, from the IRA to the Ku Klux Klan. In the new foreword and five additional chapters, Meltzer offers reaction, reflection, and some background information on September 11.
Metress, Christopher, The lynching of Emmett Till (305.8 MET) At 2:00 A.M. on August 28, 1955, fourteen-year-old Emmett Till, visiting from Chicago, was abducted from his great-uncle’s cabin in Money, Mississippi, and never seen alive again. When his battered and bloated corpse floated to the surface of the Tallahatchie River three days later and two local white men were arrested for his murder, young Till’s death was primed to become the spark that set off the civil rights movement.
Mitchell, Margaret, Gone with the wind (PB FIC & FIC MIT) This is the story of Scarlett O'Hara and how a war changed Scarlett O"Hare's Life. She was a pampered Southern belle who became a woman changed by terrible circumstances. It is a love story, a story of one person, and story of Civil War-era South.
Moody, Ann, Coming of age in Mississippi (92 MOODY) Coming of Age in Mississippi dares the reader to find anything poetic in the lives of black people living in rural Mississippi in the 1940s and 50s, "where they knew the price you paid daily for being black."
Morris, Dick, Off With Their Heads (973.931 MOO) There is much to learn from this detailed book, regardless of whether one may agree with his conclusions. Morris begins by railing against the established news media for showing blatant liberal bias and for irresponsibly undermining the war on terror as the Bush administration is waging it.
Oates, Stephen, Let the Trumpet Sound (92 KING) Winner of the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Book Award and the Christopher Award, this examination of the life of Martin Luther King Jr. portrays a very real man with a powerful dream that helped shape American history.
Oates, Stephen, With Malace Towards None (92 LINCOLN) A biography of Lincoln that follows his bitter struggle with poverty, his self-made success in business and law, his early disappointing political career, and his leadership as President during one of America's most tumultuous periods.
Orwell, George, 1984 (PB FIC ORW) Oceania is a conglomeration of the Americas, the United Kingdom, and the Southern tip of Africa. Oceania is ruled by "The Party" and is constantly at battle with two other conglomerations of nations, namely EurAsia and EastAsia. The leader of Oceania is "Big Brother" and his face is plastered throughout the nation with the ominous caption "Big Brother is Watching You". This is not a joke. Life in Oceania is run like a boot camp and patrons must work, perform physical exercises, and maintain a moral conscious that adheres to The Party's strict parameters. Orwell's work to create this Anti-Utopian society of "1984" is where the deep analytical thinking and metaphorical alliterations that we use today, were spawned, fifty years ago.
Parks, Rosa, My story (92 PARKS) Rosa Parks was a Black woman who lived in a time of unequality. Blacks were being treated as though they were lower and were lost of the many priveleges that white people had. Rosa Parks didn't let what they thought get in her way. She stood for what she believed in and stuck by it all the way. By refusing to sit at the end of the bus, Rosa showed me how strong, independent, daring, and brave she was and also began what is called the "Civil Rights Movement."
Pendergrast, Mark, God, Country & Coca-Cola (338.7 PEN) The unauthorized history of the great American soft drink and the company that makes it. Pendergrast tells the full story of why Coke--more than 99% sweetened water--is the quintessential American product and how it changed the course of American capitalism. Also reveals high jinks, family dramas, and shady deals behind the scenes. Three 8-page photo inserts.
Petro, Joseph, Standing Next to History (363.28 PET) Joe Petro was a consummate professional and his persepctive as a key in the Reagan Protective Detail of the Secret Service offers a new and fascinating different glimpse of part of that history.
Picciotto, Richard, The Last Man down (974.7 PIC) When the north tower of the World Trade Center collapsed on September 11, Picciotto, an FDNY battalion commander, was inside it, on a stairwell between the sixth and seventh floors, along with a handful of rescue personnel and one "civilian." This outspoken account tells of that indelible day, and it will shake and inspire readers to the core.
Roberts, Cokie, Founding Mothers (920 ROB)Founding Mothers unveils the drive, determination, creative insight, and passion of the other patriots, the women who raised our nation.
Rolvagg, Ole, Giants in the Earth (FIC ROL) A saga-like tale of Norwegian immigrants to America, specifically to Dakota territory, travelling in covered wagons, living in sod huts dug into the ground, isolation, blizzards, planting & plagues of locusts. Times were hard and people gave up much to travel to early America.
Schlesinger, Arthur, A Thousand Days: JFK in the White House (973.922 SCH) As special assistant to the president, Arthur Schlesinger witnessed firsthand the politics and personalities that influenced the now legendary Kennedy administration. Schlesinger"s close relationship with JFK, as a politician and as a friend, has resulted in this authoritative yet intimate account of the presidency of John F. Kennedy.
Sinclair, Upton, The Jungle (FIC SIN) Sinclair wrote this book in dismay with the democratic system of politics in America. His frustration with the social stratification that destroyed the family of his main character is genuine and understandable. It is also probably a very accurate depiction of what it is like to be a immigrant in the 1800s. Sinclair includes the explosion of the industrial revolution and speaks against industrial monopolization. This family moves to Chicago in the 1800's where their life is anything but great.
Sorensen, Theodore, Kennedy (92 KENNEDY) A powerfully moving biography of JFK by one of his closest friends and advisors. Sorensen's work was first published in 1965 when the wounds caused by the assassination had barely time to heal. It has remained a classic and is indispensable for an evaluation of Kennedy and his place in history. <
Steinbeck, John, The Grapes of Wrath (FIC STE) The Joads, tenant farmers in Oklahoma until they were forced out by the larger companies who wanted their land back. With dreams of luscious grapes and peaches in abundance waiting to be picked, they loaded up their belongings and began their journey on Route 66 headed for Bakersfield, California in 1939 at the end of the depression. Their story is one of courage and frustration as they deal with the migrant overload in California at that time.
Stowe, Harriet Beecher, Uncle Tom's Cabin (FIC STO) When Harriet Beecher-Stowe published Uncle Tom's Cabin in 1852 it sold more copies than any book before, other than the Bible. It became a significant catalyst in the social movements of the time: abolition of slavery, and States' rights. It could be argued that her book was a major cause of the Civil War and Emancipation Proclamation. The book tells the story of slave trade and slave treatment by introducing us to many characters that help tell her story.
Toffler, Alvin, Future Shock (301.2 TOF) The book Future Shock was written by Alvin Toffler in 1970 to stress the way the increased rate of change will affect people's lives and society in general. This book's relevance is that all people are affected by change, whether they know it or not. The wide audience appeal comes from Toffler's prediction of what the future holds for society.
Truman, Margaret, Harry S. Truman (92 TRUMAN) The definitive biography of one of the most enduring political figures of the 20th century. Margaret Truman writes with unequaled insight and understanding about her father's extraordinary life and offers rare glimpses at the personalities and politics behind the world events of his time.
Vidal, Gore, Burr.(FIC VID)Burr is a portrait of perhaps the most complex and misunderstood of the Founding Fathers. In 1804, while serving as vice president, Aaron Burr fought a duel with his political nemesis, Alexander Hamilton, and killed him. In 1807, he was arrested, tried, and acquitted of treason. In 1833, Burr is newly married, an aging statesman considered a monster by many.
Vidal, Gore,Inventing a Nation (973.4 VID) The author turns his immense literary and historiographic talent to a portrait of the formidable trio of George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson. In this book, Vidal transports the reader into the minds, the living rooms, the convention halls, and the salons of Washington, Jefferson, Adams, and others.
Vidal, Gore,Lincoln (FIC VID) Lincoln is a masterwork of historical fiction, in which Gore Vidal combines a comprehensive knowledge of Civil War America with 20th-century literary technique, probing the minds and motives of the men surrounding Abraham Lincoln, including personal secretary John Hay and scheming cabinet members William Seward and Salmon P. Chase, as well as his wife, Mary Todd.
Warren, Robert Penn, All the King's Men (FIC WAR) This landmark book is a loosely fictionalized account of Governor Huey Long of Louisiana, one of the nation's most astounding politicians. All the King's Men tells the story of Willie Stark, a southern-fried politician who builds support by appealing to the common man and playing dirty politics with the best of the back-room deal-makers. Though Stark quickly sheds his idealism, his right-hand man, Jack Burden -- who narrates the story -- retains it and proves to be a thorn in the new governor's side. Stark becomes a successful leader, but at a very high price, one that eventually costs him his life.
Watkins, Sam R., Co. Aytch (973.74 WAT) A work of a natural storyteller who balances the horror of the Civil War with an irrepressible sense of humor and a sharp eye for the lighter side of the war.
Webster, David Kenyon, Parachute Infantry (92 WEBSTER) Offering a remarkable snapshot of what it was like to enter Germany in the last days of World War II, Webster presents a vivid, varied cast of young paratroopers from all walks of life, and unforgettable glimpses of enemy soldiers and hapless civilians caught up in the melee.
District 145 Public Schools
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