Ms. Nelson’s Favorite History Books

Guest Post by Alena L. Nelson

Introduction: One of my favorite ways to learn about history has always been through novels. Over the years there have been many books that have changed my worldview, deepened my understanding of history and highlighted power dynamics in our communities that stem from events long past. Now, as a history teacher, certain novels continue to inspire me as I try and teach my students that history is ultimately about people’s stories. Some of these stories I want to share with as many people as possible, including my own students, and Alan has agreed to let me publish a review of my favorite history books on his blog. 

Local Resources / Accessing Books During the Corona Virus Outbreak: Santa Barbara has amazing libraries throughout the city in addition to the San Marcos High School Library and UCSB’s newly remodeled Davidson Library. If the book I am after is not available to check out for free (or if I want to write in it and give it a forever home) I head to Chaucer’s Bookstore which is a local institution that my mentor Melanie Jacobson turned me onto. While Chaucer’s physical store is currently closed due to the Governor’s latest quarantine order, they are still taking online and phone orders. I strongly encourage everyone to support their local bookstores if you are unable to access what you want through your library. Although access to books has been affected by COVID-19, there are still many free books available digitally through local libraries. You can check out your books and download them digitally to your devices or phone through the kindle app for free. This option is also available through Amazon.

The Booklist: The books I listed below are ordered based on the time period the novel focuses on. They are from different perspectives and time periods. Some of the books are nonfiction and some of them are historical fiction. Many of them have influenced not just my worldview, but also the curriculum I use at San Marcos High School. I have made note of specific books I use in my history lessons. Many of these novels describe violent events in history and some include gender violence, for these I added a note in the description. 

• Alexander Hamilton – Before reading this biography I was always bored by America’s early history. That changed when I read Ron Chernow’s biography which has become extremely famous because it inspired the musical Hamilton. However, it is not overrated and it reads like a soap opera filled with intimate details about one of our least known founding fathers. From this book I gained a deeper understanding of America’s foundations.I also found the text much more entertaining and accessible than texts like The Federalist Papers, but just as informative. 

• Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass – Assigned to me in college, this text remains influential on my teaching today. I find that reading this autobiography and comparing and contrasting it to the Autobiography of Malcolm X is a meaningful process. As the text was published so long ago, it is available for free on many sites including the one linked to in the title. 

• Homegoing – This book is historical fiction and it follows an African family as the family is kidnapped in Africa, and taken to America. Although the novel starts during the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade it ends in present day. Homegoing masterfully connects how violence and racism from past decades directly influences modern day through the African American experience. There are several descriptions of violence and gender violence in this novel that are extremely disturbing, one of which takes place in a slave fortress I have actually visited on Ghana’s coastline. 
  • NPR Book Review of Homegoing
  • NYT Article on Ghana’s Slave Forts 
  • Culture Trip Article on Ghana’s Slave Forts
  • Resources for Teaching The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade

• King Leopold’s Ghost – This book documents the history of the Congo before Europeans arrived, under the terror of King Leopold the II in the late 1800s and after. The knowledge I gained from this book has informed my World History Imperialism Unit at San Marcos. I use the Congo Free State as a case study of Imperialism. Under Leopold’s rule, The Congo Free State saw approximately 12 million native people die (more than half of the population) due to extreme violence. As a result, this history book is not a before-bedtime type of read, but it is nonetheless an extremely important historical work about one of the most overlooked places in the world. I also recommend another book, Imperial Reckoning, for readers who have already read King Leopold’s Ghost and remain interested in the same topics. Imperial Reckoning focuses on the British in Kenya and documents their use of concentration camps. 

• A Tree Grows in Brooklyn – This book is historical fiction and is also one of my top five favorite books of all time. The story is told from the perspective of a young girl, Francie Nolan, growing up in Brooklyn at the turn of the century. Her grandparents are European immigrants and her family is working class. The story follows the Nolan family and includes descriptions of life in tenements, alcoholism, extreme poverty and the start of WWI. However, the book is incredibly beautiful and includes many sweet moments intertwined with hardship. 
  • Link to NYC’s Tenements Museum 

• Birdsong – WWI is often overlooked in American history classes, but this book convinced me how important it was to have a meaningful WWI curriculum in both my World and US History classes. I use sections of the book in my US History class and the whole book inspired how I teach WWI to all my students. The novel follows the experiences of a British WWI soldier and his descendant. It details life during WWI, what soldiers experienced and how the war is perceived today. It is incredibly historically accurate due to the research the author completed before writing, yet the novel is fiction. 
  • Independent Article on the inspiration for Birdsong

• The Good Earth – This book is truly epic. The story follows a Chinese family over several generations and describes China in the 1920s. The historical fiction novel won a Pulitzer Prize and was written by an interesting woman and historical figure, Pearl S. Buck. My understanding of Asian history is limited, but this book really gave me a deeper sense of Chinese history prior to the Communist Revolution. The novel is available to read online for free through the link I posted above. 

• The Sun Also Rises – I truly love Hemmingway’s story of unrequited love, bull fights and drunkenness in Europe shortly after WWI. This novel is a short fiction, but is an excellent example of how The Lost Generation saw and interacted with the world after WWI, although it is often overshadowed by The Great Gatsby. In addition, a main character is a WWI veteran who is dealing with a lifelong war injury. 
  • Vanity Fair article on The Sun Also Rises and the novel’s background
  • NPR Story on The Sun Also Rises 

• Boys in the Boat – This book is a page turner, even though it is nonfiction and the perspective of the story is told through rowing, I could not put it down. The novel vividly follows the young men who rowed in the 1936 Olympics in Germany as they grow up during the Great Depression. The author focuses on one young man whose triumph over extreme poverty is heart wrenching. From this book I fully understood, for the first time, what The Great Depression must have been like. Although I do not use excerpts of the book in my US History class, it greatly influenced my Great Depression Unit. 

• The Diary of Anne Frank – I just finished reading this diary for the first time and I will be adding passages to my World History lessons on WWII and The Holocaust. Anne’s voice is powerful, her documentation of history is compelling and her perspective on life is inspiring. In addition to reading this book, I highly recommend visiting the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. It is a truly overwhelming experience that I now fully appreciate after reading her diary. There are a few different versions of this diary, be thoughtful about which one you choose. I read Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl published in 1994. 
  • Link to the Anne Frank House Museum Website and additional information about Anne’s diaries

• Citizen 13660 – Alan suggested a look at this memoir and I have since included it as the primary source my US History students use in order to analyze Japanese-American Internment. Mine Okubo tells her story of life in internment camps during WWII through beautiful hand drawn images with descriptions that highlight important details from her memories. I love this memoir because it is accessible and meaningful to all ages and reading levels. Alan was assigned the book in a UCSB Asian American Studies course, but my 11th grade English Language Learners have also enjoyed learning about Interment through the book. 

• The Warmth of Other Suns – This nonfiction book is a must read for Americans, especially Americans who are interested in what segregation and racial injustice looks like outside of the Southern States. The historian who wrote the book follows the stories of several African-Americans who were a part of The Great Migration. Their stories are retold in descriptive detail, often making the reader forget the book is nonfiction, as the author documents the challenges and triumphs African Americans faced throughout The Great Migration. I actually looked up the book’s origins multiple times to ensure it was nonfiction because I could not believe the story was nonfiction because it is written like a story.

• The Things They Carried – First assigned to me by my US History teacher in high school, Mr. Federico, this book is now part of my US History lessons on the Vietnam War. The novel is historical fiction written based on the memories of a soldier who fought in the war. It follows soldiers as they experience the camaraderie and trauma of jungle warfare. There are passages describing violence against civilians that become more meaningful/upsetting if the reader understands the historical context. Along with this novel, I also highly recommend Anthony Bourdain’s episode in Vietnam from season eight of No Reservations, which I also share with my students. In addition, the documentary Letters Home from Vietnam is a must see and goes very well with Tim O’Brien’s novel. 
  • NPR Story on The Things They Carried – 20 Years On

• Black Sexual Politics – This book was assigned to me in college during my Women of Color Feminist Studies class and it forever changed my understanding of American history and racism. This book is written in very academic language and also includes descriptions of extreme violence towards people of color and women. Once again, this is not a good book to lull you off to sleep. While a lot of work on African Americans focuses on racial injustice towards men, this book also highlights the experiences of African American women.

• The Circuit – This collection of auto-biographical short stories follows the experiences of a young boy whose family are migrant workers in California. His stories are heart wrenching and at times funny, they describe extreme poverty and living in California as an undocumented person. I use this book (both Spanish and English copies) in my first unit in US History on The Gilded Age. We compare the stories of immigrants coming to America in the late 1800s to immigrants living in California today. 

• Between The World And Me – This novel is incredibly poetic and beautiful. It is written in the format of a letter to the author’s son. I recommend reading it after reading other works about African American history/ experience in order to pick up on all of the historical references in the text. 
  • Atlantic Article that was the basis of Between The World and Me

Currently on my reading list: 

• The Sympathizer – I am looking forward to learning more about the Vietnam War from a new perspective as I plan a trip with Alan to the country. 

• Born in Blood & Fire: A Concise History of Latin America – This is a comprehensive textbook recommended to me by a former teacher in order to help me learn more about Latin America for my World History classes. 

• I, Rigoberta Menchu: An Indian Woman in Guatemala – This autobiography was recently recommended to me by a Gautemalan-American who is on the path to becoming a history teacher.

• A People’s History of The United States – Although I have read chapters from this book, and it has added to my understanding of social class in the United States, I hope to read the rest of it. 

• Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee – I am hoping this book will develop my understanding of indigenous history in the United States and add to my lesson on The Massacre at Wounded Knee.

Maya Angelou reading! 

Malala Yousafzai Quote & Comic 

Also, when in doubt, read Harry Potter. Happy Reading everyone!