Books and reading have been a large part of my life for a long time. I discovered a love for history when I was in college. Ever since I’ve read a little history here and there. While I was learning I wanted to share that and light a fire under others to learn as well. That is where the idea for history podcast originally came from, a book. Here are some of my favorites:
Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James W. Loewen
This book is important because as students in primary school we are taught that the only story is the one that comes from our textbooks. What we don’t stop to think about is the fact that the story is written by only one side. There is always more to a story, but it takes a little effort to find it. This book does a great job telling the story from a different angle as do books by Howard Zinn.
A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn
This was my “textbook” in college for one of my classes. I plowed through the readings for the course and when the class was done I went back more than once to re-read this book. I still have my worn copy that I plan to share with my kids when they are old enough for the content. For me this is where my interest in history started, with this book.
Honorable mention:
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand
Most anything by David McCullough