I have found a lot of age-appropriate books that go deep into very specific topics, but I'm looking for a higher level overview of American history that won't be too overwhelming. A graphic novel format would be welcome but not absolutely necessary, and a series of multiple books is ok too.
I'm looking for truthful retellings of the motives of the Founding Fathers, the slave trade, the Confederacy, history of policing, civil rights, the conservative movement in the 1980s, up to the rise of fascist ideologies in the US today. My kid has already been taught some whitewashed history in public school and I would like to correct that, but I'm not really sure where to start.
by DontAskAboutMyButt
6 Comments
No titles to recommend, but something you can do is chat with them about how the different people in those stories may have viewed the same situations from alternative perspectives, and how all of those perspectives are correct from the point of view of the viewer.
Consider the Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales series of graphic novels, particularly the Harriet Tubman and Haitian Revolution books.
Don’t Know Much About History is a good non-graphic novel option to check out, especially if your kid is a strong reader. Its format is pretty digestible and (as I recall, it’s been a while) it has a “here’s what you won’t learn in a regular textbook” vibe that doesn’t shy away from the non-whitewashed truth.
Lies My Teacher Told Me by Loewen. There’s an updated version and it’s very good, very thorough with evidence cited.
A Young People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn, a more readable version of the regular People’s History.
Loving vs virginia book
If you’re not opposed to swearing…on this day in history sh!t went down by James Fell (though I don’t think it’s all American history) has brief overviews peppered with cursing. If memory serves, each date has one or two pages about something historical (some you may not have even heard of lol
It gets a lot of kids (and adults) motivated to learn more. (And, on the flip side of the coin, it makes a lot of people really mad lol)