Cheesy headline I know, but I couldn't really resist. So I wanted to do a quick post on a couple of the books that I read this summer to gear up for this fall. Usually for the summers, I just read for pleasure as I actually have some free time to do so, but this year I've incorporated a couple others along with my usual Steve Berry thrillers. The two I've read so far that are Collapse by Jared Diamond and A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage. Both very good reads, although I'll say Standage is a much easier & shorter read. I'll start with Diamond's book. For my AP students, they read part of his other well known piece, Guns, Germs, and Steel. He has some really insightful stuff on the beginnings of agriculture which leads us right into our first unit for the course. I'll admit, Diamond is very academic and thorough in his writings. The concepts that he writes about our really interesting, examining how and why certain locations started farming while others still haven't to this day. Collapse looks to expand on some of Diamond's earlier work, and specifically looks at some ancient and more modern societal collapses and looks into why it happened, and more importantly what should we learn from them. The book covers several different locations around the world, from examining environmental & societal issues in modern day Montana, to the collapses in some of the Oceanic islands, the Maya, some Native American tribes, and the varying successes and failures of the Viking settlements, along with current day Rwanda, Somalia, and issues facing Haiti vs. the Dominican Republic. It had a lot of great insights, especially debating the notion of civilized cultures as we see these great societies and civilizations create amazing things even though they're not from the perceived civilized places in the world. A lot of the stuff on Easter Island and the other Oceanic islands was really helpful as Polynesia is always an area that is overlooked but I have some helpful and insightful stuff to help with Polynesian migration in Unit 3. The book gets a bit repetitive as he does go very (VERY) in depth about how he's able to determine some of the scientific evidence that he's able to gather. And I could only read about pollen dating so often. But as I said, some really good stuff and more importantly, and interesting way to look at things and the world. Definitely have some supplemental stuff for the year, which is always a good thing.
Standage's is a pretty interesting view of world history, looking at it through the lens of six key beverages; beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and coca-cola. While the book goes in the history and stories behind the discovery/invention of each of these drinks, but it also how these drinks shaped the societies they came up with and how influential they each were, or are still today. Some really snippets on the Neolithic Revolution, trade across the Atlantic, the British Empire, and current day globalization. Since I borrowed this book from the library, I'll need to find a cheap copy somewhere, or keep taking pics of the pieces I liked to use as bell ringers, exit tickets, etc. Both books are very helpful, and glad I picked them. I haven't read a lot of actual historical literature, it's not as easy of a read as my thrillers are which I can buzz through in a matter of days, but definitely stuff I need to continue to improve my craft and find good material for my class.
So if you're looking for a couple of good reads, I recommend both, although be forewarned, Diamond is not the easiest of reads. Thanks for reading
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