AP US History 2011 Summer Reading Assignment

  1. Choose a book from the list of books at the end of this document. Email your choice to me for approval. I suggest that you send me an email with at least 3 choices in order of your preference. This should be done no later than the middle of July. I will reply to your email with the approved choice. Only one or two students will be allowed to read the same book so a “first come first serve” process will be used in assigning summer books. Once a book has been selected and approved, I suggest that you pick up a copy of your selected & approved book from the public library or pick up a used copy from amazon.com.

The completed Reading Journal (part 1) & Book Critique (part 2) will be due at the end of September.

Part I – Reading Journal

Choose and read one of the books on American history listed at the end of these instructions. While reading, you will be required to keep a reading journal for every chapter of the book you choose. For each chapter, your journal should include:

1. THESIS: The author’s thesis or main point for the chapter – this is often found in the introduction of the chapter and revisited at the conclusion. What is the author trying to prove to you in this chapter?

2. VOCABULARY CHART: on the left, write down any historical term, event, person, place or reference that you do not fully understand; on the right, write down any general vocabulary word you do not understand: organize it as demonstrated here.

History Vocabulary / General Vocabulary
term – explanation / term – explanation

3. GENERAL NOTES: following the events or argument the author puts forth – remember the S word in history: SIGNIFICANCE! What was the significance of what you wrote down – if you don’t know, you probably shouldn’t have written the note.

4. REFLECTION: At the end of the chapter – in your own words – what was the point of the chapter, what did it make you think about while reading (any links to other parts of history?), what questions do you still have about the chapter?

PART II

Summer Reading Assignment Book Critique

BOOK CRITIQUE REQUIREMENTS

The book critique should be written in standard essay form, be about 3 pages in length, font size 12, Times New Roman, have a cover page and use proper grammar. You will be asked to share your critiques with your classmates for their enlightenment. Contents must include:

1. The Story 20 pts

What is the story, in brief? Do not spend too much time on this topic

2. Background of book 20 pts

• What is the historical and geographical setting

• What historical timer period does this book deal with

3. Background of the author 20 pts.

• Who is the person writing the book?

• Why did the author choose to write the book

• Is there a definite viewpoint or bias expressed?

• If the book is a fictional account, does it cover an historical event, a true story, an

eyewitness or autobiographical account, a work of fiction based on

general/historical information.

• If the book is non fiction, how does the author present the event or time period

4. Application 20 pts.

• What do you think can be learned in terms of U.S. History and the culture of this

nation?

• Was it written in the time period of which it deals with?

5. Evaluation 20 pts.

• What parts of the book or quotation from the book will be indelibly etched on

your mind? Why?

• What human connections did the book help to make for you with other places and

peoples, and other times?

• What makes this story part of history in the U.S.? Is it a classic, what makes it so?

Each of the above questions should be discussed in at least a paragraph. Try not to be vague. Use specific parts of the book to explain your points and give a complete, specific and detailed picture of the historical context. In other words, don't just say “Western US during the 1800s. Give definite dates, places, people, and events.

Book List

  1. Don’t Know Much About History: Everything You Need to Know About American History But Never Learned,

Kenneth C Davis.

  1. Locust: The Devastating Rise and Mysterious Disappearance of the Insect that Shaped the American Frontier, Jeffery Lockwood
  2. Decision in Philadelphia: The Constitutional Convention of 1787, Christopher Collier
  3. A Century of Dishonor, H. H. Jackson
  4. Autobiography of Frederick Douglas, F. Douglas
  5. Mayflower, Nathaniel Philbrick
  6. The Summer of 1787: The Men Who Invented the Constitution, David O. Stewart
  7. Silent Spring, R. Carson
  8. Nothing Like it in the World, Stephen Ambrose
  9. No Ordinary Time, D. Goodwin
  10. Assassination Vacation, Sarah Vowell
  11. The Wordy Shipmates, Sarah Vowell
  1. The Fifties, D. Halberstom
  2. Truman, David McCullough
  3. Ghost Soldiers: The Epic Account of World War II's Greatest Rescue Mission, Hampton Sides
  1. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, D. Brown
  2. The Strange Career of Jim Crow, C. Vann Woodward
  3. Team Of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, Doris Kearns Goodwin
  4. The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt, Edmund Morris
  5. Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation, Joseph Ellis
  6. First Family: Abigail and John Adams, by Joseph Ellis
  7. John Adams, David McCullough
  8. 1776, David McCullough
  9. Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of The American West, Stephen Ambrose
  10. After the Revolution: Profiles of Early American Culture, Joseph Ellis

32. A Rumor of War, Philip Caputo

34. Warriors Don’t Cry, Melba Pattillo Beales

  1. His Excellency: George Washington, Joseph Ellis
  2. Roots, Alex Haley
  3. April 1865: The Month That Saved America, Jay Winik
  4. Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer, James L Swanson
  5. In The Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex, Nathaniel Philbrick
  6. Alexander Hamilton, Ron Chernow
  7. Dearest Friend: A life of Abigail Adams, Lynne Whitney

42. The Scarlett Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne

43. The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, Sloan Wilson

44.Citizen Soldiers, S. Ambrose

45.All The President’s MenCarl Bernstein & Bob Woodward

46.American Lion: Andrew Jackson in The White House Jon Meacham

47. Booknotes - Stories From American History - Leading Historians On The Events

That Shaped Our CountryBrian Lamb