My Booklist

  • The book list provided below is a good resource for you when doing research for homework assignments or specific class topics. The books are organized by groups for easy reference. Simply click on the book title link to view additional information.

AP World

  • City of Thieves

    by David Benioff Year Published: Average
    This is the story of World World II through the eyes of two Russian defectors. It is a real portrayal of how awful and brutal war can be.

    Note: This book is available in our Library.
    Comments (-1)

  • Cry the Beloved Country

    by Alan Paton Year Published: Average
    This classic is set in South Africa, and chronicles the plight of blacks in apartheid South Africa. It is fiction but is very interesting.
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  • Dry White Season

    by Andre Brinke Year Published: Average

    This is a fictional book about apartheid South Africa. The story is through the eyes of an Afrikaner who realizes the injustices in the system.

    Comments (-1)

  • Escape from Slavery

    by Francis Bok Year Published: Easy Reading
    Francis Bok at seven years old gets kidnapped in Sudan and is sold to Arab slave traders.
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  • From Beirut to Jerusalem

    by Thomas Friedman Year Published: Average
    This is a must read if you are interested in learning about the Arab-Israeli conflict and how it spread to Lebanon. One of my favorite books.
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  • Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World

    by Jack Weatherford Year Published: Average
    This is the true story of Genghis Khan. It is fascinating to see how he conquered a huge land empire and how he really treated his subjects.
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  • God Grew Tired of Us

    by Bul Dau and John Sweeney Year Published: Easy Reading
    This book chronicles the Lost Boys of Sudan. It is a very heart wrenching story about survival.
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  • In the Garden of Beasts

    by Erik Larson Year Published: Average
    Gives a detailed of account of Hitler's rise to power in Germany through the eyes of the American Ambassador to Germany pre- World War II.
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  • It's Our Turn to Eat: The Story of a Kenyan Whistle-Blower

    by Michela Wrong Year Published: Challenging
    This book chronicles tribalism in Kenya. This is one of my favorite authors to read.
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  • Kaffir Boy

    by Mark Mathaban Year Published: Average
    This is a must read about life in South Africa during apartheid. One of the best books I have ever read.
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  • Kite Runner

    by Kaled Hosseini Year Published: Average

    This is the story of Afghanistan. It chronicles a friendship from two different backgrounds as Afghanistan changes from a monarchy to the religious rule of the Taliban.

     

    Note: This book is available in our Library.

    Comments (-1)

  • Lipstick Jihad

    by Azadeh Moaveni Year Published: Average
    This is the story of what it is like for women in Fundamentalist Iran.
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  • Long Walk to Freedom

    by Nelson Mandela Year Published: Average
    This is an autobiography written by Nelson Mandela. He has such an amazing story.
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  • Mao: The Unknown Story

    by Jung Chang and Jon Halliday Year Published: Challenging
    This is the story of Mao Zedong. It is very detailed and covers his life in its entirety. One of my all time favorites.
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  • Price of Honor

    by Jan Goodwin Year Published: Average
    This nonfiction book takes you through the plight of women in many Middle Eastern countries.
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  • Seraglio

    by Janet Wallach Year Published: Average

    This fiction book highlights the Ottoman harems. It really shows the life in a seraglio through the eyes of a French Woman.

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  • Slave: My True Story

    by Mende Nazer Year Published: Easy Reading
    This is the story of a girl taken at twelve to become a slave to Arabs in Sudan.
    Comments (-1)

  • The Chosen

    by Cham Potok Year Published: Average
    This is the story of two Jewish boys coming of age in the United States. As they age they question and explore the role religion plays in their lives.
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  • The Graves are Yet Not Full

    by Bill Berkeley Year Published: Challenging
    This book is about modern African problems related to tribalism.
    Comments (-1)

  • Vergeen

    by Mae Merdian Year Published: Easy Reading
    The book chronicles the Armenian genocide through the eyes of a little girl.
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  • What Went Wrong

    by Bernard Lewis Year Published: Challenging
    This book explores how Islam went from an advanced civilization during the Middle Ages to getting beat by the West over and over again. Bernard Lewis is the expert on the Middle East. His books are always interesting reads.
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  • When the Crocodile Eats the Sun

    by Peter Goodwin Year Published: Average
    This nonfiction book chronicles life in Zimbabwe through the eyes of a white farmer.
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Corporate Economics

  • Globalization and Its Discontents

    by Joseph Stiglitz Year Published: Average
    This is a look at the negatives to globalization.
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  • The Age of Turbulence

    by Alan Greenspan Year Published: Average
    This is a look at Alan Greenspan's life as the Federal Reserve Board Chair. It gives detailed accounts of the economic situations during the various decades.
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  • The Elephant and the Dragon

    by Robyn Meredith Year Published: Average
    This is a detailed look and the economies of India and China and what impact they will have on the rest of the world.
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  • The History of Money

    by Jack Weatherford Year Published: Average
    This is the story of money around the world.
    Comments (-1)

  • The Two Trillion Dollar Meltdown

    by Charles Morris Year Published: Challenging
    The Book chronicles the financial meltdown of 2007-2008.
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  • The World Is Flat

    by Thomas Freidman Year Published: Average
    This is a look at Economics in the world as a result of Globalization. Freidman proclaims the entire world can compete equally because of technology.
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Book recommendations

  • A History of God

    by Karen Armstrong Year Published: Challenging
    This is the history of all three monotheistic religions. It is a detailed account of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. It is for advanced readers only.
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  • Borderland

    by Anna Reid Year Published: Average
    This book chronicles the history of the Ukraine.
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  • Civilization: The West and the Rest

    by Niall Ferguson Year Published: Challenging

    This book chronicles the rise of Western civilization over Eastern Civilization. It references Jared Diamond, so I know all my former students will want to read this one.

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  • Pillars of the Earth

    by Ken Follett Year Published: Average
    This is a fictional book about the Middle Ages. The book gives a detailed description about what is is like to live during the Medieval Ages.
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  • The boy who dared

    by Susan Campbell Bartoletti in Books Year Published: Average
    In October, 1942, seventeen-year-old Helmuth Hubener, imprisoned for distributing anti-Nazi leaflets, recalls his past life and how he came to dedicate himself to bring the truth about Hitler and the war to the German people. This a great story about a young boy and his courage to do the right thing.

    Note: This book is available in our Library.
    Comments (-1)

  • The Long Walk

    by Slavomir Rawicz Year Published: Average
    Eight adults escape a work camp in Siberia.
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  • The Whisperers

    by Orlando Figes Year Published: Average
    This is a nonfiction book about what it is like to live during Stalin's reign in Russia. The real stories make this book a tremendous read.
    Comments (-1)

Sociology

  • Beautiful Boy

    by David Scheff Year Published: Average

    This is the story of addiction through the eyes of the father of the addict. This book should be read with Tweak because it is the addict's version of the same story.

     

    Note: This book is available in our Library.

    Comments (-1)

  • Beauty Pays: Why Attractive People Are More Successful

    by Daniel Hamermesh Year Published: Average
    This book explores the question of how much does it pay off in society to be better looking. It is really interesting to look at the correlation between looks and success.
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  • Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison

    by Piper Kerman Year Published: Average
    This is about a women who goes to Federal prison for drugs. It is an eye opening account of how she makes it through the sentence.
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  • Outliers

    by Malcolm Gladwell Year Published: Average
    This is the story of what it takes to be successful. It is a very interesting look at factors that make people rise to the top.
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  • Quiet

    by Susan Cain Year Published: Average
    This book explores the power of being quiet in a world full of extraverts.
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  • Stay Close

    by Libby Cataldi Year Published: Average

    This book chronicles a young boy's addiction. It is heart wrenching how all the resources in the world didn't matter when someone is an addict.

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  • The Lost Years: Surviving a Mother and Daughter's Worst Nightmare

    by Kristina Wandzilak and Constance Curry Year Published: Average
    This book chronicles what happens when a young girl becomes addicted to drugs. This shows how fast life unravels for both the addict and the family.
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  • Tweak

    by Nic Sheff Year Published: Average

    This is the story of a young boys addiction to crystal meth. It is an honest portrayal of drug addiction.

    Comments (-1)