Sneak Peek #7: New American History Guide

[Carrie]

Ladies,

I apologize for the delay in between sneak peeks. Life is busy as usual, and although I have had the books selected for this next sneak peek for a long time, it is only now that I am getting time to actually share them with you.

First, I wanted to recap our journey toward the literature plan that we've come up for the new American History guide. I shared much of this journey when we introduced our literature plan for the World History Guide, but I will share it again below to set the stage for our literature plan for the new American History Guide.

With our oldest son (who graduated last year), we did a variety of things for his high school literature study. We did all of Smarr's Intro. to Lit, did a meshing of Smarr and LLATL Gold for British Lit, did BJU with novels for American Lit., and during his senior year did more of the approach we are taking with our American History guide for literature. While each program definitely had its merits, our son far and away enjoyed his final year of literature the most!

The question then becomes, "Why is this true?" From my perspective, it is true because for his senior year my son was able to read and enjoy the book without as much forced interpretation (from me)! He was able to linger with a book a bit more, allowing himself to take time to think on those parts of the book that struck him. This is because he had the responsibility for making the connections, instead of waiting for the quiz show question approach coming right after his reading to tell him what to notice. The question, question, question approach often tells the child that he/she only needs to pay attention to the answers to the questions; rather than forcing the student to really think for himself/herself.

We had our older son do both Common Place Book entries and annotate as he read and both went well! The Common Place Book entries kept him looking for quotable lines as he read. It also made sure that he didn't miss beautiful descriptive passages, significant quotes, or subtle nuances that may otherwise be glossed over in a rush to get done reading. In essence, it allowed him to stop and take note (because that was the goal of the assignment). The annotating was a personal way that connected our son with the reading, and it helped him note what stood out to him. Both of these exercises placed emphasis on the reading, rather than the follow-up. That is as it should be!

We've also discovered that a brief introduction of something to watch for or note in the day's reading was helpful. That set the stage a bit for the reader, focusing him/her on the story keeping the student from just jumping in and reading without thinking. This combined with Common Place Book entries and annotating made the reading purposeful. We will be providing these brief introductions as appropriate for the student.

We've also found that some guidance in reflection after reading was good, but it was better if the guidance really directed the child to reflect (rather than guiding the child to answer a question that required one right answer). Since reflection is often personal, journaling the response was a great way to reflect upon the day's reading. We'll be guiding the reflection within our plans.

Last, we met with our son after the book ended and discussed the story elements, but more importantly we discussed the book's theme and how that theme compared to what God tells us in His Word. We left these discussions pretty open to our oldest son and found that with his maturity (being a senior) this worked well. However, for the American History guide, with the younger age of those students in mind, it is helpful to have a bit more guidance in the discussion with the questions to ask and the Scriptures to go over. So, this will be something we will provide for families at the end of each book to aid in the discussion, as we did in the World History Guide. This type of discussion works best after the book is all done, as it allows for fully developed themes and plots to have revealed themselves and allows opportunity for more sifting and sorting through the entirety of the story to find the meaning.

As you can see, the plan above focuses on the book first and the analysis last. It doesn't interrupt the book with constant questioning or with continual essay-writing projects. It still gives you as the teacher a system of checks and balances, and makes it harder for the student to zone out of the reading by just finding the answers. After the year of testing this type of literature program with our oldest son, and now with our second oldest son through the World History Guide's literature, we are thrilled with the results. We pray you will be too as you embark on this study of literature along with us in the American History guide.

If you think about it, this type of literature program would be very difficult to circumvent through the use of Cliff Notes or Spark Notes (which are so often used in placed of actually reading the literary work). The continual reflection, annotation, and Common Place Book entries would not be easy to do unless you really read the book. Both oral narrations and written narrations would also be tough to pull off without reading the book. The discussion at the end of the book would be hard to participate in very much, if you hadn't really read the whole work either, as much of it will be interpretation. So, through this type of program, the child is being encouraged to pay attention, read purposefully, linger, select, reflect, draw conclusions, infer, synthesize, evaluate, and interpret.

In the end, the final reason we chose to do literature this way, was because as we looked at all the literature programs available and contemplated their use, we discovered many barriers. Often the program drew the reading of the book out too long, or (on the other hand) read the books much too quickly. Other programs asked way too many questions, or required a huge amount of essay-writing and written work (de-emphasizing the reading to the point of the writing taking over). Some programs didn't use full-length literature, or emphasized way too much poetry or contained purely excerpts and short stories. Still other programs were very focused on vocabulary exercises and one-right answer questions, leaving the students with little to reflect upon. Selecting a pre-made literature program also required me to use books that I would not really choose to use with my own children, and this did not sit well with me either!

I finally realized that to do any other literature program meant that the program would drive the book choices. Instead, we wanted the book choices to drive the program. This meant that in true Charlotte Mason style, the booklist should come first and be of the utmost important. So, this is how we arrived at the plan we have now.

While it is important that students gain practice in reading more difficult literature, it is a worthy goal for students to still being able to enjoy the experience as much as possible. High school level literature can often contain many adult themes that may leave a student feeling hopeless, depressed, and/or searching for meaning. So, in our book selections, we realized it is important to temper that without totally running from it. This means that we need to allow students to grapple with more difficult, adult themes without allowing the themes to become so heavy that they overtake the story until the child is weighted down in the reading. With this in mind, some books (in my opinion) are just better read as a mature adult.

For the literature portion of the new American History Guide we are using a combination of 8 novels, 8 short stories, 4 famous primary sources that often fall under the literature category, 1 full-length autobiography, and 1 play. Since this particular guide will focus on American literature, it is important that students be exposed to a variety of American authors. Short stories fulfill this role well, so these alternate with longer works of literature in our guide. The follow-ups for the short stories will include vocabulary work and more pointed questioning, which will be helpful to students in preparation for the ACT or SAT. While many of the short stories used in our guide are in the public domain, the versions of these stories we will carry will also contain follow-up questions and assignments as part of the short story booklet that will be needed to complete the plans. So, the specific version in our literature package will be needed. The variety of questioning and assignments for short stories alternated with the more Charlotte Mason focused real books follow-ups will provide a varied and interesting year of literature study for the students.

Selections for American Literature (in the new American History Guide): - marching forward in loose chronological order
The Robe by Lloyd C. Douglas
The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (with study guide)
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (excerpts only)
"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" by Jonathan Edwards (sermon)
"Rip Van Winkle" by Washington Irving (short story)
"The Man Without a Country" by Edward Everett Hale (short story)
From My Bondage, My Freedom by Frederick Douglas (excerpts only)
Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington
Christy by Catherine Marshall (for girls); Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith (for boys) and "To Build a Fire" by Jack London (short story for boys)
"The Purloined Letter" by Edgar Allen Poe (short story)
Girl of Limberlost by Gene Stratton Porter (for girls); The Hoosier Schoolmaster by Edward Eggleston (for boys)
The Virginian by Owen Wister
"The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky" by Stephen Crane (short story)
"The Ransom of Red Chief" by O. Henry (short story)
"The Miracle Worker" by William Gibson (play)
"The One-Million-Pound Bank-Note" by Mark Twain (short story)
"The Gift of the Magi" and "Mammon and the Archer" by O. Henry (short stories)
The Lilies of the Field by William E. Barrett
"I Have a Dream" and "Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Bartleby the Scrivener" by Herman Melville (short story)
The Mouse that Roared by Leonard Wibberley (Out of print now, so we will not include it)

A huge amount of time, prayer, and effort has gone into our book selections for literature. Each selection has a definite role to play and themes that are relevant today.

Blessings,
Carrie

[Jennymommy]

I'm so excited Two more years...of course, I'm looking forward to WH literature as well. God is so good to guide you through the literary jungle and lead us into peaceful territory. I mean that! I have been examining all the possibilities for a dear boy who may join us, or not, and of the many options, there have been none that I could conciensiously recommend. Thank you, Carrie.

[Carrie]

Ladies,

To help you a bit more, the publisher descriptions of the books/short stories/plays follow:

The Robe by Lloyd C. Douglas:
A Roman soldier, Marcellus, wins Christ's robe as a gambling prize. He then sets forth on a quest to find the truth about the Nazarene's robe-a quest that reaches to the very roots and heart of Christianity and is set against the vividly limned background of ancient Rome. Here is a timeless story of adventure, faith, and romance, a tale of spiritual longing and ultimate redemption.

The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain:
This treasured historical satire, played out in two very different socioeconomic worlds of 16th-century England, centers around the lives of two boys born in London on the same day: Edward, Prince of Wales, and Tom Canty, a street beggar. During a chance encounter, the two realize they are identical and, as a lark, decide to exchange clothes and roles — a situation that briefly, but drastically, alters the lives of both youngsters. The Prince, dressed in rags, wanders about the city's boisterous neighborhoods among the lower classes and endures a series of hardships; poor Tom, now living with the royals, is constantly filled with the dread of being discovered for who and what he really is. Brimming with gentle humor and discerning social scrutiny, this timeless tale of transposed identities remains one of Twain's most popular and best-loved novels.

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (with Christian study guide - see description below):
First published in 1850, The Scarlet Letter is Nathaniel Hawthorne's masterpiece and one of the greatest American novels. It's themes of sin, guilt and redemption, woven through a story of adultery in the early days of the Massachusetts Colony, are revealed with remarkable psychology penetration and understanding of the human heart. Hester Prynne is the adulteress, forced by the Puritan community to wear a scarlet letter A on the breast of her gown. Arthur Dimmesdale, the minister and the secret father of her child, Pearl, struggles with the agony of conscience and his own weakness. Roger Chillingworth, Hester's missing husband once returned, revenges himself on Dimmesdale by calculating assaults on the frail mental state of the conscience-stricken clerric. The result is an American tragedy of stark power and emotional depth that has mesmerized critices and readers for nearly a century and a half.

Christian Guide's to the Classics: Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter:
Popular professor, author, and literary expert Leland Ryken takes you through some of the greatest literature in history while answering your questions along the way. Each study guide includes an introduction to the author and work, explains the cultural context, incorporates published criticism, contains discussion questions at the end of each unit of the text, defines key literary terms, and evaluates the classic text from a Christian worldview. This guide opens up the signature book of American literature, Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter, and unpacks its universal themes of sin, guilt, and redemption.

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin (excerpts only):
Franklin's extraordinary range of interests and accomplishments are brilliantly recorded in his Autobiography, considered one of the classics of the genre. Covering his life up to his prewar stay in London as representative of the Pennsylvania Assembly, this charming self-portrait recalls Franklin's boyhood, his determination to achieve high moral standards, his work as a printer, experiments with electricity, political career, experiences during the French and Indian War, and more. Related in an honest, open, unaffected style, this highly readable account offers a wonderfully intimate glimpse of the Founding Father sometimes called "the wisest American."

"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" by Jonathan Edwards (sermon):
A sermon preached by Jonathan Edwards to his Enfield, Connecticut, congregation in July 1741, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" is particularly noted for its vivid descriptions of the torments of Hell and mankind's natural depravity. At the same time, it was also an appeal to man's need for salvation and a reminder of the agonies that awaited the unreformed. Coming during the height of the Great Awakening--a period of religious fervor in the first half of the eighteenth century--the homily was at once regarded by many as the greatest ever given on American soil and vehemently attacked by others as puritanical "fire and brimstone." One thing seems certain: it made a lasting impact on American Christianity.

"Rip Van Winkle" by Washington Irving (short story):
In a pleasant village, at the foot of New York's Catskill Mountains, lives kindly Rip Van Winkle, a colonial British-American villager of Dutch ancestry. Van Winkle enjoys solitary activities in the wilderness, but he is also loved by all in town—especially the children to whom he tells stories and gives toys. However, he tends to shirk hard work, to his nagging wife's dismay, which has caused his home and farm to fall into disarray. His life is turned upside-down after he drinks some moonshine with mysterious mountain men and falls asleep for twenty years.

"The Man Without a Country" by Edward Everett Hale (short story):
The story revolves around Phillip Nolan, an army lieutenant who develops a friendship with Aaron Burr. When Burr is tried for treason, Nolan is tried and convicted as an accomplice. Nolan declares, "I wish I may never hear of the United States again!" Remember the old adage "Be careful what you ask for?" "The Man Without a Country" is the story of American Army lieutenant Philip Nolan, who renounces his country during a trial for treason and is consequently sentenced to spend the rest of his days at sea without so much as a word of news about the United States.

From My Bondage, My Freedom by Frederick Douglas (excerpts only):
Born into slavery in 1818, Frederick Douglass escaped to freedom and became a passionate advocate for abolition and social change and the foremost spokesperson for the nation’s enslaved African American population in the years preceding the Civil War. My Bondage and My Freedom is Douglass’s masterful recounting of his remarkable life and a fiery condemnation of a political and social system that would reduce people to property and keep an entire race in chains.

Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington:
Born in a Virginia slave hut, Booker T. Washington (1856-1915) rose to become the most influential spokesman for African-Americans of his day. In this eloquently written book, he describes events in a remarkable life that began in bondage and culminated in worldwide recognition for his many accomplishments. In simply written yet stirring passages, he tells of his impoverished childhood and youth, the unrelenting struggle for an education, early teaching assignments, his selection in 1881 to head Tuskegee Institute, and more.

A firm believer in the value of education as the best route to advancement, Washington disapproved of civil-rights agitation and in so doing earned the opposition of many black intellectuals. Yet, he is today regarded as a major figure in the struggle for equal rights, one who founded a number of organizations to further the cause and who worked tirelessly to educate and unite African-Americans.

Christy by Catherine Marshall (for girls):
In the year 1912, nineteen-year-old Christy Huddleston leaves home to teach school in the Smoky Mountains -- and comes to know and love the resilient people of the region, with their fierce pride, their dark superstitions, their terrible poverty, and their yearning for beauty and truth. But her faith will be severely challenged by trial and tragedy, by the needs and unique strengths of two remarkable young men, and by a heart torn between true love and unwavering devotion.

Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith (for boys):
Jeff Bussey walked briskly up the rutted wagon road toward Fort Leavenworth on his way to join the Union volunteers. It was 1861 in Linn County, Kansas, and Jeff was elated at the prospect of fighting for the North at last.

In the Indian country south of Kansas there was dread in the air; and the name, Stand Watie, was on every tongue. A hero to the rebel, a devil to the Union man, Stand Watie led the Cherokee Indian Nation fearlessly and successfully on savage raids behind the Union lines. Jeff came to know the Watie men only too well.

He was probably the only soldier in the West to see the Civil War from both sides and live to tell about it. Amid the roar of cannon and the swish of flying grape, Jeff learned what it meant to fight in battle. He learned how it felt never to have enough to eat, to forage for his food or starve. He saw the green fields of Kansas and Oklahoma laid waste by Watie's raiding parties, homes gutted, precious corn deliberately uprooted. He marched endlessly across parched, hot land, through mud and slash-ing rain, always hungry, always dirty and dog-tired.

And, Jeff, plain-spoken and honest, made friends and enemies. The friends were strong men like Noah Babbitt, the itinerant printer who once walked from Topeka to Galveston to see the magnolias in bloom; boys like Jimmy Lear, too young to carry a gun but old enough to give up his life at Cane Hill; ugly, big-eared Heifer, who made the best sourdough biscuits in the Choctaw country; and beautiful Lucy Washbourne, rebel to the marrow and proud of it. The enemies were men of an-other breed - hard-bitten Captain Clardy for one, a cruel officer with hatred for Jeff in his eyes and a dark secret on his soul.

This is a rich and sweeping novel-rich in its panorama of history; in its details so clear that the reader never doubts for a moment that he is there; in its dozens of different people, each one fully realized and wholly recognizable. It is a story of a lesser -- known part of the Civil War, the Western campaign, a part different in its issues and its problems, and fought with a different savagery. Inexorably it moves to a dramatic climax, evoking a brilliant picture of a war and the men of both sides who fought in it.

"To Build a Fire" by Jack London (short story for boys):
Jack London's most read short story of a man and a dog and their struggle to survive against nature's indifference. This is a marvelously desolate short story set in the Klondike, but containing all the elements of a classic tragedy.

"The Purloined Letter" by Edgar Allen Poe (short story):
When a missing letter leads to blackmail, detective C. Auguste Dupin must deduce the location of it without raising the suspicion of the blackmailer. “The Purloined Letter” is the third short story by Edgar Allan Poe to feature detective C. August Dupin, widely recognized as one of the first fictional detectives in literature.

Girl of Limberlost by Gene Stratton Porter (for girls):
Rejected by her embittered mother and scorned by her classmates, Elnora Comstock seeks consolation in nature amid the wilds of eastern Indiana's Limberlost Swamp. Teeming with danger as well as beauty, the vast marshland offers Elnora an unexpected way to build a better life. Gene Stratton-Porter's A Girl of the Limberlost has captivated readers since its initial appearance in 1909. Its realistic characters are headed by an intelligent, independent heroine who has served as a positive role model for generations. Its portrait of Elnora's blossoming friendship with a young man who shares her joy in nature depicts a pure romance, rooted in shared interests and mutual respect. Written by a popular Midwestern author of the early twentieth century, this is a book to cherish.

The Hoosier Schoolmaster by Edward Eggleston (for boys):
Set in Flat Creek, Indiana, in the 1850s, the story relates the encounters of the new schoolteacher, Ralph Hartsook, with such lovable characters as Bud, Hannah, and Shocky. This marvelous tale contains all the elements of a good, old-fashioned melodrama―the bully, star-crossed lovers, the poorhouse, and the one-room schoolhouse. Written with Hoosier humor and candor, Eggleston's delightful portraits of heroes and villains are a bit sentimental, but they are also perceptive―full of life and truth.

The Virginian by Owen Wister:
Still as exciting and meaningful as when it was written in 1902, Owen Wister's epic tale of one man's journey into the untamed territory of Wyoming, where he is caught between his love for a woman and his quest for justice, has exemplified one of the most significant and enduring themes in all of American culture. With remarkable character depth and vivid descriptive passages, The Virginian stands not only as the first great novel of American Western literature, but as a testament to the eternal struggle between good and evil in humanity, and a revealing study of the forces that guide the combatants on both sides.

"The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky" by Stephen Crane (short story):
On board a train steaming toward the Texas town of Yellow Sky are the marshal of Yellow Sky, Jack Potter, and his bride. Meanwhile, the town villain, Scratchy Wilson, is on the prowl. He’s drunk and belligerent, with a revolver in each hand, and when none of the townspeople accepts his offer to fight, goes to Potter’s home to await the marshal’s return.

"The Ransom of Red Chief" by O. Henry (short story):
In the town of Summit, Missouri, no one has a better imagination than little Andy Dorset. When Andy's antics push his father over the edge, the boy decides to run away. Coincidentally, a pair of down-and-out swindlers are looking for someone to hold for ransom in order to make back their money on a scheme gone bad. Unfortunately for them, Andy isn't your average kid—or your average kidnapping victim.

"The Miracle Worker" by William Gibson (play):
Based on the remarkable true story of Helen Keller and her teacher Annie Sullivan, this inspiring and unforgettable play has moved countless readers and become an American classic. Young Helen Keller, blind, deaf, and mute since infancy, is in danger of being sent to an institution because her inability to communicate has left her frustrated and violent. In desperation, her parents seek help from the Perkins Institute, which sends them a "half-blind Yankee schoolgirl" named Annie Sullivan to tutor their daughter. Despite the Kellers' resistance and the belief that Helen "is like a little safe, locked, that no one can open," Annie suspects that within Helen lies the potential for more, if only she can reach her. Through persistence, love, and sheer stubbornness, Annie breaks through Helen's walls of silence and darkness and teaches her to communicate, bringing her into the world at last.

"The One-Million-Pound Bank-Note" by Mark Twain (short story):
"The Million Pound Bank Note" is a short story by Mark Twain set in Edwardian London. A penniless young man is given a million pound note as an interest free loan by two eccentric rich old men who are betting on whether or not he will be able to last the month.

"The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry (short story):
In a shabby New York flat, Della sobs as she counts the few coins she has saved to buy a Christmas present for her husband, Jim. A gift worthy of her devotion will require a great sacrifice: selling her long, beautiful hair. Jim, meanwhile, has made a sacrifice for Della that is no less difficult. As they exchange gifts on Christmas Eve, the discovery of what each has done fills them with despair, until they realize that the true gifts of Christmas can be found more readily in their humble apartment than in any fine store. O. Henry paints a masterly portrait of unfaltering love, a haven from the harsh world outside.

"Mammon and the Archer" by O. Henry (short story):
O. Henry's work 'Mammon and the Archer' is the story of the narrator's belief that money is a tool that one can manipulate to gain an advantage in a given situation. The protagonist, Anthony Rockwall, is a self-made millionaire, but he is held in contempt in the eyes of the aristocracy. In essence, his money doesn't afford him a higher rung in the social ladder. Anthony begins a conversation with his son, Richard, who fancies Miss Lantry. Richard believes that his father's money cannot help him with his situation; Miss Lantry is set to leave for Europe for two years. Anthony disagrees and sets out to prove his son wrong.

The Lilies of the Field by William E. Barrett:
One of the most beloved of modern classics. The enchanting story of two unlikely friends, a black ex-GI and the head of a group of German nuns, The Lilies of the Field tells the story of their impossible dream--to build a chapel in the desert.

"I Have a Dream" and" Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King, Jr.:
April 16th, the year is 1963. Birmingham, Alabama, has had a spring of nonviolent protests known as the Birmingham Campaign, seeking to draw attention to the segregation against blacks by the city government and downtown retailers. The organizers longed to create a nonviolent tension so severe that the powers that be would be forced to address the rampant racism head on. Recently arrested was Martin Luther King, Jr....

It is there in that jail cell that he writes this letter; on the margins of a newspaper he pens this defense of nonviolence against segregation. His accusers, though many, in this case were not the white racist leaders or retailers he protested against, but eight black men who saw him as "other" and as too extreme. To them and to the world he defended the notion that "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere". In ''Letter from Birmingham Jail,'' Martin Luther King Jr. explains why blacks can no longer be victims of inequality. King's ''I Have a Dream'' speech was delivered to 250,000 civil rights marchers in 1963.

"Bartleby the Scrivener" by Herman Melville (short story):
Bartleby is a kind of clerk, a copyist, "who obstinately refuses to go on doing the sort of writing demanded of him." During the spring of 1851, Melville felt similarly about his work on Moby Dick. Thus, Bartleby can be seen to represent Melville's frustration with his own situation as a writer, and the story itself is "about a writer who forsakes conventional modes because of an irresistible preoccupation with the most baffling philosophical questions."

The Mouse that Roared by Leonard Wibberley: (Out of print now, so we will not include it)
This classic cold war satire-cum-parable-cum-political farce was first serialized in the Saturday Evening Post almost 50 years ago, appearing under the title "The Day New York Was Invaded." At the time, the U.S. was afraid of a nuclear attack by Russia — so the idea of an attack by a small country was so absurd as to seem comical. Wibberley's tiny European nation is furious about unfair U.S. trading practices, so they send an army to invade New York City, march up Broadway, and accidentally capture the world's newest and most destructive bomb. Then they have to figure out what to do with it. A whimsical cross between Kubrick and Kafka, The Mouse That Roared is a quirky classic of world literature, a poignant tale of political morality, and a hilarious, ultimately triumphant portrait of international relations from the perspective of the little guy.

Blessings,
Carrie

[Nealewill]

Thank you so much for taking time to post these sneak peeks. I was outside working in my garden earlier today thinking about you. I can't even imagine the challenge you have right now with homeschooling your boys and planning for the next guide along with a most major barrier...vertigo! I truly can't imagine. It must be by God's power that you are able to keep moving forward. I also did say a prayer of protection for your family along with Julie's as I know Satan can be might nasty when you are doing a great work for the Kingdom!

Thanks for the updates. The books look amazing! And thanks for taking the time to post updates as you are able regarding future resources.

[Candice]

Thank you, Carrie.
I am continually amazed with all that goes into the HOD guides, it is obvious that they are prayerfully and so thoughtfully written. Thank you for your diligent work and your ministry, so many are blessed by you through Him.

[LynnH]

Carrie, I love the variety of these choices. I also am happy to see all the short stories, because I remember many short stories from my years of honors English in High School. I read Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God in high school before I became a Christian and it had a major impact on me. I know it was a seed that God planted that eventually led to my commitment to Christ in college.

We haven't done the lit in the WH guide yet, but I know I will like it more than the study guides I did with my daughter. I love that you are sticking with the same type of deeper thinking and interacting with the book in the American History guide.

[mamanlait]

I am looking forward to reading these choices. Wow! I can't even imagine having read all of these stories and novels as a junior in high school! I am pleased that you have chosen to incorporate journaling within this study rather than the typical questions and answers. Many thanks for your careful and thoughtful choices!

[Tiffini]

This is my favorite sneak peek each time - I love seeing your literature picks!! You have not disappointed me as usual. I can't wait to get started reading all of these. Do you have any idea when the Lit set will be available for ordering?

We just finished the WH guide on Friday and it all went seamlessly thanks to your amazing dedication to getting the new weeks out on time. Thank you so much for all you are doing. We are praying for you and your family very regularly.

[mom2four]

Would it be possible to let us know the first literary choice in order? I'd love my boys to get a jump on it if possible.