Discovering the Global Past: A Look at the Evidence, Second Edition, Vol. 2

Rating:
Summary: A Primary Source History Book
Review: Most history books are dull. Not this one!

I came across this book at a garage sale. I thought it might be useful to get ideas for History Day topics for my kids. I found it so interesting and well written that I read it cover to cover.

The reader learns history the way historians do-using primary sources. The book shows how to analyze letters, speeches, newspaper articles, maps, advertisements, statistical data, court records, and first person accounts. This is not a comprehensive history book, but rather a historical sampling of 15 topics. Some of the topics are "Conceptualizing the Modern World (1500s)", "The Confucian Family (1600-1800)", Islamic Fundamentalism and Renewal in West Africa (ca.1775-1820)", and "Globalism and Tribalism: Challenges to the Contemporary Nation-State (1980's-1990s)".

The Authors give a brief background, questions to consider, and suggestions to help the reader analyze the primary sources. I would strongly recommend this book to advanced placement high school or college level history teachers. It teaches critical thinking in a way rarely found in history texts.