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Miranda Barrett
LART 3106 – Text Set
Dr. Brown / Mr. Davis
1. Sinclair, U. (1906). The Jungle. Cutchogue, NY: Buccaneer Books, Inc.
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
Grade: 8
Genre: Realism
Pages: 200
Publication: 1906
Content Connection:
SSUSH13: a.) Explain Upton Sinclair’s the Jungle and federal oversight of the
meat packing industry
Summary:
The Jungle starts with a wedding: gentle giant Jurgis Rudkus has finally married
his young, fragile fiancée Ona Lukoszaite. The two are dancing at their wedding feast in
Chicago's meatpacking district, Packingtown. While there are already hints that things are
not well with this couple – Ona has to go to work the next day or else "It will ruin us!"
(1.41) – Jurgis promises his wife that he will work hard and look after her. Once they
arrive in the U.S., they discover that the streets aren't exactly paved with gold. They have
decided to look for work in Chicago's busy industrial stockyards, where thousands of
cattle are slaughtered and processed into canned and packaged meats every day. Jurgis
easily finds work because he is big and strong, but his father, Antanas, is elderly and can't
handle hard labor. Not only that, but the living conditions for their family are pretty
terrible, so they have to start looking for a house – which is way beyond their current
means. The Jungle reveals the issues of non-regulation in the meat packing industry and
the political corruption that is taking place during this time period.
http://www.shmoop.com/the-jungle/summary.html
2. Ray, M. (2001). Beyond the desert gate. Bathgate, MD: Bethlehem Books.
Beyond the Desert Gate by Mary Ray
Grade: 9
Genre: fiction. Juvenile fiction
Pages: 167
Publication: 2001
Content Connection:
SSWH2: The student will examine the political philosophical and cultural
interaction of classical Mediterranean societies from 700 BCE to 400 CE
Summary:
Palestine, first century A.D.-the Jews have revolted against Roman occupation.
The Ten Greek Cities of Palestine-the Decapolis-want only to continue their peaceful
trading existence, but they find themselves caught in the middle of the uprisings.
Apollodorus, a merchant of Philadelphia, takes a risk and rescues a man whom a Roman
patrol has left to die in the desert. When Apollodorus is killed by robbers, his three sons
are left almost penniless and must each find a way for themselves. Philo, the youngest, is
befriended by Xenos, the man saved from the desert, who has lost his memory. From him
the boy learns the art of the scribe, and together they try to find their identity-one from
the past, the other for the future.
http://www.ignatius.com/Products/BDG-P/beyond-the-desert-gate.aspx
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3. Tolkien, J. R. R. (1975). Sir Gawain and the green knight; Pearl and Sir Orfeo. New
York, NY: The Random House Publishing Group.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight; Pearl; and Sir Orfeo by J.R.R Tolkien
Grade: 10
Genre: Modern heroic fantasy
Pages: 148
Publication: 1975
Awards:
 2011 Bestseller Award
Content Connection:
SSWH7: The student will analyze European medieval society with regard to
culture, politics, society and economics.
Summary:
Sir Gawain and The Green Knight, Pearl, and Sir Orfeo are masterpieces of a
remote and exotic age--the age of chivalry and wizards, knights and holy quests. Yet it is
only in the unique artistry and imagination of J.R.R. Tolken that the language, romance,
and power of these great stories come to life for modern readers, in this masterful and
compelling new translation.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0345277600/abookintime-20
4. Dumas, A. (2007). The three musketeers. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, Inc.
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
Grade: 9-12 Genre: Classic
Pages: 720
Publication: 2007
Awards:
 Americas Bestselling co- translator of Anna Karenina
Content Connection:
SSWH14: The student will analyze the Age of Revolutions and Rebellions
Summary:
A young Gascon nobleman, D'Artagnan, sets off to Paris to realize his dreams of
being one of the King's musketeers. Events go off-track in the very beginning when his
letter of introduction is stolen by a mysterious gentleman. D'Artagnan reaches Paris and
befriends the titular trio and settles down comfortably to the scheme of life in 17th
century Paris. This peace is not to last because D'Artagnan and his friends, the Three
Musketeers, are embroiled in a web of intrigue and conspiracy as pawns in a struggle for
power among the most powerful people of the age: Cardinal Richlieu, Anne of Austria
and the Duke of Buckingham. They must escape the Cardinals ubiquitous agents, go on a
cross-country jewel chase and protect their queen's honor.
http://www.book-review-circle.com/The-Three-Musketeers-Alexandre-Dumas.html
5. Wiesel, E. (2006). Night. New York, NY: Hill and Wang.
Night by Elie Wiesel
Grade: 9
Genre: Autobiographical
Pages: 128
Publication: 2006
Awards:
 New York Bestseller of paperback books
Content Connection:
SSWH18: b.) Identify Nazi ideology, politics and consequences that led to the
Holocaust
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Summary:
Night is Elie Wiesel's personal account of the Holocaust as seen through the eyes
of a 15-year-old boy. The book describes Wiesel's first encounter with prejudice and
details the persecution of a people and the loss of his family. Wiesel's experiences in the
death camps of Auschwitz and Buchenwald are detailed; his accounts of starvation and
brutality are shattering, a vivid testimony to the consequences of evil. Throughout the
book, Wiesel speaks of the struggle to survive, the fight to stay alive while retaining
those qualities that make us human. While Wiesel lost his innocence and many of his
beliefs, he never lost his sense of compassion nor his inherent sense of right.
http://www.holocaust-trc.org/night.htm
6. Paine, T. (1997). Common sense. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, Inc.
Common Sense by Thomas Paine
Grade: 9-12 Genre: Non-fiction Pages: Pamphlet (3-5)
Publication: 1997
Content Connection:
SSUSH3: c.) Explain the importance of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense to the
movement for independence.
Summary:
Paine begins by distinguishing between government and society. Society,
according to Paine, is everything constructive and good that people join together to
accomplish. Government, on the other hand, is an institution whose sole purpose is to
protect us from our own vices. Government has its origins in the evil of man and is
therefore a necessary evil at best. Paine says that government's sole purpose is to protect
life, liberty and property, and that a government should be judged solely on the basis of
the extent to which it accomplishes this goal.
http://www.ouhsd.k12.ca.us/lmc/ohs/read/USHist.htm
7. Myers, W. D. (2001). Amistad: A long road to freedom. Baltimore, MD: Puffin Books.
Amistad by Walter Dean Myers
Grade: 5-9
Genre: Educational Non-fiction
Pages: 320
Publication: 2001
Content Connection:
SSUSH2: b.) Describe the Middle Passage, growth of the African population and
African American culture
Summary:
This is a dramatic factual account of the capture in West Africa, the hellish
journey aboard the slave ship on the Middle Passage, the sale in Cuba, the mutiny led by
Sengbe on the Amistad as it sailed from Cuba, the forced landing in Connecticut, the
subsequent court trials in the U.S., and the final struggle to return home. The design is
clear and readable, with spacious type, historic photographs and prints, a time line, a map
showing the voyages of the captives, and a bibliography. Myers includes considerable
detail drawn from primary reports but no source notes. The narrative is exciting, not only
the account of the uprising but also the tension of the court arguments about whether the
captives were property and what their rights were in a country that banned the slave trade
but allowed slavery. Myers distinguishes among the various captives, quoting the
children and the adults, as well as their great leader, Sengbe, who wanted to get home.
http://www.ouhsd.k12.ca.us/lmc/ohs/read/USHist.htm
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8. Shaara, M. (2004). The killer angels: A novel of the civil war. New York, NY: Random
House, Inc.
The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
Grade: 10-11 Genre: Civil war fiction
Pages: 355
Publication: 2004
Awards:
 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
Content Connection:
SSUSH9: The student will identify key events, issues, and individuals relating to
the causes, course, and consequences of the Civil War.
Summary:
This novel reveals more about the Battle of Gettysburg than any piece of learned
nonfiction on the same subject. Michael Shaara's account of the three most important
days of the Civil War features deft characterizations of all of the main actors, including
Lee, Longstreet, Pickett, Buford, and Hancock. The most inspiring figure in the book,
however, is Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, whose 20th Maine regiment of
volunteers held the Union's left flank on the second day of the battle. This unit's bravery
at Little Round Top helped turned the tide of the war against the rebels. There are also
plenty of maps, which convey a complete sense of what happened July 1-3, 1863.
Reading about the past is rarely so much fun as on these pages.
http://www.ouhsd.k12.ca.us/lmc/ohs/read/USHist.htm
9. McCullough, D. (2005). 1776. New York, NY: Simon and Shuster.
1776 by David McCullough
Grade: 11
Genre: non-fiction
Pages: 420
Publication: 2005
Awards:
 Nation Book Award
Content Connection:
SSUSH4: The student will identify the ideological, military and diplomatic
aspects of the American Revolution
Summary:
Esteemed historian David McCullough covers the military side of the momentous
year of 1776 with characteristic insight and a gripping narrative, adding new scholarship
and a fresh perspective to the beginning of the American Revolution. It was a turbulent
and confusing time. As British and American politicians struggled to reach a
compromise, events on the ground escalated until war was inevitable. McCullough writes
vividly about the dismal conditions that troops on both sides had to endure, including an
unusually harsh winter, and the role that luck and the whims of the weather played in
helping the colonial forces hold off the world's greatest army. He also effectively
explores the importance of motivation and troop morale--a tie was as good as a win to the
Americans, while anything short of overwhelming victory was disheartening to the
British, who expected a swift end to the war. The redcoat retreat from Boston, for
example, was particularly humiliating for the British, while the minor American victory
at Trenton was magnified despite its limited strategic importance. Some of the strongest
passages in 1776 are the revealing and well-rounded portraits of the Georges on both
sides of the Atlantic.
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http://www.ouhsd.k12.ca.us/lmc/ohs/read/USHist.htm
10. Hawthorne, N. (1850). Scarlett letter. Lindenhurst, NY: Tribeca Books.
Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Grade: 11
Genre: Romantic, Historical
Pages: 215
Publication: 1850
Awards:
 Pulitzer Prize
Content Connection:
SSUSH1: b.) Describe the settlement of New England; include religious reasons,
religious tensions,
Summary:
The Scarlet Letter follows the public shaming and punishment of a young woman
named Hester Prynne in mid-17th century Boston (a.k.a. the Massachusetts Bay Colony).
When Hester becomes pregnant, everyone believes her to be guilty of adultery: she has
been separated from her husband for two full years, and the baby cannot be his. The
magistrates (local law enforcers) and ministers order her to wear a scarlet letter "A" on
the bodice of her dress, so that everyone can know about her adultery.
http://www.shmoop.com/scarlet-letter/summary.html
11. Twain, M. (1985). The adventures of huckleberry finn. New York, NY: Tom Doherty
Associates, Inc.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Grade: 10-11
Genre: Fiction, classic
Publication: 1985
Content Connection:
SSUSH10: The student will identify legal, political and social dimensions of
Reconstruction.
Summary:
Huck's adventures on a raft on the Mississippi River begin with his escape from
his drunken, brutal father. Huck meets up with Jim, a runaway slave, and what follows is
their story downstream and occasional encounters with town life along the banks of the
river. The novel is also a penetrating social commentary that reveals corruption, moral
decay, and intellectual impoverishment. Through Jim, Huck learns about the dignity and
worth of human life.
http://www.ouhsd.k12.ca.us/lmc/ohs/read/USHist.htm
12. Dreiser, T. (1964). An american tragedy. New York, NY: New American Library, a
division of Penguin Putnam, Inc.
An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser
Grade: 12
Genre: Classic
Pages: 604
Publication: 1964
Awards:
Time Magazine's list of the top 100 novels written in English since 1923
Content Connection:
SSUSH13: The student will identify major efforts to reform American society and
politics in the Progressive Era.
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Summary:
This Theodore Dreiser's novel published in 1945 is nothing less than what it
purports to be, the harrowing story of a weak-willed young man who destroys himself, a
villain who is also victim of the values of a deceptive, materialistic society. Dreiser
patterned the story of Clyde Griffiths on a real-life murder that took place in 1906, a
charming young social climber who killed his pregnant young girlfriend in order to
romance a rich girl who had begun to notice him. A powerful murder story, An American
Tragedy is much more than that. For Dreiser pours his own dark yearnings into the
character of Clyde Griffiths, while grimly charting the young man's pitiful rise and fall as
he pursues empty ambitions to wealth, power and satisfaction.
http://www.ouhsd.k12.ca.us/lmc/ohs/read/USHist.htm
13. Schiff, S. (2010). Cleopatra: A life. New York, NY: Little, Brown, and Company; a
division of Hatchette Book Group, Inc.
Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff
Grade: 9-11 Genre: Fiction
Pages: 368
Publication: 2010
Awards:
Pulitzer Prize
Content Connection:
SSWH1: b.) Describe the relationship between religion and political authority in
Ancient Egypt.
Summary:
The Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer brings to life the most intriguing woman in
the history of the world: Cleopatra, the last queen of Egypt. Though her life spanned
fewer than 40 years, it reshaped the contours of the ancient world.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7968243-cleopatra
14. Weatherford, J. (2004). Ghengis khan and the making of the modern world. New York,
NY: Three Rivers Press.
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford
Grade: 8-10 Genre: Historical, fiction
Pages: 352
Publication: 2004
Content Connection:
SSWH4: d.) Analyze the spread of the Mongol Empire; include the role of
Genghis Khan in developing the Empire
Summary:
The Mongol army led by Genghis Khan subjugated more lands and people in
twenty years than the Romans did in four hundred. In nearly every country the Mongols
conquered, they brought an unprecedented rise in cultural communication, expanded
trade, and a blossoming of civilization. Vastly more progressive than his European or
Asian counterparts, Genghis Khan abolished torture, granted universal religious freedom,
and smashed feudal systems of aristocratic privilege. From the story of his rise through
the tribal culture to the explosion of civilization that the Mongol Empire unleashed, this
brilliant work of revisionist history is nothing less than the epic story of how the modern
world was made.
http://www.goodreads.com/genres/world-history
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15. Massie, R. K. (1967). Nicholas and alexandra: The classic account of the fall of the
romanov dynasty. New York, NY: The Random House Publishing Group.
Nicholas and Alexandra by Robert K. Massie
Grade: 10
Genre: Non-fiction Pages: 640
Publication: 1967
Awards:
Pulitzer Prize
Content Connection:
SSWH16: d.) Analyze the destabilization of Europe in the collapse of great
empires; include the Romanov and Hapsburg dynasties.
Summary:
In this commanding book, Pulitzer Prize winning author Robert K. Massie sweeps
readers back to the extraordinary world of Imperial Russia to tell the story of the
Romanovs’ lives: Nicholas’s political naïveté, Alexandra’s obsession with the corrupt
mystic Rasputin, and little Alexis’s brave struggle with hemophilia. Against a lavish
backdrop of luxury and intrigue, Massie unfolds a powerful drama of passion and history,
the story of a doomed empire and the death-marked royals who watched it crumble.
http://www.alexanderpalace.org/palace/books.html?sku=44
16. Crane, S. (1895). The red badge of courage. New York, NY: D. Appleton & Co.
The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
Grade: 11
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 391
Publication: 1895
Content Connection:
SSUSH9: The student will identify key events, issues, and individuals relating to
the causes, course and consequences of the Civil War.
Summary:
Henry Fleming is a teenager with romantic notions about the glories of war. He
enlists in the Union army and quickly discovers sides of himself he never knew existed.
The horrors, boredom, and complete injustice of war bring out all of Henry’s worst (and
occasionally best) tendencies.
http://www.shmoop.com/red-badge-of-courage/summary.html
17. Dutemple, L. A. (2003). The panama canal (great building feats). Minneapolis, MN:
Lerner Publishing Group.
The Panama Canal (Great Building Feats) by Lesley A. Dutemple
Grade: 6-9
Genre: Non-fiction Pages: 96
Publication: 2003
Content Connection:
SSUSH14: c.) Explain U.S. involvement in Latin America, as reflected by the
Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine and the creation of the Panama Canal.
Summary:
Great Building Feats shows how and why the world's greatest structures were
created, and how engineering, geographical, and technical challenges were overcome
during construction. Requiring the best minds of its time, each structure was, and
remains, innovative and fascinating in both its creation and appearance.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/910269.The_Panama_Canal#
18. Arrianus, F. (1976). The campaigns of alexander. New York, NY: Penguin Books.
The Campaigns of Alexander by Flavius Arrianus
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Grade: 8-11 Genre: Non-fiction Pages: 430
Publication: 1976
Content Connection:
SSWH3: The student will examine the political, philosophical, and cultural
interaction of classical Mediterranean societies from 700 BCE to 400 CE
Summary:
Although written over four hundred years after Alexander's death, Arrian's
Campaigns of Alexander' is our best source of knowledge of the man and his deeds.
Arrain had himself been a military commander, and his record of the exploits of the
world's greatest conqueror reveals sympathy for his subject. Arrain's unaffected style of
writing, with its matter-of-fact tone, offsets the remarkable career and paradoxical nature
of Alexander, giving us a fair, clear report about a man who was worshipped as a god in
his own lifetime.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/862639.The_Campaigns_of_Alexander#
19. O'Rourke, P. J. (1998). Eat the rich: A treatise on economics. New York, NY: Atlantic
Monthly Press.
Eat the Rich: A Treatise on Economics by P.J O’Rourke
Grade: 12-College Genre: Non-fiction, Educational Pages: 272 Publication: 1998
Awards:
National Book Award
Content Connection:
SSUSH21: The student will explain the impact of economic growth of the U.S.
Summary:
America's favorite political humorist leads readers on a hysterical whirlwind tour,
from the "good capitalism" of Wall Street to the "bad socialism" of Cuba, in search of an
answer to the age-old question: "Why do some places prosper and thrive, while others
just suck?"
http://www.bookbrowse.com/reviews/index.cfm/book_number/215/eat-the-rich
20. Dickens, C. (1859). A tale of two cities. Calgary, Alberta, Canada: Qualitas Publishing.
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Grade: 11
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 489
Publication: 1859
Awards:
Academy Award for Best Picture
Content Connection:
SSWH14: The student will analyze the Age of Revolutions and Rebellions
Summary:
After eighteen years as a political prisoner in the Bastille, the aging Doctor
Manette is finally released and reunited with his daughter in England. There the lives of
two very different men, Charles Darnay, an exiled French aristocrat, and Sydney Carton,
a disreputable but brilliant English lawyer, become enmeshed through their love for
Lucie Manette. From the tranquil roads of London, they are drawn against their will to
the vengeful, bloodstained streets of Paris at the height of the Reign of Terror, and they
soon fall under the lethal shadow of La Guillotine.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1953.A_Tale_of_Two_Cities#
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21. Lowry, L. (1989). Number the stars. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publishing Company.
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
Grade: 8-9
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 137
Publication: 1989
Awards:
Newbery Medal in 1990
Content Connection:
SSWH18: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the global political
economic and social impact of WWII.
Summary:
The story centers on ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen, who lived in Copenhagen,
Denmark, in 1943 and was caught up in the events surrounding the rescue of the Danish
Jews. She and her family risked their lives to help Annemarie's best friend, Ellen Rosen,
by pretending that Ellen is Annemarie's older sister. Annemarie's older sister had died
earlier in the war as a result of her work with the Danish Resistance. The story's title is
taken from a reference to Psalm 147, in which the writer of the book relates that God has
numbered all the stars in the universe. It is meant to tie into the Star of David, specifically
to Ellen's necklace, which is symbolic to the story.
http://www.bookrags.com/Number_the_Stars
22. Salinger, J. D. (1951). The catcher in the rye. New York, NY: Little, Brown, and
Company; a division of Hatchette Book Group, Inc.
The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
Grade: 7-12 Genre: Bildungsroman
Pages: 214
Publication: 1951
Awards:
Time's 100 best English language novels from 1923 to 2005
Modern Library's best 100 English language novels in the 20th century
Content Connection:
SSUSH19: The student will identify the origins, major developments, and the
domestic impact of WWII.
Summary:
The hero-narrator is a sixteen year-old named Holden Caulfield. After he is
expelled from his prep school, he goes underground in New York for three days.
Confused and disillusioned, he searches for truth and rails against the "phoniness" of the
adult world. He ends up exhausted and emotionally ill in a psychiatrist's office. After he
recovers, he tells his story in this novel.
http://www.ouhsd.k12.ca.us/lmc/ohs/read/USHist.htm
23. O'Brien, T. (1978). Going after cacciato. New York, NY: Broadway Books.
Going After Cacciato, Tim O'Brien
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Grade: 11
Genre: Fiction Pages: 349
Publication: 1978
Awards:
 1979 National Book Award
Content Connection:
SSUSH19: The student will identify the origins, major developments, and the
domestic impact of WWII
Summary:
Reality and fantasy merge in this fictional account of one private's sudden
decision to lay down his rifle and begin a quixotic journey from the jungles of Indochina
to the streets of Paris. Will Cacciato make it all the way? Or will he be yet another
casualty of a conflict that seems to have no end? In its memorable evocation of men both
fleeing and meeting the demands of battle, Going after Cacciato stands as much more
than just a great war novel. Ultimately it's about the forces of fear and heroism that do
battle in the hearts of us all.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3446.Going_After_Cacciato#
24. Wormser, R. (2003). The rise and fall of jim crow. New York, NY: St. Martin's Press.
The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow, Richard Wormser
Grade: 9-12 Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 224 Publication: 2003
Content Connection:
SSUSH22: The student will identify dimensions of the Civil Rights Movement
1945-1970.
Summary:
Richard Wormser has been working on this important documentary for seven
years. Worse than Slavery will incorporate historical commentary and oral history along
with more than 100 images, bringing the brutality and courage of the African American
struggle for equality to life. Beginning with the period from 1865 to 1896, the book
covers the end of the Civil War and Reconstruction, periods that held so much promise
for black men and women. What followed was the dramatic rise of a successful black
middle class and the determination of white supremacists to destroy this fledgling black
political power. The years between World Wars I and II (1951 to1954) produced a period
of black activism that ultimately resulted in the Brown vs. Board of Education decision
which desegregated public schools.
http://www.amazon.com/Rise-Fall-Jim-Crow/dp/0312313268#
25. Reynolds, D. S. (2012, January 02). Did a novel start the civil war? The New York Times
Upfront, 144(8), 24-27.
Did a Novel Start the Civil War?, The New York Times Upfront , David S. Reynolds
Grade: 9-12 Genre: History and Current Events Publication: 2012
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Content Connection:
SSUSH9: The student will identify key events, issues, and individuals relating to
the causes, course, and consequences of the Civil War.
Summary:
This article reviews the affect that Harriet Beecher Stowe’s 1852 publication of
her book Uncle Tom’s Cabin may have had on the Civil War. The article revisits
Beecher’s meeting with President Lincoln in which she urged him to sign the
Emancipation Proclamation. Beecher wrote this book in response and opposition to the
Fugitive Slave Law of 1850. Uncle Tom’s Cabin was an unprecedented success, with
sales of over two million, within the first year of publication. The relationship and
admiration between Beecher and Lincoln grew throughout the tumultuous years of the
Civil War and Beecher’s influence in the abolitionist movement is chronicled in this
article.