AP World History Summer Reading
Welcome to AP World History. To obtain full credit for the course, please complete the
following assignments by the dates assigned below.
1) Open an Edmodo.com account. Go to www.edmodo.com and register as a
student. The class code is 1ib6za. You do not need to enter an e-mail. You need
to do this first since we will be using this site extensively throughout the school
year. Please do this by June 30.
2) Please read the Freakonomics article posted in Edmodo. When finished, post a
question or comment on the reading for discussion. Please do this by the second
day of school.
3) Please read Peter Stearns. 1998. “Why Study History,” American Historical
Association website. http://www.historians.org/pubs/free/WhyStudyHistory.htm.
When finished, please answer the question and be prepared to discuss on the
second day of class. Please do this by the second day of school.
4) Please read one of the books from the list attached and complete the following
before the first day of class on August 18, 2011.
a. Write a book review and post it on the class website.
i. A book review should be about 1 page, double-spaced, and include
the following:
1. Brief summary of the book (1 paragraph, two at the most)
2. Evaluation of the importance of the book. Should someone
who is interested in this part of the world or period in
history read the book? Why?
ii. Meaningfully comment on one other person’s review on a different
book.
5) Please begin exploring the textbook website at http://www.mhhe.com/bentley4.
You should bookmark the site since we will be using it continually throughout the
course. Pay special attention to the following parts:
a. Timelines
b. The Interactive Glossary
c. PSI Online
d. In the draw down menu “Choose a Chapter:” please choose chapter 34,
then explore the following:
i. Multiple Choice Quiz
ii. Chapter Outline
I will be available to answer questions almost all summer. If you have questions, please
feel free to e-mail me at mvogler@fusd1.org.
Michael Vogler
Summer Reading List
The following is a list of possible summer reading books. You may choose any of the
books on this list to read OR you may receive instructor approval for another book prior
to reading and writing your review.
Please be aware that some of the books on this list may be graphic and that I strongly
suggest that you review the books ahead of time (books that I have read and believe may
fit this description are marked with a *). Books marked with a + can be obtained from
Mr. Vogler for check-out.
Synopses of each book can be found at www.goodreads.com.
Medieval and Ancient History (Until 1500)
 +Eleanor of Acquitaine by Alison Weir
 +Joan of Arc in Her Own Words by Willard Trask
Renaissance and Enlightenment (1500-1900)
 +The Life of Elizabeth I by Alison Weir
 Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass
 +Six Wives: The Queens of Henry VIII by David Starkey
Modern History (1900-Today)
 Fallen Leaves: Memoirs of a Vietnamese Woman from 1940-1975 by Nguyen Thi
Thu-Lam, Thi T. Nguyen, Sandra Christenson, Edith Kreisler
 The File by Timothy Garton Ash
 +Honeymoon in Purdah by Alison Wearing
 +My Forbidden Face by Latifa
 +Princess by Jean Sasson*