My Top Ten Texts (1 and 2)

1.  Whitney, David C. and Robin Vaughan Whitney. The American Presidents: Biographies of the Chief Executives from George Washington to Barack Obama.  The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. by permission of Direct Brands, Inc. (2009).  Revised and updated 11th edition.

This is a scrupulously researched collection of brief but extremely well-written biographies of all of the Presidents of the United States from George Washington to Barack Obama.  The book is compelling to me because each biography is, in terms of length, relatively brief so that each can be read and digested in a single sitting of thirty minutes or so.  While short in length, however, these pieces are long on fact and detail.  Each biography covers the life of that President from childhood, through every step of his professional and political career, through his presidency, and closes with a review of what the president did after his term was over.  A wonderful feature of the book is that each biography opens with an at-a-glance table and timeline that highlights the key facts and events in each president's life and presidency.  The essays are accompanied by many portraits, photographs and reproductions of important documents as well.

I will use this book in my Social Studies classes as a quick, ready reference for students to access a brief biography of each president that we study in class.  The compact and brief nature of each biography will give my students a framework upon which they can build and expand with further research and writing if need be.  The at-a-glance style tables and timelines at the beginning of each biography can be easily reproduced in the student's own notes to be used as an outline for an essay or research paper and as a study guide.  I envision keeping a copy of this book (and later editions as it is updated) in the classroom for easy access to the students as a research and study tool.  I will allow any student who needs it to check the book out for an evening or a weekend for research and study.

2.  Lindsay, Rae.  America's First Ladies: Power Players from Martha Washington to Michelle Obama.  Gilmour House/R & R Writers/Agents, Inc. (2009).

I have not read this book, but Rae Lindsey has written and published an impressive array of scholarly works of history and politics that have received highly favorable reviews.  This book received similarly favorable reviews, being described as "scholarly", "well researched" and "well written".    The book is a collection of biographical sketches of all of the First ladies from Martha Washington to Michelle Obama, and gives rich historical facts about the lives and times of each First Lady.  The book is not limited to simple biographical or anecdotal information.  The author spends considerable time describing the tasks and duties of the First Lady, with an emphasis on how each First Lady used that unofficial office as a major role player in American history and politics, often as a pioneer, or a stand-in or spokeswoman for the President.

I will keep a copy of this book in my classroom alongside my first Top Ten text, The American Presidents, discussed above.  I envision this book about First Ladies being used in the same way as the book on the Presidents, as a handy research and study guide, only this research and study guide will be from the perspective of the female gender.  I anticipate it being a nice balance to the book on the Presidents, and that it will expose my students to a perspective on history that they may not have considered.