Hello,
My wife and I are taking two of our grandchildren (14 and 16 years old) on a 30 day adventure to England and Ireland. We would like to get suggestions on a book or two for each country that that we can read before we go would give us a better cultural and historical understanding of the areas we are visiting.
We would appreciate any suggestions you can offer.
Thank you in advance for your help!
You asked for a "cultural and historical understanding of England." I'd recommend "The Intelligent Traveller's Guide to Historic Britain" by Philip A. Crowl, 1983, 800 pages.
You aren't required to read it in its entirety. :-)
This book would be for the adults, not the teens.
This is in today's NYT:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/21/opinion/how-the-irish-won-their-freedom.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage
I can suggest several works of fiction about the Irish divide ("Cal", the very sad "The Butcher Boy"), and of course there are many films (The Wind that Shakes the Barley, Michael Collins, In the Name of the Father...) that I might make my 14 and 16 yo's watch and read ;)
For the English history I'll defer to someone else--
Here are some books by Edward Rutherford that are wonderful for both adults and teenagers: Ireland Awakening, Dublin,The Forest, London and Sarum. He writes in a style similar to Michener as he writes about different families in these different regions thru the timeline and how everything ties together in the end. This way you get the history of the area in a novelized way. I have read all of these except the first one and thoroughly enjoyed them. Also watch Victoria on PBS. Enjoy your trip!
"The Story of England" by Christopher Hibbert. A very concise history. 189 pages of text, with maps and a timeline in the back of the book.
As recommended above, IMO the Rutherford books are good if you're looking for a less dry, novelistic approach to the subject.
And Hibbert's book is good if you're looking for something more concise than the Crowl work.
Thanks to all of you that provided suggestions! We appreciate your help making our trip successful!
If you look under the tours that Rick Steves has on this website, he has listed films and movies for these locations.
I am interested in Irish history and read Ireland by Frank Delaney and A Short History of Ireland and The Immortal Irishmen by Timothy Egan.
Also if you goggle you will get lots of recommendations.
Fun to watch some films as well......The Quiet Man, The Wind That Shakes The Barley, 71, Waking Ned Devine, Ryan’s Daughter.
Love 🇮🇪!! Enjoy your trip!
My wife and I are taking two of our grandchildren (14 and 16 years
old) on a 30 day adventure to England and Ireland. We would like to
get suggestions on a book or two for each country that that we can
read before we go would give us a better cultural and historical
understanding of the areas we are visiting.We would appreciate any suggestions you can offer.
Both you and your grandchildren should go to the travel section of your local libraries and start perusing the travel books for England and Ireland. Get them involved as much as you are on the itinerary.
As a high school History teacher this may sound contradictory but I would suggest your granddaughters start with some historical fiction. I find teens are more likely to get hooked on historical topics when they start with fictional stories based on historical events. After reading a historical novel they are more likely to have questions about a place and will then be willing to delve into some historical texts on the places you plan to visit. If you search goodreads for Irish or English historical fiction I'm sure your granddaughters will find a book or two that will interest them. Fictional stories based on historical facts can help history come alive.
As a high school History teacher this may sound contradictory but I
would suggest your granddaughters start with some historical
fiction....Fictional stories based on historical facts can help
history come alive.
What a great suggestion!
This is probably too obvious but.....the back of the Rick Steves Tour Guidebooks have nicely condensed histories to get you off on the right foot. Your kids might appreciate these “Cliff Notes” version to start with.
