Ellie’s Extra Recommendations

Looking for a specific source? Head to that specific episode’s page!

History Books for Kids

  • When Stars Were Scattered - Omar Mohamed, Victoria Jamieson

  • Foundations of Chinese Civilization B- Jing Liu

  • Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales - Nathan Hale

  • A Little History of the World - E. H. Gombrich

    • Note: This book is stunning, I highly recommend it. BUT it was written in the thirties and definitely needs some adult help contextualizing the eurocentrism and language.

  • A Long Walk to Water - Linda Sue Park

  • Far From the Bamboo Grove - Yoko Kawashima Watkins

  • The Book Thief - Markus Zusak

  • Boxers & Saints - Gene Luen Yang

Historical Fiction and Memoirs

In no order - a list of novels and memoirs that give a vivid picture of a time and place

  • Constellation of Vital Phenomena - Anthony Marra

  • Wild Swans - Jung Chang

  • Persepolis - Marjane Satrapi

  • Winds of War/War and Remembrance - Herman Wouk

  • Lonesome Dove - Larry McMurtry

  • War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy

  • There, There - Tommy Orange

  • Regeneration Trilogy - Pat Barker

  • Pachinko - Min Jin Lee

  • 7 Moons of Maali Almeida - Shehan Karunatilaka

  • Can You Hear the Night Bird Call? - Anita Rau Badami

  • The Old Drift - Namwali Serpell

  • In the Country of Men - Hisham Matar

  • The Amazing Adventures and Kavalier and Clay - Michael Chabon

  • Half of a Yellow Sun - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

  • Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel

  • The God of Small Things - Arundhati Roy

  • House of the Spirits - Isabel Allende

  • Cloud Cuckoo Land - Anthony Doerr

  • Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck

  • How Much of These Hills is Gold - C Pam Zhang

  • Giovanni’s Room - James Baldwin

  • Swimming in the Dark - Tomasz Jedrowski

  • Reading Lolita in Tehran - Azar Nafisi

  • North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell

  • Their Eyes Were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston

  • Floating in a Most Peculiar Way - Louis Onuorah Chude-Sokei

History Podcasts

  • The History Chicks

    I love this podcast, warm and wonderfully well researched. Favorite episodes include Lillian Gilbreth, Queen Lili'uokalani, Mary Anning, Dowager Empress Cixi, Catherine the Great, and "Typhoid" Mary Mallon. 

  • The Tides of History

    I especially love the interviews on this podcast. Some favorites are Interview With Shane Miller and Jessi Halligan on the White Sands Footprints and What was the Indus Valley Civilization? Interview with Dr. Adam Green.

  • Fall of Civilizations

    Fall of Civilizations

    Also available as videos on Youtube. My favorite is Easter Island - Where Giants Walked.

  • The Ancients

    I especially love the interviews on this podcast. Some favorites are Ancient Polynesia: Pioneers of the Pacific and The Origins of Civilisation.

  • You're Wrong About

    Mostly about the United States in the 80s and 90s. I love so many episodes but favorites include Political Correctness, Gangs, The “Ebonics” Controversy, The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, and Disco Demolition Night.

  • 99% Invisible

    Not a history podcast exactly, but many episodes cover historical events. Favorites include Freedom House Ambulance Service, and The Green Book.

  • Constitutional

    United States specific. Favorite episodes include Ancestry, Gender, and Fair Punishment. 

  • Stuff the British Stole

    The name says it all. My favorite episodes are A Tiger and a Scream and Best Named Dog Ever. 

  • Black Cowboys

    United States specific. Favorite episodes include Chief John Horse and Stagecoach Mary.