AP World History 9 Summer Reading

Longwood High School Summer Reading List for

AP World History Grade 9
       
 Cover  Title Author  Description
 Adventures of Ibn Battuta  The Adventures of Ibn Battuta: A Muslim Traveler of the 14th Centurty  Dunn, Ross E.  Details the life and extensive travels of Ibn Battuta, an Islamic scholar of the fourteenth century, interpreting his career as a diplomatic envoy within the cultural and social context of Islamic society
 Book of Saladin  The Book of Saladin: A Novel  Ali, Tariq  Fictionally chronicles the life and court of Saladin, the Kurdish liberator of Jerusalem while showcasing the opulence of court life.
 The Broken Spears  The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico  Leon-Portilla, Miguel  Describes ancient Aztec civilization and presents Native American accounts of the persecution and slaughter that accompanied Cortes' conquest of Mexico.
 Buddha: A Story of Enlightenment  Buddha: A Story of Enlightenment  Chopra, Deepak  An account of the life of the Buddha, written for western readers, traces his spiritual journey while explaining how his experiences and teachings have changed the world and continue to influence every facet of life.
 Cod  Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World  Kurlansky, Mark  A history of the fish that has led to wars, stirred revolutions, sustained economies and diets, and helped in the settlement of North America features photographs, drawings, and recipes, as well as the natural history of this much sought after fish.
 Collapse  Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed  Diamond, Jared  A study of the downfall of some of history's greatest civilizations discusses the Anasazi, the Maya, and the Viking colony on Greenland, tracing patterns of environmental damage, poor political choices, and other factors in their demise.
 Cortes and Montezuma  Cortes and Montezuma  Collis, Maurice  Chronicles the Spanish exploration of Central America, beginning with Cortes' 1519 landing in Mexico, providing a view of the clash of two men and two worlds, one eventually doomed to extinction.
 Cows Pigs Wars Witches  Cows, Pigs, Wars, and Witches: The Riddles of Culture  Harris, Marvin   An anthropologist speculates on the origins of bizarre and mysterious human lifestyles, customs, and institutions throughout history.
 Death of Woman Wang  The Death of Woman Wang  Spence, Jonathan D.  Life in early modern China is depicted in intimate detail in an account, based on county histories, memoirs, and contemporary stories, of events in T'an-ch'eng county during the late years of the seventeenth century.
 Galileo's Daughter  Galileo's Daughter  Sobel, Dava  Presents a biography of the scientist through the surviving letters of his illegitimate daughter Maria Celeste, who wrote him from the Florence convent where she lived from the age of thirteen.
 Genghis: Birth of an Empire  Genghis: Birth of an Empire  Iggulden, Conn  Chronicles the rise to power of Genghis Khan, one of the world's most powerful and fearsome rulers, from his tragic beginnings, to the murder of his father, to his legendary exploits as a feared warrior who conquered much of the known world.
 Genghis: Lords of the Bow  Genghis: Lords of the Bow (sequel to Genghis: Birth of an Empire)  Iggulden, Conn  Continues the story of Genghis Khan as he embarks on a quest to conquer the mighty Chin empire, leaving a trail of devastation behind as he makes his way to Yenking, capital of the empire, and prepares to lay siege to the city and starve it into submission.
 Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World  Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World  Weatherford, Jack A re-evaluation of Genghis Khan's rise to power examines the reforms the conqueror instituted throughout his empire and his uniting of East and West, which set the foundation for the nation-states and economic systems of the modern era.
 Gilgamesh  Gilgamesh: A Verse Narrative  Mason, Herbert Presents a verse narrative of the ancient Babylonian epic about love, death, loss, heroes, and friendship, including an historical essay on the original poem.
 Guns, Germs, and Steel  Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies  Diamond, Jared  Dismantles racially based theories of human history by revealing the environmental factors he feels are responsible for history's broadest patterns.
 Gunpowder  Gunpowder: Alchemy, Bombards, and Pyrotechnics  Kelly, Jack Traces the history of the explosive mixture created by Chinese alchemists in the tenth century, a critical invention that has fueled innovations and shaped the technology of warfare and the evolution of modern history.
 Judge Dee At Work  Judge Dee At Work: 8 Chinese Detective Stories  VanGulik, Robert  The eight short stories in Judge Dee at Work cover a decade during which the judge served in four different provinces of the T'ang Empire.
 Leo Africanus  Leo Africanus  Maalouf, Amin  An imaginary autobiography of the famous geographer, adventurer, and scholar Hasan al-Wazzan. He wrote the first trilingual dictionary and Description of Africa.
 Mapping the Silk Road Mapping the Silk Road and Beyond  Nebenzahl, Kenneth  This volume reproduces in full color 80 beautifully rendered and rare maps, more than 40 of which have never been published for the general public.
 The Murder of King Tut  The Murder of King Tut  Patterson, James  The authors describe their investigation into the death of King Tut, recounting how they drew on forensic clues, historical information, and the writings of Howard Carter to conclude that Tut did not die of natural causes.
 The Ottoman Centuries  The Ottoman Centuries  Kinross, Lord Patrick  The definitive history of the rise and fall of the Turkish Empire.
 Over the edge of the world  Over the Edge of the World: Magellan's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe  Bergreen, Laurence  A chronicle of Ferdinand Magellan's sixteenth-century voyage around the world draws on first-person accounts and describes his crew's experiences with mutiny, navigation, death, and Magellan's ruthless leadership.
 Pastwatch  Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus  Card, Orson Scott  The fictional portrait of Christopher Columbus is combined with the story of a future scientist who believes she is capable of altering human history to create a world overflowing with hope and healing, but her interference has unexpected repercussions for the present and future.
 Pope Joan Pope Joan: A Novel Cross, Donna Woolfolk  Rebelling against medieval strictures forbidding the education of women, young Joan assumes the identity of her murdered brother and is initiated into the monastery of Fulda, where she distinguishes herself as a great Christian scholar before relocating to Rome and becoming a powerful force in religious politics
 Salt Salt: A World History Kurlansky, Mark  A history of salt notes its role as currency, in the establishment of trade routes and cities, and as an agenda of war, noting key figures who played major parts in its manufacture and distribution.
 Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree Ali, Tariq  Tells the story of a family in Moorish Spain and their attempts to survive after the fall of Granada.
 Siddhartha Siddhartha Hesse, Hermann  This allegorical novel, set in sixth-century India around the time of the Buddha, follows a young man on his search for enlightenment.
 Sundiata Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali Niane, Djibril Tamsir Sundiata grew up to fulfil the prophesies of the soothsayers that he would unite the twelve kingdoms of Mali into one of the most powerful empires ever known in Africa.
 The Tale of Kieu The Tale of Kieu: A Bilingual Edition Nguyen, Du  An epic Vietnamese poem tells the story of Kieu and his dignity in the face of misery.
 Tao of Pooh The Tao of Pooh Hoff, Benjamin  An expert in Chinese philosophy explains facets of Taoism using Milne's famous character and explores the world of Winnie-the-Pooh through Tao, characterizing Pooh as a simple bear who subscribes to the principles of successful living.
 The Travels of Marco Polo The Travels of Marco Polo Polo, Marco  His pilgrimage through the East began in 1271 when, still a teenager, he found himself traversing the most exotic lands-from the dazzling Mongol empire to Tibet and Burma. This fascinating chronicle still serves as the most vivid depiction of the mysterious East in the Middle Ages.
 When China Ruled the Seas When China Ruled the Seas: The Treasure Fleet of the Dragon Throne Levathes, Louise Drawing on eye-witness accounts, official Ming histories, and African, Arab, and Indian sources, many translated for the first time, Levathes brings readers inside China's most illustrious scientific and technological era.
 Witch Child Witch Child Rees, Celia In 1659, fourteen-year-old Mary Newbury keeps a journal of her voyage from England to the New World and her experiences living as a witch in a community of Puritans near Salem, Massachusetts.
Last updated June 15, 2012.