Literature Links to American History, 7-12: Resources to Enhance and Entice

Navajo Marines in World War II used a code based on their Native American language. Mary Todd Lincoln considered her mulatto dressmaker her best friend. Pioneer computer programmer Grace Hopper plucked a dead moth from an early computer, announcing that she had "debugged" the machine. Fascinating facts like these make literature an ideal teaching tool for U.S. history.

Covering everything from the American Revolution, slavery and abolition, and World War II to women's rights and the history of Coca-Cola, Literature Links to American History, 7-12: Resources to Enhance and Entice connects a broad range of genres and formats---including fiction, biography, graphic novels, CDs, and DVDs---to American history. Books are arranged chronologically according to the time period they cover, beginning with North America before 1600 and ending with a chapter entitled "Since 1975." Listed titles are in print and were positively reviewed by major journals or are widely held in library collections. They were chosen because they each offer a different perspective or overview of historical events or personages in American history that will enrich readers and entice them to explore additional sources.

Lynda G. Adamson, professor emeritus of literature, has published 12 reference works.