I feel strongly about history for several reasons, one of which is attributable to George Santayana* and the other is that history is often far more unbelievable than fictional speculation and thus is entertaining. The problem I saw as a history teacher was that kids have been convinced that history is boring. I have found a contemporary author who has successfully addressed that problem.
Lory Kaufman has started a great series called The World of History Camp. I have reviewed his first two books, The Lensand the Looker and The Bronze and the Brimstone. In addition Lory was kind enough to respond to an interview request.
Lory’s work impressed me so much that I am going to be running a six post series on the Back Story of The World of History Camp. Lory writes a great YA action adventure story that demonstrates the value of knowing history. Considering the inability of our political leaders to learn (historically) from past mistakes, I feel Lory’s contributions, to promoting respect for history and the consequences for ignoring history are significant.
Lory has graciously agreed to provide a copy of The Lens and the Looker, his first book, to give away each month on my blog.
Go to Azure Dwarf on Sept. 9th to see the first post and the rules for the FREE book give away.
*George Santayana
is known for his (often-misquoted) comments: "Those who cannot remember
the past are condemned to fulfill it" which in my vernacular was (when I was
teaching history) “if you don’t study your history you are doomed to repeat it.”
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