Social Studies Education

What makes a country fall to a dictator? How are authoritarian leaders - strongmen - capable of killing millions acquire their power? How are they able to defeat the ideal of democracy? And what can we do to make sure it doesn't happen again? By profiling five of the most notoriously ruthless dictators in history - Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, and Saddam Hussein - Kenneth C. Davis seeks to answer these questions, examining the forces in these strongmen's personal lives and historical periods that shaped the leaders they'd become.

You may never have heard of him, but you've probably heard of the many people civil rights activist Bayard Rustin influenced. He was a mentor to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and refused to move to the back of the bus many years before Rosa Parks did. The son of a freed slave, Bayard Rustin grew up during the peak of the Jim Crow laws, which segregated Blacks and Whites.

In a smart, entertaining, reassuring book that reads like fiction, Alexandra Robbins manages to cross Gossip Girl with Freaks and Geeks and explain the fascinating psychology and science behind popularity and outcasthood. She reveals that the things that set students apart in high school are the things that help them stand out later in life.

Book summary of How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.

Explore captivating Native American myths.

Teaching kids about money isn't easy. So let Scott Pape, the Barefoot Investor, do it for you! Scott takes them on an epic, thrilling money ADVENTURE - with fun projects, inspiring stories from 45 kids, rewards and real-life stickers. It's easily the most unique finance book ever written. Kids will roll up their sleeves, get their hands dirty, and learn the value of a buck the old-fashioned way.

George Washington knew he was setting an example in everything he did. The first American president had been a heroic military commander during the Revolutionary War, leading his forces to victory. As president he would guide the citizens of a new republic with a strong central government. No more would each state make its own decisions. Instead, they would band together, with the beloved Washington leading the way. It was up to him not to abuse the power of his mighty position.

Experience the lives and daring deeds of modern-day spies!

Presidential politics has always been a minefield of competition, excitement, and even scandal. Learn about the evolution of presidential politics from the election of George Washington, the nation's first president, to the election of Barack Obama, the nation's first black president. Learn which elements have stood the test of time, such as the Electoral College, and other elements, such as voting rights and processes, that have evolved with the changing times.

In an immersive, exciting narrative nonfiction format, this powerful book follows a selection of people who experienced the events surrounding the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

After Confederate General Robert E. Lee's surrender on April 9, 1865, the Civil War finally appeared to be coming to a close. But the nation's joy was about to be cut short by a sinister assassination plot and one of the largest manhunts in US history. Through powerful narrative storytelling, follow the tales of people who experienced the tragedy firsthand.

The founder of the international Transition Towns movement asks why true creative, positive thinking is in decline, asserts that it's more important now than ever, and suggests ways our communities can revive and reclaim it.

This audiobook describes some of the things that fire fighters do to help protect people and their homes.

Private Investigations provides practical guidance on all aspects of the investigative process and details how the different phases come together to ensure a successful outcome. It teaches the fundamental elements of an investigation, i.e., surveillance, open-source intelligence gathering, the handling of informants, other covert activities, evaluation of evidence, and much more.

An urgent account of the revolution that has upended the news business, authored by one of the most accomplished journalists of our time.

Short on time? Or maybe you’ve already read or listened to the book, but need a refresh on the most important takeaways. In a quick, easy listen, you can take the main principles from On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century! This is a summary of On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, in which Timothy Snyder provides a stark warning for the future of American democracy.

Nick McDonell grew up on New York City’s Upper East Side, a neighborhood defined by its wealth and influence. As a child, McDonell enjoyed everything that rarefied world entailed—sailing lessons in the Hamptons, school galas at the Met, and holiday trips on private jets. But as an adult, he left it behind to become a foreign correspondent in Iraq and Afghanistan. In Quiet Street, McDonell returns to the sidewalks of his youth, exhuming with bracing honesty his upbringing and those of his affluent peers.

Short on time? Or maybe you’ve already read the book, but need a refresh on the most important takeaways. In a quick, easy read, you can take the main principles from Outliers: The Story of Success. Outliers asserts that a person’s background and environment are every bit as important as intelligence and drive in achieving success. Critics have complained that Gladwell’s explanations for success are simply interesting, but too simplistic. However, the book has sold millions of copies and remains popular.

Using campus social justice movements as an entry point, Leigh Patel shows how the struggles in higher education often directly challenged the tension between narratives of education as a pathway to improvement and the structural reality of settler colonialism that creates and protects wealth for a select few.

If I were the president, I would be Commander in Chief. I would help keep the country safe. I would also play tennis on my own court. Dream big, and see what fun it is to be the president.