Pagin' Through History

When teaching AP World History, we talk a lot about various historically based books, the theories that authors present in them, and the implications of those theories on the study of history. Since I am an avid reader, I have read several such books, however found that I had some difficulty recalling enough of the details at the drop of a hat when asked for recommendations by students. I thought that the best way to organize my own thoughts about all the historical books I had read was to create a podcast series over this type of literature. This way, when students ask about specific books and what they were about, they can simply pick a book title from the list, listen to a 4-5 minute explanation of what the book was about and make an educated decision from there. The book descriptions in no way give students enough information to get away with not reading the book, if this were for an assignment, for example, but it would help them make informed decisions about what they would like to investigate further. Thus "Pagin' Through History," was born.

The first episode covers A History of the World in Six Glasses by Tom Standage. In this book, Standage relays the development of human civilization around six different beverages (beer, wine, spirits, tea, coffee and Coca-Cola) and explains how these beverages have shaped human civilizations, cultural interaction and human settlement. Within this first episode, I provide a brief explanation of some of Standage's theories and their historical connections for each beverage, before inviting listeners to tune in next time, when Jared Diamond's book, Guns, Germs and Steel, is discussed.

To listen to the first episode from my 513 homepage click here

Happy Listening!

Jessica Dowell