Assigned Literature
The Exploring Government curriculum assigns the following four books.
- Mornings on Horseback by David McCullough (Units 1-4)
- The Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge by Calvin Coolidge (Units 5-6)
- Born Again by Charles Colson (Units 7-11)
- God and Ronald Reagan by Paul Kengor (Units 12-15)
Alternate Literature
If you choose not to use one or more of the books that we suggest for this curriculum, here are some other titles for you to consider:
- Reimagining Greenville: Building the Best Downtown in America by John Boyanoski with Knox White (The History Press, 2013). This book recounts the remaking of downtown Greenville, South Carolina, from a typical rundown inner city to a beautiful and popular setting. It is a great case study that shows how state and local officials and private citizens worked together to bring the renewal about. If you are ever anywhere near Greenville, you will enjoy a visit to experience the transformation yourself.
- Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville (any unabridged edition) is a classic study of American government and society written by a French sociologist after his visit to America in the 1830s. He has amazing insight into American life, much of which is still applicable today. The book is fairly long, but it is a standard work that students of American government should know.
- The Faith of Ronald Reagan by Mary Beth Brown (Nelson Current, 2005). This book is similar to God and Ronald Reagan, but it has important differences. It includes more about Reagan’s personal life and relations with his children as well as his movie career. The book also includes the eulogies that various people delivered at Reagan’s funeral.
Presidential biographies are numerous and vary widely in quality. Many are quite long and contain bad language, while others are simplistic and general. The field is too large for us to offer specific suggestions; but if you have an interest in a particular president or a particular book, you can contact us, and we will be happy to share what we know.