Description
After Nazi Germany was defeated, Winston Churchill was able to complete a project that he had begun before the war: compiling the complete history of England and its people. WOW. What a project! He did it, and did it well. It’s a fascinating, easy read. It’s the history of England as one long story, and the tales of its people as they migrate around the world. I love it so much that I also downloaded it on Audible and listen to it there, as well.
The first time I read through Volume 1 I thought, “This book could be an ongoing history text for my kids. And my friends’ kids! And my website audience!” The wheels were spinning. I started taking detailed notes. And making timelines. It was awesome.
Two important notes about Churchill’s writing: he acknowledges the huge influence of Christianity on the people when it’s present, and the detrimental effects on the people when it is squelched. He also points out the dangers of Islam. You can read some of his thoughts on Islam here.
As I went through, I recalled some stories that were based on the actual events. These stories were written by G. A. Henty. If you’re not familiar with Henty, stop what you’re doing right now and look him up. His books are wonderful historic novels “written for boys” in the 19th century. He wrote stories that cover all of history. Each book has a young, fictional boy as the main character, surrounded by actual events and people. The stories are exciting. And clean. And I love them.
So, my notes on Churchill’s books included the Henty books that corresponded to the history timelines. I then realized I could build a curriculum around these two authors that would cover hundreds of years of history. And that’s what lead to this post.
I have taught co-op classes for our area homeschool group based on this grand plan. Each class includes a complete study written by me. Visit my shop to download yours. This post will give a basic outline of Churchill’s book and the Henty novels that correspond. Where possible, I will include my own unit study of that book or time period, or links to others on the web.
We use these books and this list alongside our Mystery of History curriculum, including the study guides I wrote. We sometimes read aloud, and sometimes choose the audio versions while we do a puzzle or other quiet activity. Jim Hodges has produced over 30 Henty audiobooks! When an English history audio is available, I’ll add the link below. Many audio versions are available FREE with your Audible membership. A few have been produced as theatrical audio versions.
Churchill’s English history books in 55 B.C., so that is where this timeline begins. (Henty wrote books covering all of world history, but I’m only including the titles that coincide with Churchill’s book.)
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