Recommended books for college freshmen.

Fascinating ideas.

I am truly awestruck by the knowledge of the members in this forum, but more so by the quick sharing of info by everyone! These are so great suggestions for books, and even though I am no longer a college freshman, for eons , I can always learn from reading them.

One set of books I recently found was the series of "The Great Philosophers" by Karl Jaspers. There are 4 volumes (I think), and he gives a pretty good analysis of the many philosophers we may have heard of but never had the chance to read about. In really lay language to anyone not even familiar with "philosophy".

So far, I have read a book called "Socrates, Buddha, Confucius, Jesus" which is an excerpt from Volume 1, and I am presently reading Volume 3. The books are just incredible!!

The reviewers of Jared Diamond's book, Collapse, sustain a false image (mental model), without evidence, of the Norse in Greenland during the Little Ice Age. The evidence shows that the Norse in Greenland walked across the frozen Davis Strait to become ancestors of many tribes in America. Multiple evidence to support this statement is presented in www.frozentrail.org.

For example: The Old Norse and the Algonquin-speaking people, one-third of North America, had over 15,000 phrases with similar sounds and meanings.

Historical documents on two continents record the Greenland migration story. Three Walam Olum verses describe how the Norse, using a republican government, made the decision to walk across the frozen sea.

The Norse in Greenland had a working mental model based on first hand knowledge of the evidence. It saved their lives. Survival, even today, requires a workable mental model supported by evidence

Welcome frozntrl.

Speak on it. Do you have special interests in this area?

Glad you're here.

*bump*

When I first started Law School (I know it's not college, but bear with me a sec), I was given a book called The Conscience of a Lawyer. Fascinating book, and easy to read, definitely something a freshman could get through with little trouble. Really says a lot about how the obviously guilty can be and are defended.

Aren't you a sophomore now, Lash? What do you want with books for freshmen?

Thomas--

I'm almost a Junior, but I love this thread, and I revived it, hoping for more titles.

I was looking through it last night, reminding myself of dys' list and others.

I haven't taken a semester off since this thread was started.

Jespah-- THANKS! Suggestions like that are what makes his hread so valuable. I never would have thought of a book about law.

You're welcome!

Lash:
I am 16 years old and I am seriously considering study in American colleges. I have recently opened a thread asking questions on suitable textbooks on US History, World History and Literature for my SAT II reviews.
Kind Charli, Chaplin reincarnate, just showed me the striking similarity between our two threads. So, yes, I am hoping for more titles too

And my contribution:
Barbara Tuchman's The Guns of August. It's a book apparently confined to one single month but essentially and artfully it covered the whole course of the event and even the course of history before, present, and in the future. It's is said that before Cuban Missile Crisis JFK was reading that book and got a lot of inspiration and vigilance. (But I suspect many of you may have read the book)

For Philosohpy: I am reading Russel's book right now. It's the classic for starter.

JB

Btw, the discussion ahead reminded me of Arnold Toybeen's Metahistory theory, which I haven't studied comprehensively, but surely, had a lot of interest and agreement.

Interestingly, in one June issue of Newsweek, Fareed Zakaria's article "How long will American lead the world" (very thoughtful one I think), there was a mention of Toybeen, quite superficial, but though that I have had more peeping into this historian.


Full Article for possible interest

History Review
The book for history review is:

"Don't Know Much About History: Everything You Need to Know About American History but Never Learned" (Paperback)
by Kenneth C. Davis

J-B -As you can see by the above entry, my email correspondent answered! I'll put this on the other thread also - just in case. Hope it helps. Keep us posted. Charli [/color]

I haven't read Guns of August but did read Tuchman's A Distant Mirror. That one is rather thick, J-B, certainly fascinating, but not, perhaps, what you are looking for as a survey (introduction) text. Lash, do you remember what your intro literature texts were (sorry, I've not gone back and reread the thread here.) J-B has been looking for some titles that he could possibly order.

J-B, you amaze me, you are only sixteen? Very knowledgeable, and very fast learner. For those who haven't followed, J-B has made giant leaps in his english language skills since he first started on a2k. He also took a trip to England last year and met our Clary, who has a language school.

Setanta may have some history reading suggestions, though I don't know if he is familiar with intro texts as such.

I doubt it too, he is just so guru-like. :wink: