The purpose of The Dolphin Society Book Club is to learn about history in a caring community of adults who teach kids AND it's also for those who want to learn history quickly. Book club members learn a summary of the reading from John De Gree, then discuss the main points. For those just watching the recorded lessons, they learn a summary of the history book in succinct talks by De Gree.
At the beginning of each talk, John De Gree will present a slideshow explaining the key historical events, people, and ideas of the month’s readings. Then, he will show teachers the tools that will enable them to prepare well for talks and Socratic discussions with their students. Finally, John will lead Dolphin Society members in Socratic discussions on the history they have read.
Didn’t have time to read everything for that month? That’s fine. Come along for the lesson and discussion, anyways! You can use our recordings as your library of history books, condensed in 30 minute lessons. And, we record only John De Gree's portion of the talk. Before Dolphin Members converse, we shuts off the recording, so members can freely discuss without any worry of being recorded.
To join the Book Club, become a member of the Dolphin Society and register for each of the Book Club Meetings. Click Here for More information and to enroll in The Dolphin Society.
We meet once a month, September through May, on Wednesdays at 4:30 pm Pacific Time.
2023/2024 Book Club: For this year, I decided to go another direction from our first three years. Instead of choosing a survey book, one which covers an entire history of a country or of a civilization, I chose a pivotal and exciting event in history, the French Revolution. The first book is a highly acclaimed, yet most likely not too challenging, history account by a contemporary author, Australian Peter McPhee. It will give us a strong, general understanding of the Revolution, its place in French history and its place in world history. Our second book is OPTIONAL, for those of you who want more history. It is by 19th century historian, Frenchman Alexis de Tocqueville. I've always read how incredible his insights are, and I'd like to get a view on the French Revolution by someone who was alive closer to the event.
Our first book we are reading is under 400 pages long. We will read and discuss this in 8 months. The second book, which is optional, is about 400 pages. We will start this book in January and read for four months. For our last meeting, Dolphin Society members are encouraged to choose their own book and share. 1. Liberty or Death, The French Revolution, by Peter McPhee: ISBN-10 : 0300228694, ISBN-13 : 978-0300228694 On Amazon 2. The Ancien Regime and the Revolution, by Alexis de Tocqueville,ISBN-10 : 014144164X, ISBN-13 : 978-0141441641 On Amazon 3. Third Book: Your Choice! For the last month, please choose any book on your own about the French Revolution and come to share.
Books for 2022/2023 1. A People's History of the United States, by Howard Zinn. ISBN 978-0062397348 2.Debunking Howard Zinn: Exposing the Fake History That Turned a Generation against America, by Mary Grabar. ISBN 978-1684511525 2021/2022 1. Western Civilization, by Marvin Perry, ISBN 13: 978-1305091467 . Scroll down for a sample Book Club meeting. In 2020/2021 1. A Patriot's History of the United States, by Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen, ISBN 978-1-59523.
Discussion Recordings
Each year's Book Clubs are recorded and kept in the Dolphin Society.
All members of the Dolphin Society may join The History Book Club.
Howard Zinn's: A People's History of the United States and Mary Grabar's Debunking Howard Zinn: Exposing the Fake History That Turned a Generation against America