Digging into the literature available and mining out the gems for our children is a never-ending and daunting task for the DIY Homeschooler. That is why we treasure those “Books About Books” that make our job easier.
Who Should We Then Read? by Jan Bloom is one of these useful guides.
The purpose of this resource guide is to introduce or reacquaint readers with favorite authors of another age who invented their characters, developed their plots, and wrote their books during a time when the virtues we esteem as Christians were the accepted values of most of society. These men and women wrote books that are true to who we are as people: made in the image of God, yet fallen, broken, and in need of redemption…. Author inclusion in this guide was influenced by personal preference, the quality of the author’s work, frequency of requests or sales, reading list recommendations, and suggestions of other book lovers and homeschooling parents.
Who Should We Then Read? is uniquely formatted compared to other similar guides. The focus is on the author rather than on the books themselves. Each author section includes date of birth/death, a complete listing of books written by the author, a place for notes, and a brief biography, including a sense of why the author was included in the book.
The book listings are further divided into various categories such as juvenile fiction, non-fiction, fiction, biography and history, readers, poetry, plays, and series with some age designations (juvenile, younger teen, upper elementary, etc.)
Another unique feature is the inclusion of a variety of published series. Several lists of the books in a particular series are offered, including by author, title, and numerical order to help the reader locate the books they are looking for. Newbery and Carnegie Award winners are included.
If you are looking for more, Who Should We Then Read? Volume 2: A Busy Reader’s Concise Guide to the Best Authors of Living Books is now available.
We had the opportunity of meeting Jan Bloom at a homeschool convention in our area many years ago. Her enthusiasm for locating great books was catching, and we highly treasure our autographed copy of Who Should We Then Read?.
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