I have been trying so hard to discipline myself and write all of my reviews in the order I receive them, but I just can’t help myself. You see, I’ve been listening to Hero Tales from American History by Henry Cabot Lodge and Theodore Roosevelt as recorded by Hal Young. And, I have to tell you about them. First of all, did you notice that a former President of the United States is one of the authors? That was enough to get my kids interested in listening. Well, it also helped that they recognized Hal’s voice from the audio book of Raising Real Men, which we have already listened to and which they keep asking to hear again even though it is written to the parents!
As if that wasn’t enough, tales of Daniel Boone single-handedly feeding the entire settlement in Boonesborough by killing bears and making bear bacon, blazing trails into new lands, and George Rogers Clark bravely pushing the British out of the midwest. and the Barbary Pirates were enough to keep them listening.
I have to admit, I learned quite a bit from listening. As a homeschooler, I am often almost embarrassed to find myself learning right along with my children because of the deficit in my own public school education. I have to answer “I don’t know.” to their questions more often then I am willing to admit on this blog. I grew up in the heart of George Rogers Clark territory, just 30 minutes from Vincennes. Even though immersed in the history as a youth and taken on numerous GRC field trips growing up, I still found myself saying “Really? I didn’t know (remember!) that.” I am always thrilled to find real, living books that help interest all of us in history without shoving dates down our throats. This gem of a resource which Hal and Melanie Young of Raising Real Men have found and recorded is exactly what I am always looking for.
My Bottom Line: We thoroughly enjoyed these recordings and will listen again. At $5 per cd or $4 for an mp3 these 2 Volumes are a fantastic and affordable addition to your American history studies.
Disclaimer: I received this audio book set for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review on my blog. Here you have it. If you haven’t checked out the products from Hal and Melanie Young yet, you really should. They’re the best. You can read my review of Raising Real Men (the audio book) here. I highly recommend the Mom and Dad Special (one copy of the book, one copy of the audio book!)
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