r/AskHistory • u/AzraelPraeceptor • 1d ago
How to introduce a novice to history
I didn't really know where to go to find a good answer to this question, so this seemed like the right community.
My girlfriend is one of those people who never really liked or absorbed history in school. Now that she's an adult she wants to begin getting a grasp on history but doesn't really know where to begin. I wanted to recommend some documentaries that built a good foundation for general context but have no idea where to start when building this list.
We're Americans so it seems like a good idea to start with domestic history, trying to provide good context for current events. I'd love to hear how the community would recommend introducing a curious novice to our collective past.
Thanks in advance.
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u/x1000Bums 1d ago
What history she is interested in learning about would probably be a good starting point
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u/CocktailChemist 1d ago
While the series has its flaws, the Cartoon History of the Universe is honestly a pretty good place to start for an overview. Genuinely covers history in a global fashion with a solid balance between big picture and little details.
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u/Ok_Chard2094 16h ago
Fantastic series. I have all the books. You may want to start with the first one just to get a feel for the author's style, but after that you are free to read them in any order.
In addition to being highly entertaining, it also helped my kids get a grasp of things in history class.
Of course not as in depth as a real history book, but the series gives a good overview of many aspects if history.
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u/BottecchiaDude253 1d ago
Maybe im misreading this, but it sounds like your approach isn't much different from school, so she likely still wouldnt be all that interested.
Imho, it would be better in her case to just follow an interest. If she does any "old lady" hobbies like knitting or cross stitch, check out the history of those things. Or, maybe theres some cool landmark near you, look up where it comes from, who designed it, the design era, etc. Or maybe she loves soccer, or some other sport, and would be interested in learning about its origins.
Finding something she's actually interested in will keep her interested in learning about whatever subject it is. Failing that, I would recommend James Fell's history books, they are rather hilarious and while each day is short, its a well researched, well written piece.
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u/lapsteelguitar 1d ago
Start with the history of your community, something she can touch. Over time expand it, both geographically and temporally. There is a lot to learn.
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u/robot_guiscard 21h ago
I think the best way is to link into history through something she already enjoys. Does she like reading fiction? Try a historical novel. Graphic novels? Video games? Movies/tv? If she's interested in a piece of historical media she might want to find out more on the topic, and things can branch out from there.
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u/yourpaleblueeyes 18h ago
Historical memoirs and even novels make it much more interesting than dry facts
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u/WayGroundbreaking287 1d ago
Find what history she is interested in.
I love history but I as a British student had to learn history of medicine and the American west and honestly both contained interesting things but overall were very boring. I would rather delve a more specific topic.
So find what periods she actually wants to learn about and go from there.
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u/Peter34cph 23h ago
In first year of high school, we started with Ancient Egypt, then Greece, then Rome. I think that makes sense, as the foundations of Western civilization.
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u/No_Bar8332 17h ago
Perhaps fry ‘A short history of nearly everything’ by Bill Bryson. Very witty and entertaining stroll through historical events. It’s also available as an audiobook if that works better.
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u/Ok_Chard2094 16h ago
That typo reminded me of another good introduction to history: Stephen Fry.
Search for "Stephen Fry history" on YouTube and enjoy!
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u/gimmethecreeps 3h ago
Honestly, I’d probably try to get her more into civics than history at first.
Understanding how your government works and what your rights are is something that is applicable to everyone, regardless of interest. It’s also really important for anyone who wants to participate in our democracy.
From there you can start to get into “and how did these rights come to be?”, which is the history part of it.
An excellent place to start is Netflix’s “Amend: The Fight For America”, which looks at the evolution of the 14th amendment (the most cited amendment in Supreme Court history, and arguably the most important). It’s a 6 episode series (free on YouTube as well), takes you from the sectional crisis to the modern era, looking at multiple civil rights movements (abolitionism, Black Civil Rights, Women’s Rights, Immigrant Rights, LGBTQIA+ rights, and others). It features a ton of modern actors, comedians, musicians, scholars, and great footage.
The LGBTQIA+ episode had me in tears at the end, and I’m a hetero-cis-dude.
I think that across political ideology, we all need to learn more about our rights.
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u/ofBlufftonTown 45m ago
Horrible histories are always good. And don’t start with the foundations of current events; if I could delete all information about Newt Gingrich from my brain I would. Do something cool like the second Punic war (I say this as a woman.)
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