I’ve been wanting to write this post for a long time, but my fear of forgetting someone kept me from moving forward. Everyone is in planning mode now though, so I don’t want to hold back when it’s better to share.

Before searching for books, I like to revisit Charlotte Mason’s history streams. My friend, Min Jung Hwang, has written a wonderful overview of Charlotte Mason history lessons across the years, so that’s now my first stop.

“With every subject, I must know the reasons for including it in our school. I’m called into God’s holy business of aiding in the formation of character in His eternal child. And “history” is God’s story. It is the continuation of the story He began from Genesis 1:1. We are living in it. We are having our God-appointed time on His “stage” in the “already-and-not-yet” epoch, as we await the finale. That is, Jesus’ return.”

– Min Jung Hwang of Minjunghwang.com

Once I’m all filled up and grounded in that CM loveliness, I start looking for books across various cultures. I used to search for each ethnic group separately, but lately I’ve been using my friend Erika Alicea’s ongoing list of multicultural history books. In it, she breaks books down into 4 categories, and she’s always adding to the list, so be sure to check back frequently for additions:

• Latino/Hispanic
• Asian/Middle Eastern
• Native American/Indigenous
• African-American/African descent

“It is of utter importance that students of color see themselves in the literature they read.  However, it is also important that every child, regardless of ethnicity, read diverse literature because we live in a diverse world.  The world becomes a richer place for the student and offers him or her a feast of knowledge as they learn about other cultures, including that of their families.”

– Erika Alicea of CharlotteMasonCityLiving.com

Another one of my loves is The Parallel Narrative, a site created and curated by my new IG friend, Emily. In her own words, here is the purpose of her site:

With these booklists, I hope to highlight the lesser known and the lesser taught narratives of U.S. History. These narratives are not unknown, they are not forgotten. They are oftentimes left out of curricula or given very little voice in traditional classrooms, textbooks and history lessons. 

– Emily of TheParallelNarrative.com

Anyone who knows me will understand why I first started cyber-stalking her. I had been using her site for a while, so when we hooked up on IG, I was pretty close to ecstatic.

I also really enjoy my membership with Reshelving Alexandria for finding diverse books or any books, really. You can search by just about any possible genre or book feature, and the selection and support resources are vast. In their own words, “Reshelving Alexandria is an online literary catalog of good, true, and beautiful books that supports families in building and utilizing a home library. Our membership subscription service includes extensive content to help identify and source the best books for your home library.” I rarely pay for memberships, but this one is well worth every dollar.

They also have a Reshelving Alexandria Facebook page, but But you’re going to have to put on your big girl pants if you want to swim in their ocean because these ladies are not just looking for the best books for next term – they are book connoisseurs. Many (most?) of them collect books, and they own more books today than I will have in this lifetime. I personally can’t always keep up with the conversation because I haven’t studied books to that degree (yet), but I’m super cool with collecting the crumbs that fall off their table because they taste really good.

And speaking of the web, I also find great book recommendations on Facebook. My absolute favorite FB group for both books and civil discussion on said books is Living Books of All Peoples. They are mostly Charlotte Mason peeps, and many are highly read. If you decide to join the group, I strongly suggest that you start with the “announcements” at the top and always run a search before posting a question. There is so much information on there that it is likely you’ll find what you need without even needing to post. The vibe of the group is very eclectic, and some of the ladies are more aggressive about expressing their opinions than I’m used to or prefer, but the moderators don’t tolerate craziness, so it’s not one of those pages where adults behave like children. That’s part of what I love about it.

Other people/places I follow for book ideas:

• Alisha at Little Women Farmhouse – In her own words: “I left the classics’ train. And I jumped on the enlightenment train. Sometimes it still includes classics. But it’s a train that is inclusive and seeks to give a full picture of history.” She builds her own curriculum, and I follow her to see what she’s doing each term and to get an overview on her favorite books.
• Delina Pryce McPhaull at Woke Homeschooling – I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting her [Updated: I finally got to meet her, and now I love her even more!], but I bought her Oh Freedom! “Conscious US History Curriculum” as soon as it launched and have enjoyed incorporating some of her recommendations into my plans. I know how much work it takes to put together something like this, and I’m so thankful for her contribution.
• Belinda Bullard at A Blessed Heritage – Belinda is someone I admire and follow on IG, and she offers Christ-centered, literature-based Black history curriculum options for elementary, middle, and high school. I first heard about her at a homeschool conference years ago, and I’ve enjoyed seeing how her products have blessed so many families.
• Jessica Telian of Living Book Lists – She creates and sells history book lists that “specifically bring in the viewpoints of minorities often ignored in most children’s history books.” I found out about her on the Living Books FB page, and bought one of her lists on Etsy the next day.
• The gift shops of history museums and historic landmarks are some of my absolute favorite places to find wonderful books. Their book selections are often carefully curated by historians, and I’ve found books that I’ve never seen or heard of elsewhere. And if you’re looking for micro-local history – like the history of your county – those small little museums that have been converted from the old train depot and places like that are goldmines. Go when it’s not busy because the lessons the employees and volunteers share when they have time to just talk are invaluable.

At this point, it probably seems like I’m just promoting my friends, but I can assure you that this is not the case. I haven’t met all of these ladies and the ones I am friends with became my friends after we discovered our shared passion for helping families apply CM’s principles across a wider body of books. We don’t promote each other’s work because we’re friends. Instead, our friendships were born out of respect for each other’s work.

And, of course, if you’re looking for diverse book recommendations, please check out my shop for an array of Multicultural Lesson Guides. Also, here are just a few of the other lists I’ve put together:

• African and African-American Culture: Early Elementary Books
• Infusing Black History Into a Traditional Charlotte Mason Homeschool
• African & African-American Resources for Early Modern History
• Black History Books Covering Colonial America and Revolutionary War Time Period (1650-1800 AD)
• Chapter Books: Black Girls Just Being Kids
• African-American Historical Fiction
• Life-Giving Books for Black Children

I’m positive that I’ve forgotten some of the sites I use, so don’t be surprised if something new pops up on this list by your next visit!

You can find me on Instagram at @heritagemomblog, and stay tuned for resources designed to help you bridge the gap between the curriculum you love and the diversity you long for!