Modern History

There isn't more history in the last five centuries than all the previous millennia, we just have more plentiful records of it. In all honesty, sometimes the plethora of detail isn't only overwhelming, it obscures the whole point of the story. As humans, we're all too susceptible to the lure of obscurity, to the desire for darkness where there ought to be light.

In many ways, this is the chief characteristic of modern history. Mankind seems to have accepted Enlightenment ideals en masse, and the result is the non-stop acquisition of knowledge, as though information could shut us off from the eye of a just and jealous God. Evolutionary theory, psychology, existentialism and postmodernism, public education, Communism—all these ideas are intended to put man at a further remove from God.

During the Renaissance, thinkers and artists decided that if man was going to make himself great, he'd have to replicate the glory of the Classical Era, with its enduring artifacts and intellectual produce. Enlightenment thinkers took this one step further, insisting that man could only know what he could deduce using reason alone, and consequently amassing knowledge in order to have a more thorough basis for such reasonable inquiry.

Since then, philosophers and scientists have devoted themselves to interpreting the facts from a purely human perspective, creating a picture of the universe that is mechanistic and godless. Meaning is dead, God is dead, and hope is dead, but the Enlightenment ideal of human progress (repackaged as Darwinian naturalism) is alive and well, the phantom idol of countless millions.

Even a brief survey of the last century would seem to demolish the possibility of any such idea, but it continues to inform nearly every element of our culture, from pop music to public policy debates. Atrocities like the Holocaust, racism in America, abortion, and totalitarian rule in Asian countries are reinterpreted or explained away to fit the overarching rubrik of sustained forward progress.

Christians understand things a bit differently. We aren't pessimists by any means, but we aren't blind optimists, either. God's plan entails one thing: His ultimate glory, and for those who believe His promises and trust Him for salvation, that's the most hopeful doctrine conceivable. At the same time, we also understand that man's efforts cannot be responsible for whatever good befalls us, that "progress" is only a gift of the Most High, and that only through the Holy Spirit is evil overcome by good.

The modern world is increasingly secular. Even in the Church, men and women stray from biblical truth in favor of appealing arguments on behalf of man, substituting a Christ-centered Gospel with one that is primarily focused on mankind and our individual salvation. We must counter these attitudes with God's truth, but we can only do so with an understanding of where those ideas come from and why they've taken root. A thorough study of modern history can and will provide those answers, and teach us how to stand firm in the truth we hold dear.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
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274 Items found Print
Active Filters: Historical Fiction, 8th grade (Ages 13-14), In-Stock Books & Materials
Across Five Aprils
by Irene Hunt
from Berkley Books
Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
1965 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.99 $3.00 (1 in stock)
Across Five Aprils
by Irene Hunt
from Berkley Books
Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
1965 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$9.99
Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies
Hornblower Series #11
by C. S. Forester
from Little, Brown & Company
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After the Dancing Days
by Margaret I. Rostkowski
from HarperTrophy
for 7th-9th grade
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After the War
by Carol Matas
from Simon Pulse
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Alamo All Stars
Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #6
by Nathan Hale
from Amulet Books
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Amos Fortune, Free Man
by Elizabeth Yates, illustrated by Nora S. Unwin
from Puffin Books
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1951 Newbery Medal winner
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Art of Keeping Cool
by Janet Taylor Lisle
from Scholastic Inc.
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2001 Scott O'Dell Award
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$2.50 (2 in stock)
Balloon Boy of San Francisco
by Dorothy Kupcha Leland
from Tomato Enterprises
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Battle of Seattle
by Douglas Bond
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Beggars' Victory
Struggle for Freedom Series #3
by Piet Prins
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Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
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Beware, Princess Elizabeth
A Young Royals Book
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Black Falcon
by Armstrong Sperry
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Blades of Freedom
Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #10
by Nathan Hale
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Blood on the River: James Town, 1607
by Elisa Carbone
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Blowing-Wand
Land of the Free Series
by Elsie Reif Ziegler, illustrated by Jacob Landau
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Bold Journey
by Charles Bohner
from Sandpiper Books
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Bold Journey
by Charles Bohner
from Houghton Mifflin
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Bonanza Girl
by Patricia Beatty
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Bonnie Prince Charlie
by G. A. Henty
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Book Thief
by Markus Zusak
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Boris
by Jaap Ter Haar
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Borrowed House
Bethlehem Books Young Adult Bookshelf
by Hilda Van Stockum
from Purple House Press
Historical Fiction for 7th-10th grade
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Boy and the Samurai
by Erik Christian Haugaard
Reissue from HMH Books for Young Readers
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Boy in the Alamo
by Margaret Cousins
from Corona Publishing Co.
Historical fiction for 4th-9th grade
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Boy in the Alamo
by Margaret Cousins
from Veritas Press
Historical fiction for 4th-9th grade
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$19.00
Boys in the Boat adapted for Young Readers
by Daniel James Brown, adapted by Gregory Mone
from Penguin Putnam
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$17.99
Boys in the Boat adapted for Young Readers
by Daniel James Brown, adapted by Gregory Mone
from Penguin Putnam
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Bull Run
by Paul Fleischman, David Frampton (Woodcuts)
2nd edition from Scholastic Inc.
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By England's Aid
by G. A. Henty
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Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
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By Pike and Dyke - Unit Study Guide
by Rick Medlin
from Preston Speed
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By Right of Conquest - MP3 CD
by Jim Hodges
from Jim Hodges Productions
Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
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$14.00
By Sheer Pluck
by G. A. Henty
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Calico Captive
by Elizabeth George Speare
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Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
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Captain Blood
Penguin Classics
by Rafael Sabatini
from Penguin Classics
Historical Romance for 7th-Adult
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Captain, My Captain
by Deborah Meroff
from Inheritance Publications
Historical Fiction for 8th-10th grade
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Captive
by Scott O'Dell
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Hans Christian Anderson Award
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Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
by Jean Lee Latham
from Houghton Mifflin
Biography for 5th-9th grade
1956 Newbery Medal winner
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Chariot in the Sky
Land of the Free Series
by Arna Bontemps, illustrated by Cyrus Le Roy Baldridge
1st edition from John C. Winston
Historical fiction for 6th-10th grade
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Codfish Musket
by Agnes Hewes, illustrated by Armstrong Sperry
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for 8th-12th grade
1937 Newbery Honor Book
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$45.00 (1 in stock)
Come On, Seabiscuit!
by Ralph Moody
from University of Nebraska
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Coronation of Glory
Reformation Trail Series #12
by Deborah Meroff
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Biography for 8th-10th grade
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Countdown
by Deborah Wiles
1st edition from Scholastic Press
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Crown & Covenant Trilogy
by Doug Bond
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Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
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Czar, The
by Deborah Alcock
from Inheritance Publications
Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
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$19.95
Dark Venture
by Audrey White Beyer, illustrated by Leo & Diane Dillon
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Dark Year of Dundee
Reformation Trail Series #06
by Deborah Alcock
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Day of Pleasure
by Isaac Bashevis Singer
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Day the World Stopped Turning
by Michael Morpurgo
from Square Fish Publishing
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Devil's Arithmetic
by Jane Yolen
from Puffin Books
Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade
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$6.99
Dispelling the Tyranny
Struggle for Freedom Series #2
by Piet Prins
from Inheritance Publications
Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
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Done and Dared in Old France
Huguenot Inheritance Series #7
by Deborah Alcock
from Inheritance Publications
Historical fiction for 7th-10th grade
in Huguenot Inheritance Series (Location: FIC-WH02)
$14.95
Dragonfly Eyes
by Cao Wenxuan, translated from the Chinese by Helen Wang
from Candlewick Press
Historical fiction for 5th-8th grade
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$19.99
Dragonwings
Golden Mountain Chronicles: 1903
by Laurence Yep
from HarperCollins
Historical fiction for 5th-8th grade
1976 Newbery Honor Book
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Dragonwings
Golden Mountain Chronicles: 1903
by Laurence Yep
from Scholastic Inc.
Historical fiction for 5th-8th grade
1976 Newbery Honor Book
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Driven into Exile
Huguenot Inheritance Series #5
by Charlotte Maria Tucker
from Inheritance Publications
Historical fiction for 7th-10th grade
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$9.95
Drums
by James Boyd
from Atheneum
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Duncan's War
Crown & Covenant Series #1
by Douglas Bond
from P&R Publishing
Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
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$16.99
Early Thunder
by Jean Fritz
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Earthquake at Dawn
by Kristiana Gregory
from Gulliver Books
Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade
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Elephant Run
by Roland Smith
Reprint from Disney-Hyperion
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Endless Steppe
by Esther Hautzig
from HarperCollins
Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade
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$9.99
Enemy Brothers
Bethlehem Books Living History Library
by Constance Savery
from Bethlehem Books
Historical fiction for 5th-8th grade
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$15.95
Escape
Huguenot Inheritance Series #1
by A. Van der Jagt
from Inheritance Publications
Historical fiction for 7th-10th grade
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$10.95
Escape From Warsaw
by Ian Serraillier, illustrated by Irwin Hoffman
from Scholastic Inc.
Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
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Esperanza Rising
by Pam Munoz Ryan
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$7.99
Eyes of the Emperor
by Graham Salisbury
from Laurel-Leaf Books
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$3.00 (1 in stock)
Faith and Freedom Trilogy
Faith and Freedom
by Douglas Bond
from P&R Publishing
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$33.97
False Coin, True Coin
by Lois Hoadley Dick
from Bob Jones University Press
Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
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$6.99
Far Frontier
by William O. Steele; illustrated by Paul Galdone
from Harcourt
for 4th-8th grade
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Farewell to Manzanar
by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston
from Random House
for 7th-11th grade
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$4.50 (1 in stock)
Farewell to Manzanar
by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston
from Houghton Mifflin
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$10.99
Father's Promise
by Donna Hess
from Bob Jones University Press
Historical fiction for 5th-8th grade
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Fear in the Forest
by Cateau de Leeuw
from Bethlehem Books
for 4th-8th grade
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$14.95
Fever 1793
by Laurie Halse Anderson
from Simon and Schuster
for 4th-9th grade
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$8.99
Fiddler's Green
from Rabbit Room Press
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$16.99
Fiddler's Gun
by A. S. Peterson
1st edition from Rabbit Room Press
for 7th-10th grade
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$16.99
Fighting Ground
by Avi
from HarperCollins
for 4th-8th grade
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$2.50 (1 in stock)
First Four Years
Little House Series #9
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
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$8.99
First Four Years
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
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$18.99 $8.00 (1 in stock)
First Four Years (Pictorial Cover)
by Laura Ingalls Wilder; illustrated by Garth Williams
from Harper & Row
for 3rd-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
For Freedom
by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
from Laurel-Leaf Books
for 6th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
For the Heart of Holland
Struggle for Freedom Series #4
by Piet Prins
from Inheritance Publications
Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$12.95
Great Wheel
by Robert Lawson
from Walker and Company
Realistic fiction for 4th-8th grade
1958 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$9.99 $6.00 (2 in stock)
Grim Reaper
Shadow Series #3
by Piet Prins
from Inheritance Publications
Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
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$10.95
Gunner's Run
by Rick Barry
from Bob Jones University Press
for 7th-9th grade
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$6.99
Guns for General Washington
by Seymour Reit
from Harcourt
Historical fiction for 4th-8th grade
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Guns of Thunder
Faith and Freedom Trilogy #1
by Doug Bond
from P&R Publishing
Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade
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$14.99
Hammer of the Huguenots
Heroes & History
by Douglas Bond
from P&R Publishing
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$12.99
He Went With series
by Louise Andrews Kent
from Living Book Press
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Heart Strangely Warmed
by Louise A. Vernon
from Herald Press
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Hedge School
by Gloria Whelan
from Bethlehem Books
for 4th-8th grade
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$14.95
Helmet of Navarre
by Burke Wilkinson, illustrated by James W. Williamson
Second Printing from Macmillan
for 5th-8th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Hero of Spionkop
The Louis Wessels Commando #2
by Lawrence Penning
from Inheritance Publications
Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade
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$10.95
Hideout in the Swamp
Shadow Series #2
by Piet Prins
from Inheritance Publications
Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
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$10.95
Horatio Hornblower Saga - Complete Collection
by C. S. Forester
from Little, Brown & Company
Historical Fiction for 8th-Adult
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$150.29
Hornblower and the Atropos
Hornblower Series #5
by C. S. Forester
from Little, Brown & Company
Nautical fiction for 8th-Adult
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$16.99 $8.00 (1 in stock)
Hornblower and the Hotspur
Hornblower Series #3
by C. S. Forester
from Little, Brown & Company
Nautical fiction for 8th-Adult
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$17.99 $11.00 (1 in stock)
Hornblower During the Crisis
Hornblower Series #4
by C. S. Forester
from Little, Brown & Company
Nautical fiction for 8th-Adult
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$15.99 $8.00 (1 in stock)
Horses of Anger
by James Forman
2nd Printing from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for 7th-10th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
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