Books that shaped America. Mmm . . .

As part of the celebration of their 100th birthday, the US Department of Labor recently put together a list titled “Books That Shaped Work in America.” It’s an interesting list. And I will be the first to admit that more than several of the books are unfamiliar to me and that more than several of the books are . . . mmm . . . interesting selections.

I mean, I get why The Jungle made the list. Why Liar’s Poker made the list. Even Busy Busy Town (a personal favorite). But still scratching my head a bit on I’m a Frog and Madam Secretary. That’s the cool thing about lists – everyone has a different opinion. I also like the idea that the Department of Labor asked current and former employees to create the list.

But it got me thinking.

100 books to read before you die (and a few more)

Amazon phrased it a bit differently when advertising their most recent list:

“100 Books to Read in a Lifetime.”

But I think my title puts a bit more urgency into the process. As in . . . get on it. You don’t have a lot of time left. Start reading cause you could get hit by a bus tomorrow.

However you want to view it, it’s a fun list. And for someone like me, a person who loves books and lists, this is perfect. Of course, the GoodReads people saw the need to edit the list using suggestions from their readers. Get that list here.

Jonesing for more? Try the Huffington Post’s 30 Books to Read Before You’re 30 and the New York Times 100 Greatest Books of All Time.

All of this book goodness got me started thinking about books I’ve read over the last few months and which ones have the potential to make some list somewhere. But I quickly figured out that what I’ve been reading lately probably won’t ever crack the Greatest Books of All Time list.

So I’m making my own list.

100 book lists for teachers by teachers

The school year is getting closer and I know many of you are busy working on lessons, gathering resources and finding materials.

I recently ran across a site that looks incredibly useful. Scholastic asked its Teacher Advisors to develop a list of lists that . . . well,  lists a series of books for 100 different topics. Designed to help teachers find appropriate level books for their lessons, there are some great things broken down by topics.

An example would be the American Revolution list of 17 books.

Most lists are focused on K-8 grades and . . . mmm . . . it seems as if many of the books are published by Scholastic. But still. A nice place to start.

So if you’re already falling behind, this list of lists is a great place to start.