Sixth Form Recommended Reading

Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari What makes us brilliant? What makes us deadly? What makes us Sapiens?

Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang

Few books have had such an impact as Wild Swans : a popular bestseller which has sold more than 13 million copies and a critically acclaimed history of China; a tragic tale of nightmarish cruelty and an uplifting story of bravery and survival. Through the story of three generations of women in her own family – the grandmother given to the warlord as a concubine, the Communist mother and the daughter herself – Jung Chang reveals the epic history of China's twentieth century. Breathtaking in its scope, unforgettable in its descriptions, this is a masterpiece which is extraordinary in every way.

Earth is 4.5 billion years old. In just a fraction of that time, one species among countless others has conquered it: us. One of the world's preeminent historians and thinkers, Yuval Noah Harari challenges everything we know about being human. In this bold and provocative book, he explores who we are, how we got here and where we're going.

My Father’s Country: story of a German family by Wibke Bruhns

In August 1944, Hans Georg Klamroth was tried and executed for his part in the 20 July plot to assassinate Hitler. Wibke Bruhns, his youngest daughter, was six years old at the time. Decades later, watching a documentary about the events of 20 July, images of her father in the Third Reich People's Court appeared on the screen. 'I stare at this man with the lifeless expression. I don't know him... But I can see myself in him - his eyes are my eyes, I know that I look like him... I wouldn't be me, without him.'

In My Father's Country , Bruhns tells of her search for her father. Returning to Halberstadt in Northern Germany, where her ancestors the Klamroth family lived and worked for generations, she retraces the story from Kaiser Wilhelm to the end of World War Two, discovering old photographs, letters and diaries, which she uses to piece together a unique and unforgettable family epic.

Engaging with her family on both an emotional and political level, My Father's Country is a memoir that is also a remarkable work of history, powerfully told and deeply moving.