History Through Fiction

Teaching history by using fiction (novels, plays, movies) as a means of introducing topics has always interested me; the author of this piece I stumbled across on Commonplace, Sara L. Schwebel, makes the additional point that depending on when a piece of historical fiction was written, unpacking the book (or screenplay, etc.) itself can also be a historical exercise:

Amos Fortune, Free Man - New Uses for a Children's Classic

[I also think it's interesting that I rather liked this piece, although it's not all that original or mind-blowing, and one on the study/memory of the War of 1812 in Canada in the same issue, and neither appear to have any comments - are all the historians on summer vacation???]

Also, I should probably read Amos Fortune, since I never have. And I should probably re-read The Witch of Blackbird Pond, since it's great. More to the point, both Harvard copies are checked out right now, and I really don't want to call a copy back since I a) am trying not to bring any new books into the apt right now and b) don't want to be a jerk, but I would like to read Schwebel's book, Child-Sized History: Fictions of the Past in U.S. Classrooms (2011).