Courage and a Clear Mind: True Adventures of the Ancient Greeks {Review}

I was thrilled when I was approached by the company which has produced some of my favourite history curriculum to review a handful of audio products, including Courage and a Clear Mind: True Adventures of the Ancient Greeks.  The Well Trained Mind will be known to all of you.  They are the company behind The Story of the World classical elementary geography and history curriculum. 

What is Courage and a Clear Mind?

Courage and a Clear Mind: True Adventures of the Ancient Greeks is an audio recording of the very excellent Jim Weiss retelling some of the most well-known true tales of Ancient Greece.  If you have never heard Weiss tell a story, factual or otherwise, you are in for a treat, for telling stories is what Jim Weiss is known for.  It is what he loves to do.  And he is very good at it.  I have included his retelling of one of Aesop’s fables, The Tortoise and the Hare, to demonstrate just how listenable Weiss is:

Courage and a Clear Mind is an audio CD, or MP3 file, of a little over an hour retelling the stories of the Ancient Greeks from over 25 centuries ago.  You will be transported back in time to partake in a journey through Homer’s eyes of the Trojan War; meet the Greek ‘super-warriors’, the Spartans and learn how the Greeks defeated the Persians…twice!

In the process you will learn about the importance of perseverance against the odds; self-discipline and the importance of working in a team as well as gain a new appreciation for the Greeks as a nation of warriors, thinkers and perhaps most importantly of all, storytellers.

Courage and a Clear Mind: True Adventures of the Ancient Greeks is action packed from the word go and covers all the following adventures:

1.   The Greeks Were Different
2.  Homer
3.  The Trojan Horse
4.  In the Shadow of Mount Olympus
5.  All for Sparta
6.  Athens and the Courage to Think
7.  Marathon!
8.  Thermopylae and Salamis
9.  The Golden Age
10. The End of Something

How Did We Use Courage and a Clear Mind?

A and B listened to the stories at bedtime and during quiet time.  They have listened to them repeatedly, and so far have not become bored with their content 🙂

What Did We Think of Courage and a Clear Mind?

My girls LOVED this retelling.  They were already familiar with Jim Weiss as we own the first volume of Story of the World read by the very same man.  Jim Weiss is a natural story-teller who draws his listeners into the worlds he creates with each story he tells.  Courage and a Clear Mind is full of interesting and already known to me stories.  I had covered them all before with my older three, and I definitely wish this mp3 recording had been available for them to listen to all those years ago.

I think this would be a wonderful addition to any study about the Ancient Greeks.  It is interesting, full of facts and read by the connoisseur of story telling.

I received a free copy of this product in exchange for my honest review.  I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated in any other way.  All opinions I have expressed are my own.