A Wayne County author says his latest work will help high school students across the country gain a more complete understanding of U.S. history.
Michael Henry has announced the publication of “Making Connections in AP U.S. History: Piecing Together Evidence and Argumentation to Develop the Big Picture.” The 140-page textbook will supplement classroom textbooks and homeschool curricula that help prepare students for taking Advanced Placement program exams conducted in May.
Henry, who lives in Richmond, told WWN that his book focuses on helping students understand the larger context of a particular historical period, trend or problem. It’s inspired by his earlier work as a teacher who evaluated essay portions of AP tests. Henry said he noticed that students had trouble drilling down into source material to unlock critical information and linking information that applied over 30-to-40 year periods.
“Making Connections,” published in January, was edited by independent editors and reviewed by current AP history teachers, Henry said. It’s sold by academic publisher Sherpa Learning as well as at regular book retailers, including Amazon.com.
Henry taught AP U.S. history for more than 20 years in Maryland’s public schools and at a community college there. He has a bachelor’s degree in social studies education, a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction, a master’s degree in U.S. history, and a doctorate in curriculum and instruction, all from University of Maryland, College Park.
Henry has written several other books to help students with AP courses and exams: two other AP review books, seven teacher’s guides, and 27 academic articles on teaching history and AP material.
“It is a joy to look at the page when you have finished writing an idea and saying ‘Yes, that is what I wanted to say,'” Henry said when asked about his favorite part of the writing process.
The least favorite part? “Confronting that blank page,” he said.
For more information about the book and Henry’s work, visit sherpalearning.com.
A version of this article appeared in the March 18 2026 print edition of the Western Wayne News.