SAAS Senior’s Book Provides a New Way to Think About the Past

By: Sarah-Mae McCullough, Editorial Content Manager

Those perusing the shelves of local shops Elliott Bay Book Company or Third Place Books may now come across a title from SAAS senior Ramsey Mesiwala. 

“Scales of History: A Moral System for the Giants of the Past” weaves together history and moral philosophy, offering a framework for how we think about historical figures. Starting with a spark of curiosity from his freshmen year, Ramsey chipped away at the project throughout his time in the Upper School. Now that the book is published, he hopes it will inspire people to look at the past in a new way, he says. 

As a 9th grader at SAAS, Ramsey was already intrigued by politics and history. While listening to debates around "giants of the past" like Napoleon and whether they deserve praise or criticism, he became fascinated with “trying to create a system to judge historical figures,” he says. Do we scrutinize them against modern standards or dismiss their sins as products of their time? 

Exploring this question in his free time grew into an essay that kept expanding, until he needed chapters to organize it. The end result is a 166-page book laying out a more nuanced answer, presenting three core vices and virtues against which we can judge “Giants of the Past.” 

“We generally view historical figures as their most impactful actions, which is rightful in some ways,” says Ramsey. “But I think we forget that they’re the culmination of all their decisions and actions.” 

To get the book ready for its publication this summer, Ramsey relied on a lot of persistence, his penchant for reading and writing, and support from family and SAAS faculty. 

The biggest factor—grit—came partially from an unexpected source: sports. “There’s a lot of self-accountability you learn from sports,” says Ramsey, who runs cross country and track & field at SAAS. “That’s the biggest thing when it comes to doing a project like this; just showing up and writing your 500 words a day.”

Many hours of reading and writing about history and politics, including in SAAS classes like American Studies, an interdisciplinary English and history courses known for its rigor, also went a long way, he says. So did encouragement from family and feedback from his American Studies teacher, Lisa Feiertag. 

When Lisa, SAAS History Department Chair and Upper School History Teacher, first learned about the book, she was surprised it was already nearly completed and happy to share notes that helped the final draft come together. SAAS has a deep tradition of faculty supporting student’s individual passions, usually in the form of Independent Studies, overseen by a faculty advisor. But Ramsey had taken the concept of “Independent Study” to another level, Lisa says, completing multiple drafts on his own time, of his own initiative. 

“Finding places where a kid can dig in and explore a really personal area of interest is awesome,” she says. “Any kid could choose a pathway like this, but it requires trusting themselves in their area of interest and gaining confidence in sharing that interest with others.” 

Readers can find copies of “Scales of History” at Elliott Bay, the Third Place locations in Seward Park and Ravenna, and on Amazon. All proceeds go to UNICEF, supporting humanitarian aid for children worldwide. 

Is another book from Ramsey coming down the pipeline? Maybe one day, “if it feels right,” he says. “I definitely would like to write more.”