Upper School Summer Reading

Students in the Upper School should read two books for summer reading, usually one assigned by course and one from the main summer reading list. Seniors should choose one of their books from the main reading list or a book of comparable difficulty and quality; their other book should come from the list below, depending on their first trimester English Special Topics class. Copies of these books are available at Barnes and Noble in The Summit across from KCD.

All students should be aware that they will have a quiz, test, or essay on these books the first few weeks of class.

• English 9: One book from the summer reading list and Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman or How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
• English 9 Adv: One book from the summer reading list and Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
• English 10: One book from the summer reading list and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
• English 10 Advanced: One book from the summer reading list and The Highest Tide by Jim Lynch
• English 11: One book from the summer reading list and Field Notes: The Grace Note of the Canyon Wren by Barry Lopez
• English 11 AP: One book from the summer reading list and The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald

Seniors in special topics courses

Seniors enrolled in an English Special Topics course should choose one of their books from the main summer reading list or a book of comparable difficulty and quality. Their other book should come from the trimester special topics reading list below, depending on their first trimester English Special Topics class.

• African Literature: One book from the summer reading list and Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
• Asian Writers: One book from the summer reading list and The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
• Creative Writing: One book from the summer reading list and The Lives of Rocks by Rick Bass
• One Nobel Laureate: One book from the summer reading list and One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn
• The Short Story: One book from the summer reading list and In Our Time by Ernest Hemingway
• AP Magical Realism: One book from the summer reading list and "The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka. Any edition, but it is also in your text for the class.
• AP Thinking about Literature: One book from the summer reading list and The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

Main Summer Reading List

Abbey, Edward. Desert Solitaire.
What would you do if you were enjoying your morning coffee, watching the sun come up, and you spotted a rattlesnake near the heels of your bare feet? Abbey says you should not kill it. Read this book to find out why. (9–12)

Adams, Douglas. Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
An incredible book that offers a great laugh! Read about the wacky adventures of a modern man in the future traveling in space. (9–12)

Adams, Richard. Watership Down.
An epic adventure starring a bunch of rabbits? It sounds like a recipe for disaster, but Watership Down is anything but the trite and cutesy read its premise would suggest. Adams’ tale of a group of rabbits setting out to find a new home is rich and subtle, and his animal characters are surprisingly complex. A beautiful and moving novel that will draw in even the most skeptical of readers. (9–12)

Albom, Mitch. Tuesdays With Morrie.
Written by the renowned sports columnist, this long-running bestseller chronicles conversations between Albom and his mentor, Morrie Schwartz, as Schwartz approaches his death. Mr. Fothergill says that through this book, a man at death’s door shows us how to live with gusto. (9–12)

Asimov, Isaac. Foundation.
Perhaps the greatest science fiction novel ever written, this novel charts the decline and fall of the last vestiges of the Galactic Empire and the Foundation of psychohistorians who rose to take power in its place. Psychohistory is the idea that a combination of mathematics and sociology into a new science would allow its practitioners, in this case the members of the Foundation, to predict the future. (9–12)

Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice.
Many people wrongly think that British Victorian literature is stuffy. Read this book to find out just how wrong they are. It’s a lighthearted story about one mother trying to marry off her five daughters-but only to the right men! This book is filled with laughter and romance. (9–12)

Bach, Richard. Illusions: Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah.
The book’s cover describes it as the story of a man “who learns lessons of life while giving airplane rides.” This is a book that teaches its readers profound lessons of life. A book that has been known to change lives. (9–12)

Ball, Edward. Slaves in the Family.
This book is a true account of the author’s quest to trace all the descendants of the Ball family as slave owners from 1698 to the present. It is fascinating as he meets and explains his quest to families both black and white. He is met with resistance and suspicion from both groups. (10–12)

Bass, Rick. Platte River.
Three stories of people living on the land and through the land. An old preacher settles into town and years later turns mountain pasture into a midnight garden with the help of unexpected company. A latter-day Hercules comes swimming upstream dragging a canoe behind him and is discovered by Lory’s younger brothers. Two old friends find sadness, truth, and company on a visit and an unsuccessful fishing trip. A caution: some sexuality. (11–12)

Bentley, Toni. Winter Season.
A journal written by a dancer with the New York City Ballet Company, who at the age of twenty-three realizes that she will never be more than just another Snowflake in the chorus of “The Nutcracker.” Having consecrated her entire life to her art, she is abjectly unprepared to confront her situation-so much so that her eventual decision seems strangely disturbing. (9–12)

Bernal, Martin. Black Athena.
An important non-fiction book that rethinks the origins of classical culture and society by detailing the African influence on Greece. (9–12)

Berry, Wendell. A Place on Earth.
Walt Gander recommends that you read this book while “sitting under a shady tree.” You will recognize the setting of small-town Kentucky in the 1940s. The story is about a man worried about his son who is at war. Though slow-moving, this story offers incredible characterization and a study of relationships between people and their small community. (9–12)

Berry, Wendell. The World Lost.
In this story, a young boy struggles with his family’s negative opinion of his favorite uncle. The boy learns to appreciate the uncle’s knowledge and to forgive his shortcomings. (9–12)

Bester, Alfred. The Stars My Destination.
Someone has left Gully Foyle stranded in space to die, and now they’re going to pay! With The Stars My Destination, Bester recasts the story of The Count of Monte Cristo as a baroque space opera, and the result is one of the most stunning SF novels ever written. Crammed with fast-paced action and bizarre imagery, Bester’s novel is consistently ranked as one of the top 10 SF novels of all time. (9–12)

Bierce, Ambrose. Ghost and Horror Stories of Ambrose Bierce.
This collection of Bierce’s short stories includes “Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” an ironic short story that leaves you wanting to reread to clarify that you weren’t dreaming when you read it. A great collection from one of the early masters of the horror tale. (9–12)

Bova, Ben. Death Dream.
By the writer of Mars, Death Dream is a fast-moving story about a scientist working on a virtual reality project. The novel raises interesting issues about computers, inventions, new experiences, and the risks involved in all three. Walt Gander says you “can’t help but turn the pages” when reading this book. (9–12)

Bova, Ben. Mars.
Some very exciting ideas about engineering at the atomic level. Although seemingly “far-fetched,” some possibilities have recently become reality. Maybe super small motors built “one atom at a time” are in our future? Excellent reading for aspiring scientists and engineers. (9–12)

Bradbury, Ray. The Martian Chronicles.
Bradbury’s most well-known book is a collection of linked short stories describing the human efforts to colonize Mars. The Martians, however, may have other plans . . . Dreamlike and tragic, beautiful and terrifying, The Martian Chronicles is a triumphant imaginative vision of Earth’s closest neighbor. (9–12)

Bradbury, Ray. The October Country.
Don’t come here if you’re looking for spaceships or adventures on other planets (see The Martian Chronicles, above). The October Country is a collection of dark fantasy stories that range from the quietly eery (a man finds Death’s scythe in an abandoned farmhouse) to the grotesque (a man’s fear of his own skeleton causes him to seek out a very strange doctor). Many consider this to be Bradbury’s finest short fiction collection. If you enjoy stories that send chills up and down your spine, you’ll love The October Country. (9–12)

Bradley, Marion Zimmer. The Mists of Avalon.
This is the story of Camelot written from the women’s perspective. It is a marvelous twist on the Arthurian legend with insights into Guinevere’s side of the story and the role that Arthur’s sister plays in his downfall. (12)

Branch, Taylor. Parting the Waters: America in the King Years, 1954-1963.
This is the Pulitzer Prize-winning first volume of “America in the King Years.” It chronicles the second great American revolution-that of Civil Rights-while illuminating the personalities of King, Kennedy, and Hoover, to name but a few. (9–12)

Brontë, Charlotte. Jane Eyre.
A young girl experiences major changes in her life and learns to adapt to life’s surprises. The novel captures the English countryside and keeps you reading with the gothic mystery of the “woman in the attic.” It’s an excellent read with romance, mystery, and suspense thrown in. (9–12)

Brontë, Charlotte. Villette.
Another classic novel by the writer of Jane Eyre. Villette follows a downtrodden British girl as she travels to France to discover a new culture, love, and employment. If you liked Jane Eyre, this book will give you the same thrill but on the continent. (9–12)

Brontë, Emily. Wuthering Heights.
The tempestuous setting of the windswept moors of England is nothing compared to the turmoil that engulfs the lovers Catherine and Heathcliff in this gothic romance. Read this book to see why it has been captivating readers since 1847. (9–12)

Bryson, Bill. Notes from a Small Island.
Tales of England from the 1970s through the 1990s from an Anglophile’s view. Some “rude” bits and words make for some adult-level reading, but Felicity Honnor, formerly from the Development Office (a native Brit herself), says the descriptions are very funny and realistic. The book is a good description of England for anyone considering a visit. (10–12)

Capote, Truman. In Cold Blood.
Capote essentially invented a new kind of writing with this classic: the fact-based novel, which reads like a good story but documents real-life events. The events themselves are shocking-the murder of a rural family “in cold blood.” Capote’s writing style is intoxicating. (9–12)

Card, Orson Scott. Ender’s Game.
In a Hugo-award winning best seller, sci-fi wizard Orson Scott Card grips readers from start to finish with the unstoppable and finally surprising story of Ender Wiggin, a boy raised and trained as earth’s one hope to save humanity from a second attack by an extraterrestrial race. He must prove his wits and his leadership, and he must fight to save his race without becoming a killer at heart. (9–12)

Card, Orson Scott. Speaker for the Dead.
This sequel to Ender’s Game is set 1000 years after the end of the Bugger War—a time when Ender has toppled from his hero’s pedestal to be stigmatized as the Xenocide. On the planet of Lusitania, a second sentient alien race has been discovered, but when one of the Lusitanian xenologers is found murdered, his student sends out a call for a Speaker that brings Ender to Lusitania. Speaker for the Dead improves significantly on its predecessor. Its anthropological focus is complex and satisfying, and Card uses the novel’s characters and settings to undertake an ambitious exploration of guilt, sin, and redemption. Highly recommended. A caution: Some violent scenes. (9–12

Carter, Stephen L. Integrity.
The noted Yale law professor Carter explores the issue of integrity. Combining insights with philosophy and examples from contemporary American society, “Dr. Carter offers a vision of integrity that has implications for everything from marriage and politics to professional sports” (quotation from the book jacket). (9–12)

Carver, Raymond. Cathedral.
Carver’s short stories are so clear, so poignant, and so unbelievably human that they practically make you weep! A blind man who forges an unexpected friendship and sees a cathedral in words. A baker who has nothing left to give but the simple cooking of a meal for a couple who lost everything. And many others. A must read. A caution: Some adult subject matter. (9–12)

Cather, Willa. My Antonia.
Cather is renowned for her ability to describe the landscape of the Great Plains and the immigrants who settled there. This novel also tells the bittersweet love story of Antonia and Jim and chronicles their family histories. (9–12)

Caudill, Harry James. Night Comes to the Cumberlands.
A history of the people and tragedy of the Cumberland Plateau in southeastern Kentucky and how the rampant coal mining combined with the lack of opportunity bring destitution to the scenically most magnificent part of our state. Caudill earned harsh criticism for his work that both defined and discouraged a region, but the perplexing truth of his story haunts us to this day. (10–12)

Chandler, Raymond. The Long Goodbye.
No one captured the ambience of greed, corruption, illusion, and dreams better than Chandler. Mystery novels, yes, but novels that explore the human condition as well. Also check out The Lady in the Lake, The High Window, and The Little Sister.

Charriere, Henri. Papillon.
This classic story of indomitable spirit and the will to be free chronicles Charriere’s life as a prisoner in the notorious penal colony of French Guyana. (10–12)

Clancy, Tom. The Hunt for Red October.
For those of you who have seen the movie, the book is better! Read it to rediscover the suspense and international intrigue. This book is also filled with captivating characters, including the complicated Soviet commander and the vulnerable CIA agent who reveals his imperfections. Part of what keeps you reading is the mystery of which character to trust. (9–12)

Cobbett, William. Rural Riders.
Explore the British countryside of the early nineteenth century by horseback with Cobbett, one of the great naturalists and statesmen of the pre-Victorian era. Part natural history, part political science of his time, this is a great read for the history buff and the outdoor enthusiast, as Cobbett is passionately outspoken about the need for conservation. (11–12)

Coetzee, J. M. Disgrace.
Winning Great Britain’s Booker Prize twice would be like winning the Pulitzer Prize twice—it doesn’t happen! That is, until this new work by South Africa’s premiere novelist was published. Coetzee, perhaps the best guess for a Nobel Prize in the next five years, traces the aftermath of Apartheid in this tale about a problematic professor and his inability to function in a new world in which he has no part. A caution: Some sexuality. (11–12)

Coffey, Thomas. Agony at Easter.
This is a thoroughly engaging historical narrative about the tragicomic Irish Rebellion in 1916. It speaks to the most indomitable aspects of human nature in what was an ultimately quixotic enterprise. (9–12)

Conroy, Pat. The Water is Wide.
This novel, based on Conroy’s own experience, is about a year spent teaching the students of Damascus Island, a tiny barrier island off the coast of South Carolina. You might ask yourself how he could ever leave. (9–12)

Cooper, Susan Fenimore. Rural Hours.
One of the early American naturalist texts, Rural Hours charts a year of seasons in the natural environs of Cooperstown, the author’s home in upstate New York. Incredibly readable and delightful in detail, Rural Hours actually predates Thoreau’s Walden and influenced its writing. (9–12)

Dallas, Ian. The Book of Strangers.
What did happen to the last keeper of the archives of the State University LIbrary? Follow his successor as he tries to find out. Hint: he pursues a learning centered in the heart, not books. And we all know who the best heart teachers are. (11–12)

Desai, Anita. Fire on the Mountain.
Friendship is the central theme of this short novel about an aging woman who values her privacy so much that she finds it a burden to maintain the few relationships that remain in her life. When her granddaughter, aged six, comes to spend the summer, the woman is drawn to reconsider many of her priorities, with some tragic consequences. (9–12)

Dick, Philip K. The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch.
The entrepreneur Palmer Eldritch has come back from Proxima Centauri with a miraculous drug that allows Martian colonists to escape the bleak reality of their miserable lives. Eldritch’s drug, however, may be more than it seems, and Eldritch himself may be an alien—or even worse, a god bent on devouring the galaxy. One of the most intricate of Dick’s reality-bending novels, Three Stigmata is a metaphysical roller-coaster ride through some of the strangest territory you’ll ever visit. (9–12)

Dick, Philip K. UBIK.
Joe Chip and his team survived the explosion that killed their boss, Glen Runciter. Joe, however, keeps receiving messages from his supposedly dead boss, and now his associates are dying off one by one. UBIK is Dick’s masterpiece, a dark comedy in which reality is falling apart—literally—and the only hope of salvation comes in an aerosol can. (9–12)

Dickens, Charles. Bleak House.
The marathon of classic Victorian novel reading, this novel is one of Dickens’ longest and most fun efforts. You will delight in the interweaving of families, the hilarious parody of the court system, the “Growlery” (a room in the house exclusively devoted to blowing off steam), and the horrific reality of-dare we say it?—spontaneous combustion! (9–12)

Dickens, Charles. David Copperfield.
Is any educated person’s reading list complete without this famous tale? Widely accepted as Dickens’ semi-fictional autobiography, David Copperfield begins with the infamous words, “I am born.” See if you can figure out which passages Dickens altered to please his readers and their ongoing requests as he was writing this great work for serial publication. (9–12)

Dickens, Charles. Great Expectations.
Dickens is justly renowned as the finest chronicler of Victorian society, and this novel just may be his greatest work. Dickens’ novel follows the life and career of the orphan Pip, from his childhood encounter with the escaped convict Magwitch, through his ill-fated love with the perverse Estella, to the final solution of the mystery of Pip’s family. (9–12)

Dillard, Annie. Pilgrim at Tinker’s Creek.
Observations by a naturalist who considers the mundane and through her scrutiny discovers the marvelous. (9–12)

Dodge, Jim. Not Fade Away.
Join George Gaskins as he attempts to deliver a mint-condition 1959 Cadillac to the Big Bopper. The only problem is that the Big Bopper has been dead for almost ten years. But he meets some delightful characters along the way. Also to enjoy by Dodge, Fup and Stone Junction: An Alchemical Potboiler. (11-12)

Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of a Slave.
A classic of American literature, this moving autobiography recounts Douglass’ lifelong struggle to be free. Extremely well-written and thought-provoking. (9–12)

Dubus, Andre. Dancing After Hours.
Writer Andre Dubus was in an accident that caused him to lose the use of both legs and forced him to become wheelchair-bound—all because he stopped to help a motorist in distress. These short stories have grown out of his experiences since the accident. The ordinary acts in life take on a kind of grace. Very moving, unusual stories, according to Bobbie Thomason. (11–12)

Dumas, Alexander. The Count of Monte Cristo.
A sailor seeks revenge on those who caused him to be imprisoned for fourteen years for a crime for which he was not responsible. (9–12)

Dunn, Katherine. Geek Love.
Meet a traveling-circus family full of oddities! They want odd children and to surround themselves with oddities. The story challenges you to question what is “normal” and what is “abnormal” or “odd.” (9–12)

Duong, Thu Huong. Memories of a Pure Spring.
The newest novel from the controversial and renowned Vietnamese author. If her Paradise of the Blind documents the communist land redistribution campaign just before the beginning of the “foreign wars” and Novel Without a Name focuses on the war with America, this new work completes the triad by revealing the tumult and fallout of that latter war in the ten years following it. (10–12)

Duong, Thu Huong. Novel Without a Name.
The second novel from the first Vietnamese author ever to be translated into English, Novel Without a Name is a relentlessly harsh look at the horror that is war, regardless of the side on which one fights. Set in the later stages of the war with the United States, this novel focuses on the experiences of Quan, a soldier with ten years of experience in the North Vietnamese army. With few pages given to battles and the vast majority dedicated to the soldier’s experience behind the lines, this important novel shows the uniquely common experience soldiers of any army fighting in an ambiguously justified war have. A caution: this text contains some unpleasantly graphic details (like those found in Hiroshima) that make this book only appropriate for a mature reader who can have parental support and discussion while reading it. (11–12)

Fadiman, James. The Other Side of Haight.
A recent novel set during the mid-sixties in Haight-Ashbury, the busy crossroads of hippie heaven. The novel follows several characters as they live out their destinies in the heart of the counterculture. (9-12)

Farrington, Tim. The Monk Downstairs.
Rebecca Martin regrets renting her downstairs apartment to a monk recently removed from the monastery from the beginning. But in San Francisco, she needs help with her high payments. And her daughter approved of him. This wonderful novel follows the relationship among these three characters as it grows and matures over time. A delightful novel. (11-12)

Faulkner, William. The Hamlet.
In The Hamlet, Faulkner unleashes the Snopes family upon the genteel town of Frenchman’s Bend, which proves to be no match for the Snopes’ shrewdness, cunning, and apparently inexhaustible numbers. The Hamlet is one of Faulkner’s funniest novels, but behind the comedy is a penetrating examination of the collapse of the culture of the antebellum South in the period following Reconstruction. A caution: this book contains some scenes of adult sexuality. (9–12)

Faulkner, William. Light in August.
Light in August is the unforgettable story of Joe Christmas, a violent drifter who doesn’t know if he is black or white. Unable to find a place in the segregated south, Joe lashes out at both worlds. Although still challenging, this novel is more accessible than some of Faulkner’s earlier works and also contains some of his most memorable characters. Violent and lyrical, tragic and comical, Light in August is a brilliant novel from one of America’s greatest writers. A caution: this book contains some scenes of graphic violence and adult sexuality. (11–12)

Flagg, Fannie. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe.
The 1930s and the 1980s, best friends young and old, racial tension and murder, and some down-home cookin’ (recipes included)-all are found in this contemporary classic. Fannie Flagg weaves everything together in this “laugh-until-you-cry” novel. (9–12)

Follett, Ken. Pillars of the Earth.
This book takes the reader back to twelfth century England. The effort to build a new cathedral involves the entire society-from king to peasant. It’s a grand story of faith, sacrifice, dedication, greed, and betrayal. (10–12)

Ford, Ford Madox. The Good Soldier.
Yes, he changed his name so that his first and last names were the same! But the more interesting thing about this writer is his classic novel, The Good Soldier. Either the last Victorian novel or the first modernist one, this novel exposes turn-of-the-century upper class privacies in a dream-like tale of the wealthy and their wavering. (9–12)

Ford, Richard. Independence Day.
There are no alien invasions, but this is a novel with broad thematic implications about current American society. Mr. Ford returns to the story of his flawed but compelling hero from The Sportswriter and sends him on a male-bonding trip to the baseball Hall of Fame with his surly thirteen year-old son. If you have a son or if you were ever a son yourself, you will see something you recognize in this harrowing quest. (9–12)

Ford, Richard. The Sportswriter.
This is a book for male readers-not because it’s about sports (it’s really about a writer), but because it offers an exploration of masculine views that are not necessarily traditional. Tom Chiari calls it an “optimistic book.” (9–12)

Fowler, Karen Joy. Sarah Canary.
This whimsical novel is set in the Pacific Northwest in the 19th century. When a Chinese railroad worker decides to return a wandering white woman to her home, he finds himself experiencing a series of bizarre adventures. Beautifully written, Fowler’s compassion for her characters and her delight in the eccentricities of history make this book a treat. (10–12)

Fremont, Helen. After Long Silence.
An accessible and enjoyable summer reading book! Helen Fremont and her sister are American yuppies who start to realize in midlife that their good Catholic parents are actually Polish Holocaust survivors. Fremont pieces together fragments of her parents’ stories by interviewing other survivors, contacting archives, traveling to Poland, and eventually confronting her parents. Fremont goes on a quest to explore family secrets in order to discover who she is. (9–12)

Gaines, Ernest. A Lesson Before Dying.
Set in a Cajun community, this book is a beautiful and haunting story of racism and one black man’s struggle to make sense out of life, religion, and his own sense of self and value in life. The story centers around a black teacher and his relationship with another black man who has been condemned to die. Fascinating and riveting! (12)

Garcia Marquez, Gabriel. 100 Years of Solitude.
A beach book for pure enjoyment or a profound literary work for the academic-minded-you choose! Enter the world of Garcia Marquez—a world of magic realism. Get swept away by the dreamlike realities he paints of multiple generations of the extraordinary Buendía family. Be ready to believe the unbelievable and question the norm. Set in Columbia, the story is mystical, adventurous, and romantic. A caution: some explicit sexuality. (11–12)

Gaskell, Elizabeth. North and South.
This classic, one of the great Victorian novels, explores the blessings and curses of the Industrial Revolution and its impact on English families and the larger social structure. (9–12)

Gatreaux, Tim. Same Places, Same Things.
A collection of memorable short stories that you will want to reread-out loud-to anyone who will listen! The characters are deeply detailed and so true to life that you will feel like you have met them somewhere before. The style, while rich in details, wastes no words in drawing unusually compelling portraits of ordinary people. (9–12)

Gibbons, Kaye. Charms for the Easy Life.
The story of three generations of strong women with a firm sense of their own self worth. Well-told and moving for male and female readers. (9–12)

Godwin, Gail. The Finishing School.
A young girl in her teens becomes obsessed by an attractive, fascinating older artistic woman who takes an interest in her just when she needs attention most. But is it an unhealthy relationship or one in which the young girl can grow, develop, and thrive? (9–12)

Golden, Arthur. Memoirs of a Geisha.
A recent national and international bestseller, this book was recommended by several faculty members. Golden provides an exotic setting for the American reader as he describes one woman’s experiences as a geisha in 20th-century Japan. You will be caught up in the richness of the narrative voice and the persona that Golden creates. Read this if you’re interested in history, romance, or just a good story. A caution: because of the nature of a geisha’s life, there is some brief explicit sexuality. (11–12)

Greene, Graham. The Power and the Glory.
A vivid portrayal of the Reformation debate between faith and works as it plays out in the life of a fallen priest in Mexico. (10–12)

Greene, Melissa Fay. Praying for Sheetrock.
The modern civil rights movement never made it to McIntosh County, Georgia, until one man stood up against the system. Praying for Sheetrock offers a close look at small town race relations and politics in the deep South. This non-fiction account goes behind the scenes and looks at people-black and white-and how they try to cohabitate. (9–12)

Grey, Zane. Riders of the Purple Sage.
Go West, young man or young woman! Zane Grey, the master of cowboy fiction, will take you there. Many writers have copied Grey, but he was the first and best in the saddle of literature. (10–12)

Grisham, John.A Painted House.
This Grisham book contains no lawyers and no plot that requires the reader to question its realism. Set in rural Arkansas in 1952, the story is narrated by seven-year-old Luke Chandler whose eyes see more than he’s ready for and whose recounting of one harvest season will leave you rapidly turning the pages.

Hardy, Thomas. The Mayor of Casterbridge.
One of Hardy’s most famous novels, this story is set in England in the nineteenth century and tells the rise and fall of an arresting character. While you are reading, you will find yourself asking: Is he good or is he bad? You decide at the end. (9–12)

Hardy, Thomas. Tess of the D’Urbervilles.
Hardy’s novel describes one family’s attempt to ascend the social ladder in Victorian England. At the heart of the story is the sweet, innocent, and genuinely good Tess, who must learn the hard lessons of the world as she tries to help her family. (10–12)

Hardy, Thomas. The Woodlanders.
Looking for a good classic? Hardy’s tale of how social classes get in the way of romance in a small, rural, disappearing, agrarian community is a sort-of Romeo and Juliet meets Wendell Berry’s Port William. The Woodlanders is easy to read, is beautiful writing, and is a great narrative that will keep you guessing right up until the end. And it’s a great introduction to one of the late Victorian authors. (9–12)

Helprin, Mark. A Soldier of the Great War.
Weaving a tale of epic adventure, Helprin explores the magic and mystery of life and the absurdity of war. The book is a series of flashbacks in the life of Alessandro Giuliani whose life was transformed by his experiences in World War I. Written with poetic beauty. (11–12)

Hemingway, Ernest. For Whom the Bell Tolls.
Hemingway takes the title from the poet John Donne, but this epic is pure Hemingway. Read about Robert Jordan, an American fighting for the Loyalists and against Fascism during the Spanish Civil War. As in most of Hemingway’s fiction, there are strong characters, a powerful love story, and precise language. Many readers consider this novel to be Hemingway’s finest work. (11–12)

Hemingway, Ernest. The Snows of Kilimanjaro and Other Tales.
Have you never read any of Hemingway’s fiction and want a good but not too taxing introduction to his style and method? This collection of short stories surveys both his subject matter and time period. It also exposes you to both the tragedy and genius that was Hemingway’s, from the African safari and World War I battle lines to a boxing ring in a town where no one cares anymore. Caution: Occasionally mature subject matter is suggested. (9–12)

Herbert, Frank. Dune.
Dune is a story of intergalactic intrigue and conflict. As rival forces struggle to control the desert planet of Arrakis, a messianic leader emerges to lead the revolt of an oppressed people. Arguably the greatest science fiction novel ever written, Dune received both the Hugo Award and Nebula Award for best science fiction novel of 1965. (9–12)

Hersey, John. Hiroshima.
Journalist Hersey traveled to Hiroshima in the wake of the U.S. atomic bombing that ended World War II. Based on survivors’ accounts, Hersey reconstructs what it was like in that Japanese city on the day of the bombing and in the following weeks. Because of the historical nature of his subject, descriptions are graphic, but this is a critically acclaimed account of one of the defining events of the modern age. (9)

Hesse, Hermann. Siddhartha.
Hesse’s small novel, a favorite of readers for almost a century, is about a young man’s search for a meaningful life. His quest takes him from the world of his parents to study with various spiritual teachers of the time to business world, parenting, and beyond. What does the river tell him? Also try Narcissus and Goldmund, and Magister Ludi: The Glass Bead Game. (9-12)

Hiaasen, Carl. Stormy Weather.
Set in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew in Miami and environs, this novel explores how the blighted area became a magnet for every huckster and con artist from miles around. Reintroduces readers to Skink, whom everyone needs to meet. (9-12)

Hilton, James. Goodbye, Mr. Chips.
Mr. Chips is a teacher at an all boys boarding school. The book takes us through his life and speaks of the era in which he lived. A heartwarming story that was one of Rosanne Zabloudil’s favorite books in high school. (9)

Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner.
An eminently readable book that details the life of Amir, a young Afghani boy, who is born into a privileged family.  However, as Afghanistan goes from monarchy through the revolution, the Russian invasion, and the Taliban government, Amir's fortunes change drastically. “A powerful book . . . no frills, no nonsense, just hard, spare prose . . . an intimate account of family and friendship, betrayal and salvation . . . Parts of The Kite Runner are raw and excruciating to read, yet the book in its entirety is loving written,” says the Washington Post Book World.

Hughes, Langston. The Big Sea.
Read this autobiography of Langston Hughes to find out more about the life of the famed poet, short story writer, and essayist. (9–12)

Hughes, Langston. The Ways of White Folks.
Although Hughes is remembered primarily as a poet, he also composed many short stories. Read this collection to see his glimpse of the people and places of the United States in the first half of the 20th century. (9–12)

Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God.
A tale of courage and persistence in the face of overwhelming odds. This novel tells one woman’s incredible journey of self-discovery and of relationships that are built to last. A lovely and lyrical novel. (10–12)

Irving, John. A Prayer for Owen Meaney.
The narrator remembers the most unusual person he has ever known: his childhood friend and class clown, Owen Meaney. This coming of age story about the pre-teenage antics of two young boys is both outrageously funny and deeply touching. (9–12)

James, Henry. The Wings of the Dove.
A classic in the James canon, this book explores the vulnerability of innocence as a young woman living abroad encounters a pair of lovers who want her money and will do just about anything to get it. Read this to appreciate James’ mastery in presenting people as they really are. (10–12)

Jhabvala, Ruth Prawer. The Nature of Passion.
An early work by the 1975 winner of the Booker Prize, this is a domestic comedy about the family of a building contractor in Delhi, who has prospered in the ten years since Independence. He has the opportunity to land a multi-lakh contract, but there is one big problem-he must also offer his youngest daughter as a bride for the nephew of his business partner. (9–12)

Jones, Suzanne W., ed. Growing Up in the South: An Anthology of Modern Southern Literature.
Short stories make for great “short attention span” summer reading. With this collection of fictional and biographical accounts, authors ranging from William Faulkner to Maya Angelou lend their perspectives on what it means to come of age in America’s South in a variety of time periods. Highly recommended by Suzanne Holmes. (9–12)

Junger, Sebastian. The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea.
This book was on the bestseller list of The New York Times for months, and there’s a reason! It’s a terrific account of the northeaster of 1991 and the struggles of the fishermen caught in the storm. If you pick it up, you probably won’t put it down until the storm subsides and you’ve finished the book. (9–12)

Kafka, Franz. The Trial.
Indulge your sense of angst this summer by reading Kafka’s masterful novel of existential absurdity and dread. Charged with an unknown crime, the hapless Joseph K searches desperately for answers within a vast and impenetrable bureaucratic maze. Part dark fantasy, part allegory, The Trial is an unnerving look at one aspect of the human condition. If you like your humor black as night, you may also find this book unexpectedly funny. (9–12)

Kidd, Sue Monk. The Secret Life of Bees.
As The Washington Post describes it, "The tale of a motherless daughter's discovery of what family really means—and of the strange and wondrous places we find love." A well-written and absorbing book about Lily Owens and her housekeeper Rosaleen, the spiritual Boatwright sisters, and what happens when their paths converge in 1960s South Carolina.

Kingsolver, Barbara. Animal Dreams.
A novel about dreams, Native American legends, political action, and commitment to the earth. Bobbie Thomason sums it up: “beautifully written.” (9–12)

Kingsolver, Barbara. The Bean Trees.
Having finished high school in rural Kentucky, Taylor determines to find a new life by heading West in her dilapidated Volkswagen. Along the way she finds new friends and takes on the responsibilities of motherhood when a little Cherokee girl, abused and neglected, is left in her car. (9–12)

Kingsolver, Barbara. Pigs in Heaven.
Although she idealizes Native American culture in this story of a child-custody battle, Kingsolver gives us memorable characters whom we care about almost immediately and a plot that keeps us turning those pages. The ending may seem like a facile attempt to please all sides, but reconciliation is after all a central theme in this novel. (9–12)

Krakauer, Jonathan. Into the Wild.
A mix of idealism, naiveté, and hubris led Christopher McCandless to abandon everyone and everything he knew to live alone in the Alaskan wilderness. Unfortunately, his personal quest and his all-too-young life end in tragedy. If you liked Krakauer’s Into Thin Air, this is the book for you. (9–12)

Kranz, Gene. Failure is not an Option: Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
This book gives you a chance to see NASA’s development from an insider’s point of view. Kranz was part of the mission control team from 1960 until 1993. Read the book to learn about the program and the men who made the astronauts able to complete their missions. As a special treat after reading the book, watch the movie Apollo 13 and see how accurate you find Ed Harris’ Oscar-nominated portrayal of Kranz in that movie. 

Larsen, Nella. Quicksand and Passing.
These two short novels by Larsen are typically published together because they both tell the stories of characters living in Harlem in the 1920s, a time of great development and promise for the African-American community. Larsen deals with the question of which path to take: retention of the black community or assimilation into the white? If you are a history buff, you will like these psychological explorations of an important period in American history. (10–12)

Lawrence, D. H. The Rainbow.
If you are a highly motivated reader, you will enjoy this long, psychological tale that is part love story and part tragedy. This is the book that made Kathryn Balbach fall in love with British literature. (11–12)

Le Guin, Ursula K. A Wizard of Earthsea.
The first in one of the greatest fantasy series ever written. Follow Ged, a young boy from a mountain village on one of the thousand islands that make up Earthsea, as he learns the power he has within and the responsibility that power brings. Wizards who gain their power from knowing the true names of things, dragons that speak, and a world mostly of water with a few outcroppings of land here and there. The following books are as wonderful: The Tombs of Atuan, The Farthest Shore, Tehanu, and The Other Wind. And do not forget the collection of shorter tales, Tales of Earthsea. (9-12)

Lenset, Sigrid. Kristin Lavensdatter.
This title is actually a trilogy of books tracing the life of young Kristin Laven’s datter (daughter) in medieval England. A wonderful story, told with detailed descriptions, that will transport you to a time long ago. Jean Amick says it is a must read for girls! (9–12)

Lopez, Barry. Winter Count.
A collection of short stories about the unusual behavior of animals and men, such as the rare book repair man in North Dakota. Also worth reading are his subsequent collections Field Notes and Light Action in the Caribbean. (9-12)

MacLean, Norman. Young Men and Fire.
Norman MacLean, whose fame derives from the book A River Runs Through It, has written a compelling detective story about the deaths of thirteen Smokejumpers in the Mann Gulch Fire of 1949. Robert Blair says that “it is a story of courage and heroism as well as human fallibility.” (9–12)

Mahfouz, Naguib. Arabian Nights and Days.
Egypt’s greatest writer’s treatment of the characters and situations first chronicled in 1001 Arabian Nights. But with a modern twist, which is a focus on the human issues of power, greed, faith, fate, and justice. A powerful and intriguing read that not only takes the reader to a mystical place distant from this world, but also introduces him or her to an entirely different approach to writing. Mahfouz won the Nobel Prize in 1988. Read this, one of his more accessible and fun novels, and you’ll see why. Caution: some sexuality. (10–12)

Marius, Richard. After The War.
A wonderfully told story of Paul Alexander, a European displaced by WWI, who ends up in Bourbonville, Tennessee. This novel is one that deals with the ravages of war, the constant intrusion of the past, the difficulties of small town living, and the dying of dreams. An exceptional book that is extremely enjoyable to read, but stays in one's thoughts long after it's put down. 

Markandaya, Kamala. Nectar in a Sieve.
A minor classic about a poor village woman in the first years after Independence. The bewildering changes Rukmani encounters reveal the extent to which her instinctive forbearance and selflessness are her most admirable strengths, yet also her fatal flaws. (9–12)

Markham, Beryl. West with the Night.
The first woman to fly across the Atlantic, Beryl Markham hunted boar and elephant, raised and raced horses, and wrote a memoir of her life in Africa that is like no other. Her style forges a voice out of the experiences and visions of two cultures. This gutsy woman manages to pack several lifetimes’ worth of adventure, courage, and experience into a single life and a single book. (10–12)

Mason, Bobbie Ann. Feather Crowns.
This is the best novel yet by the best writer in Kentucky. In her portrayal of the dirt-poor farm girl who in 1900 gave birth to the first recorded quintuplets in North America, Mason probes the heart and mind of this woman with gentleness and sympathy but without sentimentality. The pace may seem too leisurely for some. The character of Christie Wheeler, however, is a continuing delight. (9–12)

McCarthy, Cormac. All the Pretty Horses.
A young man living on the Texas-Mexico border escapes to a life of adventure and romance. Jimmy Blevins finds love and a sense of himself in the hill country of that rugged place, amid the scoundrels and bronco busters, lovely senoritas and the patrondes of Mexican estates. The writing is truly lyrical and unforgettable. (9–12)

McCourt, Frank. Angela’s Ashes.
This Pulitzer Prize-winning book is the memoir of Frank McCourt, born in Depression-era Brooklyn to recent Irish immigrants and raised in the slums of Limerick, Ireland. McCourt tells his sad but touching story with humor and compassion. Vivid and haunting descriptions that are also full of promise. (9–12)

McDermott, Alice. Charming Billy.
Yes—Billy was a charmer. Everyone loved him, but wasn’t it sad about his drinking. Now that he’s gone, Billy’s family is left to wonder about their own charmed lives and how each played a role in charming Billy. (10–12)

McKibben, Bill. The End of Nature.
McKibben, a journalist based in New York’s Adirondack Mountains, examines the state of the Earth’s environment by interviewing top businessmen, politicians, scholars, and activists and summarizes his findings in an incredibly easy to read and fascinating tale of where we are now. His conclusion is obvious from his title, but what you learn along the way will perhaps suggest more about how we need to be living than it will reduce us to feeling hopeless. This is especially the case if you follow it up with reading its sequel, Hope, Human and Wild, in which he examines the possibilities for saving the planet based upon two cities, one in Brazil and one in India, where people are successfully reversing the environmental devastation he depicts in his first book. The End of Nature is perhaps the most respected environmental book to be written in the last 20 years. (11–12; 9-10 if one is already interested in the environment)

McPhee, John. The Control of Nature.
McPhee, who is arguably America’s best essayist, bursts the bubble on the notion that nature is nothing more than our handmaiden. Those living in New Orleans, Louisiana, Southern California, and along the shores of the Ohio River beware. (9–12)

Melville, Herman. Moby Dick.
What need be said? A classic. The classic. No one’s education can truly be complete without this great read of things whale and water-like. But beyond the whales, this tragedy is a deep and sharp look into the human soul and the quandary that lies there. More revenge-lust per square inch than all of Shakespeare’s plays combined! (9–12)

Meyer, Stephanie. Twilight
Stephanie Meyer’s books are all the rage for teenage girls. The main character, Bella, ends up in the midst of anything but a typical teenage romance: her boyfriend is a vampire and has to fight the urge to kill her. Full of suspense, romance, and both supernatural and natural teenagers and their emotions, the Twilight series has enraptured legions of female readers. If you have already read Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse, then enjoy Breaking Dawn this summer after it debuts on August 2. If you read one or more of these books this summer, please pick something more challenging for your second book.

Michener, James. The Source.
Using artifacts uncovered during an archaeological dig in the Middle East, Michener explores the people, their culture, and spiritual beliefs. As each layer is uncovered, the reader journeys back to the civilizations that occupied the land over the past 5,000 years. Melanie-Prejean Sullivan says, “I read this during my first summer in college and couldn’t put it down!” (11–12)

Miller, Walter. A Canticle for Liebowitz.
In the ruins of a ravaged Earth, a monk of the order of Saint Leibowitz finds an enigmatic note penned by the blessed Saint himself: “Pound pastrami, can kraut, six bagels-bring home for Emma.” A Canticle for Liebowitz ranges freely from comedy to tragedy as it traces thousands of years of Earth’s future history, examining along the way the perseverance of faith and the human tendency toward self-destruction. A powerful and thought-provoking novel. (9–12)

Moore, Christopher. Coyote Blue.
Sam Hunter, happily selling insurance in Santa Barbara, is a long way from the Crow reservation where he grew up. But that wily trickster Coyote is going to change all that. One of the wisest and funniest books anyone will ever read. Also take a look at Practical Demonkeeping, Blood Sucking Fiends, and The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove. (9-12)

Morgan, Richard. Altered Carbon.
Best described as a Raymond Chandler novel set in the future, the book explores the adventures of Takeshi Kovacs of the special envoy forces, recently re-sleeved in a new body and hired to find out who killed the man who hired him. If he succeeds, he may get to keep his new body and life. An intense read. (9-12).

Mortenson, Greg and Relin, David Oliver. Three Cups of Tea.
In 1993, part-time hospital nurse and part-time mountaineer Greg Mortenson barely survived a failed attempt to summit the most dangerous peak in the world, K2. On his descent, Mortenson wandered off track into an impoverished Pakistani village high in the Karakoram mountains and wandered into his destiny as a human being. This book is the story of Mortenson’s efforts to return and build a school for that village. The subtitle is “One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time.”  After reading this book, you may believe that it is possible.

Mosley, Walter. Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned.
This collection of short stories chronicles the life of Socrates Fortlow, paroled after serving twenty-five years for murder and now living quietly in Watts in Los Angeles in the 1980’s. Each story presents a moral problem for Fortlow to explore, usually coming out of his everyday life and attempts to make his way in the world. His adventures continue in Walking the Dog

Mowat, Farley. Never Cry Wolf.
An employee of the Canadian Wildlife Service is deposited in a remote northern province to study wolf habits and determine why caribou populations are on the decline. The trick is that he’s on his own hundreds of miles from anyone and he has no background in wilderness survival. An incredible read: the first chapter may seem daunting or boring in its formal language, but stick with it! Within twenty pages you’ll meet Mowat’s humor (and his compassion for the wild world) and you’ll be hooked through the last page. (9–12)

Mukherjee, Bharati. The Holder of the World.
This book tells the amazing adventures of a Puritan girl whose life began and ended in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, although most of it was spent in India. Her story is uncovered by a contemporary antique dealer who identifies herself more and more with “the Salem Bibi.” The eventful lot ends surprisingly but appropriately. A caution: some violence and sexual content. (11–12)

Nabokov, Vladimir. Pale Fire.
A spoof on literary criticism that is a classic text, Pale Fire provides a wild ride through the world of reality as fantasy. The real fire versus the pale fire—which is which? A great challenge for the summer. (10–12)

Narayan, R. K. The Vendor of Sweets.
In his youth, Jagan had been a devoted follower of Gandhi. Now in middle age he still observes scrupulous dietary practices, but he supports his family by selling sugared delicacies of the sort that Gandhi had forbidden. Jagan’s personal conflict mirrors several of the larger contradictions of modern life in India. (9–12)

Narayan, R. K. The World of Nagaraj.
Like most of Narayan’s novels, this one takes place in Tamil Nadu, in the fictional village of Malgudi. Nagaraj has always been comfortably vague about the practicalities of life. The arrival of his teen-aged nephew, however, transforms everything about Nagaraj’s household—except Nagaraj himself. (9–12)

Nelson, Richard. The Island Within.
Nelson is an anthropologist who spent years living with and studying the Koyukon people in Alaska, and now he lives his life according to the spiritual way of participating in nature he learned from his time with them. This book essentially documents his experiences hunting deer on a remote island just off the coast of southern Alaska, but in so doing takes the reader on a mystical, yet grounded, journey into the heart of nature and the heart of our relationship with it. It will be one of the most challenging books you will ever read and perhaps the most rewarding. (11–12)

Norris, Frank. The Octopus.
A great saga of a struggle between farmers who grow the wheat and the railroad monopoly that controls the transportation. (10–12)

Nyala, Hannah. Point Last Seen: A Woman Tracker’s Story of Domestic Violence and Personal Triumph.
“Nothing can adequately prepare a human for becoming another’s prey.” Thus Hannah Nyala introduces her story, a true life tale of an average woman who was pursued by an abusive husband and took to the profession of tracking both as a means of earning a living and of watching her own back and those of her children. At times incredibly sad, at others horrifying and frustrating at what our legal system is often unable to prevent, this easily read testimony becomes a story of survival and hope for all of us who are seemingly challenged with the insurmountable. (9–12)

O’ Brian, Patrick. Master and Commander.
Swashbuckling adventure on the high seas, full of exciting naval battles and English gallantry in the wars against Napoleon. Also full of accurate historical detail, fascinating characters, and stylish prose. Check out other titles in this series after finishing this one! (9–12)

Peck, M. Scott, M. D. The Road Less Traveled.
“Life is difficult,” begins Peck in his exploration of the ways in which we all make choices in life. His general thesis is that we usually suffer consequences when we take the easy way out instead of the path that will lead us to growth. It is a book that lends itself to lots of thought and discussion. (11–12)

Petry, Ann. The Street.
Originally published in 1946, this book is a realistic portrayal of the violence, poverty, and racial dissonance of 1940s Harlem. (9–12)

Prejean, Sister Helen. Dead Man Walking.
It started with just a goodwill gesture, a letter to a lonely death row inmate who had not seen a visitor in years. Suddenly, by agreeing to be a spiritual advisor to convicted murderer Patrick Sanier, Sister Helen Prejean found herself smack in the middle of one of the most controversial and heated issues of our day: the death penalty. Prejean gives us an inside view to what really happens on death row and in the criminal justice system. She looks at the issues from both the victim’s family’s and the inmate’s perspectives. (9–12)

Preston, Richard. The Hot Zone.
Not for the faint of heart, this is one journalist’s non-fiction telling of the ravages of the deadly ebola virus and how that virus has already reared its ugly head on this continent in ways you would never imagine. While this book contains a great deal of technical virology and speciology, it is a riveting read that will keep you on the edge of your seat right up to the last words. A caution: this is not for the faint of heart and contains graphic, although not gratuitous, depictions of the fatal results of the illness. (9–12)

Proulx, E. Annie. The Shipping News.
Tom Chiari calls this Pulitzer Prize winning novel from Vermont simply “a good yarn.” It is the fabulously entertaining story of an ordinary guy in Nova Scotia who leads an extraordinary life. Proulx captures the landscape, especially the water, of Nova Scotia. Paula Ackerman advises, “If you can’t afford a plane ticket to Nova Scotia, read this book.” (9–12)

Rawicz, Slavomir. The Long Walk.
This is the story of seven POWs who escape a Siberian prison camp only to spend the next twelve months on a journey to freedom that takes them through some of the most forbidding terrain on the planet. From the Himalayas to the Gobi Desert, without map or compass, the reader follows their heroic efforts to find freedom and survive. (10–12)

Redfield, James. The Celestine Prophecy.
There is definitely a reason that this book was on the best-seller list. It is one which few readers can put down once the mystery starts to unravel. Some will find that its ideas are part of their life philosophy; others may find themselves adapting elements of the prophecy to their own life plans. Fascinating and thought-provoking. There is a workbook that goes along with it if one chooses to study it on a different level. (9–12)

Renault, Mary. Fire from Heaven and The Persian Boy.
These books explore the life of Alexander the Great from his childhood through his conquests of the then-known world. They are a magical combination of myth, fact, and mystery. Alexander was told that he was divine and he followed a destiny mapped out by his ancestry. (12)

Robbins, Tom. Jitterbug Perfume.
Concerning perfume, radishes, immortality, and ancient gods and goddesses, this novel is a heady mix of Tom Robbins’ usual concerns: freedom, hope, destiny, fraud, hypocrisy, and love. Mature content. (11-12)

Robinson, Marilynne. Housekeeping.
This is the story of Ruth, her family, a railroad bridge, and a lake. Robinson paints a great image of the water and hills in which Ruth lives with her Aunt Sylvie as Ruth tries to make sense of the losses her family has survived. A book with a sense of lyrical mystery. The characters are a bit quirky as well. A book that is very popular with students who give it a chance. (10–12)

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
As the series progresses, the books become more dense and the world becomes darker and darker. Some call this series the ideal summer read. Read one and then read something more ambitious for your second choice.

Sagan, Carl. Contact.
You’ve seen the film; now read the book! This is fiction about communication with extraterrestrials in the context of intriguing ideas drawn from mathematics, physics, and computer technology. (9–12)

Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye.
This 20th-century American classic often appears on lists of famous banned books. Read it not for the controversy, but to find out what makes Holden Caulfield tick. The story chronicles life for this character as he is being expelled from boarding school; the book is equally concerned with Holden’s thoughts, emotions, and dreams. (11–12)

Sayers, Dorothy. Gaudy Night.
Harriet Vane is attending her Oxford reunion, known as the “Gaudy.” While there, she becomes the target of a series of nasty pranks, including notes threatening murder. Her friend, Lord Peter Wimsey helps her to unravel the clues. This is a great British mystery and romance with feminist overtones. It is best read after the other books in the Lord Peter series. (9–12)

Shaara, Michael. The Killer Angels.
Killer Angels is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel that tells the story of the Battle of Gettysburg from the point of view of both the Union and Confederate leaders. Robert E. Lee, James Longstreat, and Joshua Chamberlain come alive, as does the battle itself. A great choice for anyone who enjoys history! (9–12)

Sheehan, Neil. A Bright and Shining Lie.
If you read only one book about Vietnam, this should be it. Sheehan’s book depicts both courage and honor as well as the corruption and incompetence that produced tragedy for both Americans and the Vietnamese. (9–12)

Shields, Carol. Happenstance.
In this clever, funny, and touchingly optimistic view of married life, a couple approaches their mid-40’s heading in opposite directions. (As is customary in stories of this sort, the wife is the one on the upswing.) Next to her magnificent The Stone Diaries, this is Ms. Shield’s most satisfying novel. (11–12)

Sobel, Dava. Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time.
This books chronicles the history of discovering how to calibrate longitude. It is both informative and entertaining because of Sobel’s humorous description of attempts to make the calibration. (9–12)

Stegner, Wallace. Big Rock Candy Mountain.
This is a story of unbridled ambition and unrealistic dreams set in the American Great Plains in the early 20th century. From biography to history to fiction, Stegner can’t miss. (9–12)

Steinbeck, John. East of Eden.
A gripping tale of a family whose life on a California ranch spans two generations. As with all of Steinbeck’s fiction, the book contains an excellent character study and the plot has many twists and turns. (10–12)

Sturgeon, Theodore. More Than Human.
Probably the best of Sturgeon’s novels, More Than Human is the strange story of a collection of misfits who share a mental link that creates a consciousness larger than all of them. Sturgeon’s empathy for society’s outcasts lends a real warmth to this novel, and despite its examination of a superhuman consciousness, this is really a novel about what it means to be human. (9–12)

Sturgeon, Theodore. Selected Stories.
Although he never achieved the same recognition as his contemporaries Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein, Theodore Sturgeon was probably the finest writer of the three. This outstanding collection contains 12 of Sturgeon’s finest science fiction and fantasy stories, including the classics “Killdozer,” a tale of a possessed bulldozer run amok, and “Thunder and Roses,” a deeply moving portrait of an America devastated by nuclear war. Read these brilliant and humane stories to find out why Sturgeon is universally revered by SF writers and fans alike. (9–12)

Thackery, William. Vanity Fair.
Felicity Honnor calls this “the best book I have ever re-read.” She studied it while in school, but when she re-read it as a young adult outside of school, she loved it. Long, but very interesting with a cast of great characters and fascinating historical descriptions of the Napoleonic Wars. (10–12)

Tharoor, Shashi. From Midnight to the Millennium.
A fine survey of contemporary life in India, touching on everything from affirmative action quotas for scheduled castes to eating habits along the Malabar Coast. Although Tharoor is often critical of V. S. Naipaul, he reaches many similar conclusions, especially his focus on the threat to Indian democracy posed by traditional religious and sectional animosities. (11–12)

Thom, James Alexander. Long Knife.
This historical novel based on the life of George Rogers Clark will take you back to the days of the conquest and settlement of the Ohio River valley. It is also a human story of heroism and betrayal. (9–12)

Tolstoy, Leo. War and Peace.
For a true summer of reading, try War and Peace, Tolstoy’s monumental epic of the struggle between France and Russia during the Napoleonic wars. The depth of Tolstoy’s characterizations are the true highlight of this novel, as characters confront and question the cosmic forces that shape world history. Almost impossible to describe, War and Peace is a stirring and profound exploration of the human spirit. (9–12)

Tsukiyama, Gail. The Samurai’s Garden.
A moving coming of age novel set on the eve of World War II in Japan. A young male high school student recovering from tuberculosis finds that people are not always who they seem to be. Bobbie Thomason calls it a “wonderful story” that is “exquisitely written.” The book also provides a fascinating look at a leper colony—a whole world of its own. (10–12)

Turtledove, Harry. Various Novels.
Are you the kind of person who insists on asking your history teacher, “But Dr. Hughes-what if Washington’s boat sank as he was crossing the Delaware?”; if so, you will love the novels of Harry Turtledove, a master of what might be called “SF history.” The Guns of the South explores what would happen if a group of South Africans commandeered a time machine and provided Robert E. Lee with AK-47 assault weapons. Turtledove’s World War tetralogy (In the Balance, Striking the Balance, Tilting the Balance, and Upsetting the Balance) takes on what might have happened if, at the height of World War II, the earth had been invaded by extraterrestrials. Could the warring humans put aside their differences in order to defeat the greater threat? Caution: Occasional adult situations or language. (10–12)

Undset, Sigrid. Kristin Lavransdatter.
This title is actually a trilogy of books tracing the life of young Kristin Lavran's datter (daughter) in medieval England. A wonderful story, told with detailed descriptions that will transport one to a time long ago. (9-12)

Uris, Leon. Mila 18.
This is ultimately a story of valor and human dignity as the Jews of the Warsaw ghetto unite to resist the Nazi terror. Uris is a master storyteller. (10–12)

Van Auken, Sheldon. A Severe Mercy.
A true story, this book has it all. It’s about a passionate love, with themes of religion, friendship, and death woven throughout. The story runs the gamut of emotions, from humor to joy, from nostalgia to sorrow. (9–12)

Verghese, Abraham, M. D. The Tennis Partner.
How can your closest friend turn out to be someone you really don’t know very well at all? In this true story, a lonely medical school professor befriends a fourth-year student on the basis of their mutual love of tennis. As their association grows, Dr. Verghese experiences firsthand the limits and conditions of friendship. (10–12)

Warren, Robert Penn. All the Kings Men.
Read about the rise and fall of Willie Stark, a Southern politician based on Louisiana’s Huey Long. This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel addresses corruption and the classic conflict of good and evil. A book that makes many faculty members’ “best ever” lists. (10–12)

Welch, James. Fools Crow.
This is truly an adventure story. Fools Crow is a young warrior in the Blackfeet Indian tribe in 1870. Follow this hero’s story as he develops his skills as a seer and healer and as he tries to deal with the conflicts between his people and the increasing number of whites in their land. A story with journeys, battles, visions, mystery, love, and tragedy. It also offers great insights into the “other side of the story” of the settlement of the western half of the United States by whites. (9–12)

Wells, H. G. The Island of Dr. Moreau.
As scientists continue to learn how to manipulate the basic elements of organic life, Wells’ 1896 novel now seems more prescient than ever. A shipwrecked traveler finds himself stranded with the creepy Dr. Moreau and his strangely animalistic companions, and it quickly becomes clear that these grotesque creatures were not spawned by nature. Part social satire and part grisly horror novel, Wells’ novel is a classic vision of science gone awry. (9–12)

Wells, H. G. The Time Machine.
Although first published in 1894, Wells’ first novel remains fresh and compelling. A brilliant inventor travels millennia into the future to find Earth populated by a childlike and languid race living free from care or responsibility. Beneath the idyllic gardens and temples, however, lurks a dark and terrible secret that threatens to prevent the time traveler from ever returning home. (9–12)

West, Morris. The Devil’s Advocate.
Not to be confused with the movie starring Al Pacino, this book explores the question: Was he a saint or a sinner, this Giacome Nerone? The Vatican sends Monsignor Meredith (who is dying) to get the truth, but. . . You’ll have to read the book to find out! (10–12)

White, Gilbert. A Natural History of Selbourne.
The first great naturalist text in the English language, White’s classic volume compiles letters between himself and other early natural scientists in England in the late 1700s and chronicles their early discoveries and categorizations of species in the British Isles. A must read for anyone with an interest in late English history or the natural world. (10–12)

Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray.
A young artist paints his masterpiece when he paints a portrait of Dorian Gray. As the years go by, however, Dorian hardly seems to age at all, while the picture . . . Well, to find out more, you’ll just have to read this Victorian classic by one of the most often quoted authors in the English language. (9–12)

Williams, Terry Tempest. An Unspoken Hunger.
Williams is a Mormon radical feminist land activist who happens to be the naturalist in residence at the Utah Museum of Natural History as well as one of the most respected nature writers of our time. Extremely readable and entertaining, this book sweeps you away with its descriptions of the places she goes and how those natural places construct a meaningful model for her interpersonal relationships. From Africa to the Bronx to Utah’s canyon country, Williams entertains and draws connections between place and the personal. (11–12)

Wolfe, Gene. Peace.
A brilliant novel by one of our finest fantasists. Peace is the story of Dennis Alden Weer, a dying man consumed with nostalgia for the small-town life that now lives only in his memory and imagination. As Weer relates the story of his life, the elliptical narrative begins to close in on some surprising truths, and we begin to wonder which side of death Weer is really on. Idiosyncratic, moving, and frequently hilarious, this dense and complex novel will richly reward the motivated reader. Enthusiastically recommended. (11–12)

Yoshimoto, Banana. Kitchen.
A story about a young Japanese woman who is dealing with the death of her mother, loneliness, and new-found love. Yoshimoto’s writing is descriptive, witty, and refreshing with many images of Japanese life. The main character, Mikage, finds out the importance of relationships and her special memories of her mother in the kit