Curriculum: English Department Summer Reading List
The English Department of St. Joseph’s Academy requires students to read a minimum of two books over the summer. Summer reading helps to prepare students for the next phase of literary studies while enhancing their appreciation of the written word. Furthermore, the testing services continue to remind us that the main guarantee of success on college entrance tests is "reading, reading, reading."
We strongly urge that students purchase copies of at least the two required books for their level. Seniors may purchase two of the titles that they choose to read. All students will benefit by taking notes on their reading in preparation for the test and/or essay to be assigned during the first few weeks of school.
Note: Most books may be purchased from our on line book company, MBS Direct, by going to http://direct.mbsbooks.com/stjosephacademy.htm.
Students will be held accountable for their reading in the form of a test and/or an essay during the first weeks of school.
Incoming Freshmen
You must read the TWO required books. Besides the required reading, you are also encouraged to read ONE book of your own choosing. Some possible choices for the third book are listed after the required titles.
Required books:
1. Angelou, I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS—This autobiographical novel records the growth of a young black woman from an awkward, insecure girl to a teenage mother.
2. Smith, A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN—An appealing and determined girl grows up in the Brooklyn slums of the early twentieth century.
Suggested titles:
Auch, ASHES OF ROSES—A sixteen-year old Irish immigrant faces challenges and disaster in New York City of the early 1900s.
Bronte, JANE EYRE—Mystery, madness, and romance touch the life of a struggling young governess.
Burns, COLD SASSY TREE—With humor and insight, Will Tweedy describes life in small-town Georgia at the turn of the century.
DuMaurier, REBECCA—This novel of psychological suspense centers on the mysterious husband of the narrator and his former wife, Rebecca.
Hahn, DECEMBER STILLNESS—A fifteen-year old girl, daughter of a Vietnam veteran, attempts to deal with the impact of the war on her father and another veteran whom she befriends.
Incoming Sophomores
You must read the TWO required books. Besides the required reading, you are also encouraged to read ONE book of your own choosing. Some possible choices for the third book are listed after the required titles.
Required books:
1. Gibbons, ELLEN FOSTER—A coming of age story about a young girl who is searching for a place to call home.
2. Steinbeck, OF MICE AND MEN—Two ranch hands struggle against impossible odds imposed by heredity and a hostile environment to attain their dream of owning a farm.
Suggested titles:
Cather, MY ANTONIA—Antonia Shimerda comes to Nebraska as a young immigrant from Bohemia and endures family problems, grinding poverty, and disappointments in love.
Gaines, A GATHERING OF OLD MEN—This novel deals with race relations in the South. When a white man dies in the yard of a black man’s house, eighteen old black men gather and each claims he is responsible for the killing.
Hansberry, A RAISIN IN THE SUN—This drama portrays the dreams and values of a black family struggling to find their place in a white-dominated society, while still maintaining their identity.
Kingsolver, BEAN TREES—A young woman heads west determined to change her life and does just that when she finds a silent, three-year-old, Cherokee girl.
McCullers, THE MEMBER OF THE WEDDING—In this play, tomboy Frankie struggles with adolescence and the approach of her brother’s wedding.
Salinger, A CATCHER IN THE RYE—The psychological and social pressures experienced by an adolescent, Holden Caulfield, form the basis of this novel about coming of age.
Tan, THE JOY LUCK CLUB—After her mother’s death, thirty-six year old June Woo joins The Joy Luck Club where she learns the secrets the members have been keeping and the close relationships that bind them.
Incoming Juniors
You must read the TWO required books. Besides the required reading, you are also encouraged to read ONE book of your own choosing. Some possible choices for the third book are listed after the required titles.
NOTE TO JUNIORS TAKING JOURNALISM (EN145) NEXT YEAR: You are required to read one book from the Journalism list in addition to reading two books from the junior English Literature list.
Required books:
1. Brooks, YEAR OF WONDERS—This novel is based on the true story of a 17th century English village that quarantined itself to save others during an attack of the plague.
2. McCourt, ANGELA’S ASHES—True story of an Irish family’s struggle to survive.
Suggested titles:
Bolt, A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS—This moving play about Thomas More presents the dilemma of a man of conscience and serves to remind us of how rare and valuable such men are in every age.
Christie, THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD—One of the best mysteries ever written, this novel includes classic Christie plotting and redefines the surprise ending.
Dickens, A TALE OF TWO CITIES—This story of love, danger, and sacrifice is set in London and Paris during the French Revolution.
Forster, A ROOM WITH A VIEW—A young woman must choose between a socially "correct" marriage and true love.
Huxley, BRAVE NEW WORLD—Caustic satire portrays a future where the nightmares of genetic manipulation have come true.
Orwell, 1984—Thought Police arrest Winston in the nightmare "future" of 1984.
White, THE SWORD IN THE STONE—This portion of White’s Arthurian novel The Once and Future King describes the childhood of the boy who became a legendary king.
Incoming Seniors
YOU ARE REQUIRED TO READ TWO BOOKS FROM THE LIST BELOW. YOU ARE ALSO ENCOURAGED TO READ ONE BOOK OF YOUR OWN CHOOSING.
NOTE TO SENIORS TAKING JOURNALISM (EN145) NEXT YEAR: YOU ARE REQUIRED TO READ ONE BOOK FROM THE ENGLISH LIST AND ONE BOOK FROM THE JOURNALISM LIST THAT IS FOUND AT THE END OF THE ENGLISH LIST. YOU ARE ALSO ENCOURAGED TO READ ONE BOOK OF YOUR OWN CHOOSING.
Fiction
Divakaruni, SISTER OF MY HEART – Two cousins born on the same day in India find their lives taking different paths.
Faulkner, A LIGHT IN AUGUST – Joe Christmas struggles to confront society’s pressures as a young girl searches for the father of her child.
Hemingway, A FAREWELL TO ARMS – A story of love set against the futility of war.
Malamud, THE NATURAL – A novel about a baseball player offers eerie reflections of the Arthurian legends.
Martel, THE LIFE OF PI – A young man is lost at sea with only a tiger for company.
Vonnegut, SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE – Billy Pilgrim’s odyssey includes the firebombing of Dresden in World War II.
Wright, NATIVE SON – The life and downfall of Bigger Thomas, doomed by his background and racial prejudice.
Nonfiction
Hillenbrand, SEABISCUIT – An underrated little horse lifted the spirits of America in the 1930s and became a legend.
Kingston, WOMAN WARRIOR – A young Chinese woman’s autobiography, including the story of her heritage and its meaning for her.
Markham, WEST WITH THE NIGHT – The adventures of a young horsewoman who became a pilot in the early days of flying.
Terkel, WORKING – First-person accounts of the pros and cons, joys and frustrations of just about every type of job in America.
Drama
Fugard, MASTER HAROLD…AND THE BOYS – A contemporary South African play that reflects the painful cost of apartheid.
Ibsen, A DOLL’S HOUSE – A classic confrontation over women’s rights, this play shocked the playwright’s 19th century contemporaries.
Shakespeare, THE TEMPEST – Magic, romance, and justice come together on a desert island.
JOURNALISM LIST
Ehrenreich, NICKEL AND DIMED: ON (NOT) GETTING BY IN AMERICA. – This best-selling book details an investigative journalist’s odyssey through several low-wage jobs, such as waitress, nursing home aid, and Wal-Mart salesclerk to see if one can survive, let alone prosper, on $6 to $7 an hour.
Hersey, HIROSHIMA – Based on interviews he conducted a year after the dropping of the atomic bomb, Hersey tells the compelling story of six survivors and their experiences the morning after the blast and in the days and weeks that followed.
Kozol, AMAZING GRACE – Kozol creates a vivid picture of urban ghetto life through a series of interviews with people of the Mott Haven section of the South Bronx, the poorest congressional district in the country. In particular, Kozol focuses on the lives of the children.
Sinclair, THE JUNGLE – One of the original muckraking journalists, Sinclair tells in novel form the story of immigrant workers in the Chicago meatpacking houses of the early 20th century. This powerful book inspired President Theodore Roosevelt to order the investigation that resulted in the Pure Food and Drugs Act.
**NOTE TO SENIORS TAKING MR. O'BRIEN'S LITERATURE OF CONTROVERSY (EN 137) IN THE FIRST SEMESTER: YOU ARE REQUIRED TO READ SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE (VONNEGUT) AND ONE OTHER BOOK FROM THE ENGLISH LIST. YOU ARE ALSO ENCOURAGED TO READ ONE BOOK OF YOUR OWN CHOOSING.
***NOTE TO SENIORS TAKING COLLEGE PREP WRITING (EN 143) IN THE FIRST SEMESTER: YOU ARE REQUIRED TO READ THEY SAY I SAY (GRAFF) AND MASTER HAROLD . . . AND THE BOYS (FUGARD). YOU ARE ALSO ENCOURAGED TO READ ONE BOOK OF YOUR OWN CHOOSING.
