AP Lit Summer Reading Students will choose 1 book from the following list to read over the summer. Those books with an asterisk are available from the school, and you can check them out from Ms. Tang, room 605. Should you choose a book without an asterisk, you will be responsible for providing it yourself.
One of the benefits of this new choice in summer reading is that you will have a voice in your own education. The theory goes that if you are reading something that you have some degree of interest in, you will have better ideas about the theme, and will get more out of it. Of course, this only works if you choose something that you have some interest in. If you have no interest in anything, this might not be the right class for you. At that point you should look into taking a class by Mr. Leffler; his classes are devoid of any sort of interest whatsoever.
1. Jane Eyre* by Charlotte Bronte 2. In Our Time* by Ernest Hemingway 3. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway 4. Catch‐22* Joseph Heller 5. Richard III, Julius Caesar or Othello* Shakespeare 6. Beowulf* Translated by Seamus Heaney 7. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe 8. The Aeneid by Virgil 9. Black Boy by Richard Wright 10. The Bluest Eye* by Toni Morrison 11. A Farewell to Arms* by Ernest Hemingway 12. The Handmaid’s Tale* by Margaret Atwood 13. The Iliad* by Homer 14. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde 15. In the Lake of the Woods by Tim O’Brien 16. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison 17. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini 18. Lysistrata by Aristophanes 19. Native Speaker* by Chang‐Rae Lee 20. 1984 by George Orwell 21. Notes from the Underground by Fyodor Dostoevski 22. The Odyssey by Homer 23. Oedipus Rex by Sophocles 24. A Raisin in the Sun* by Lorraine Hansberry 25. Sula by Toni Morrison 26. The Awakening* by Kate Chopin 27. The Hero with 1,000 faces* by Joseph Campbell (non‐fiction, anthropology) 28. Waiting for Godot Samuel Becket 29. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgessy 30. Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson 31. My Year of Meats by Ruth Ozeki 32. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
So, how can you tell which of these titles interests you? Are you an actor or artist? You might be interested in the plays. 1. Waiting for Godot by Samuel Becket The absurdist masterpiece. Bizarre and funny, bleak and disheartening. A look at the futility of it all. 2. A Raisin in the Sun* by Lorraine Hansberry An African American family looks at the implications of moving to the suburbs in the 1950’s 3. Oedipus Rex by Sophocles Classical Greek tragedy; where it all began. A king struggles with fate, responsibility and mommy issues. 4. Lysistrata by Aristophanes Classical Greek comedy; where it all began. Until the men stop fighting, the women go on strike, withholding their … affection. 5. Richard III, Julius Caesar, Othello, Henry V* by Shakespeare (choose 1) Shakespeare. What else do you want? 4 plays of military genius. Richard the III, one of the great villains, seizes the throne. Brutus must weigh his responsibility to the Roman republic against personal loyalty as he decides whether to assassinate the greatest military leader of all time (with the possible exception of Genghis Khan.) Beware the ides of March! Othello’s interracial marriage causes tension, jealousy and the most tragic murder in all of literature. Henry the V, the great English king invades France and gives 2 of the greatest pep talks of all time before destroying the French who outnumber him 2 to 1 at the battle of Agincourt. 6. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde British comedy of manners
Are you interested in romance? 1. Jane Eyre* by Charlotte Bronte Victorian governess falls for the dark and troubled master of the house, who broods over a dark secret. 2. Sula by Toni Morrison The friendship between 2 African American women is tested when one cause the other’s husband to leave. 3. Snow Falling on Cedars by Dvaid Guterson Set on San Piedro Island, north of Puget Sound, Hatsue Miyamoto is caught in a love triangle between her husband, accused of murder, and the reporter who writes about the trial. Oh, it’s also a mystery (and one of Ms. Tang’s favorite novels).
Coffee house intellectual The kind of books you read to look cooler than other people. And frankly, you probably are.
1. Notes from the Underground by Fyodor Dostoevski 2. Waiting for Godot by Samuel Becket
Interested in mythology? Do you play WOW? Diablo III? Skyrim? 1. Beowulf* Translated by Seamus Heaney 2. The Aeneid by Virgil 3. The Iliad* by Homer 4. The Hero with 1,000 faces* by Joseph Campbell Non‐fiction – a look at the similarities of the hero’s journey between all cultures, and the Freudian, psychological significance. The book that gave rise to a whole new school of literary criticism and changed the way we look at mythology.
Science fiction and the dystopian future 1. The Handmaid’s Tale* by Margaret Atwood This is a messed up future where women are held captive in order to control their reproduction 2. 1984 by George Orwell Messed up politics 3. The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell Seriously messed up look at first contact 4. A Brave New World* by Aldous Huxeley Seriously messed up future 5. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgessy This is just messed up. It makes the rest of these look normal.
Tough guy lit (in other words, Ernest Hemingway.) 1. In Our Time* by Ernest Hemingway A novel told in the form of short stories. Hemingway revolutionized both writing and the short story in this work. 2. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway If you’ve ever had your heart broken, ripped from your chest and stepped on, this is the book for you! Also, bullfighting. (Also Mr. Kendrick’s favorite novel.) 3. Native Speaker* by Chang‐Rae Lee Korean‐American pseudo‐spy keeps his emotions tightly controlled
Humor 1. Catch‐22* by Joseph Heller Funny look at a bombardier trying to get out of the army in WW II. 2. Waiting for Godot by Samuel Becket 3. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
Feminist (Don’t let the category title fool you. It just means books with female protagonists. And the young men in the class should keep in mind that understanding the opposite gender makes you a better person. Be brave enough to open yourself up to a new perspective and read a feminist novel or two.)”
1. Jane Eyre* by Charlotte Bronte 2. The Bluest Eye* by Toni Morrison 3. The Handmaid’s Tale* by Margaret Atwood 4. Lysistrata by Aristophanes 5. Sula by Toni Morrison 6. The Awakening* by Kate Chopin 7. My Year of Meats by Ruth Ozeki Meat is the message! No, really, it is. And a little teeny growth hormone called DES, no big deal.
World literature Explore another culture!
1. Things Fall Apart* by Chinua Achebe 2. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini 3. Notes from the Underground by Fyodor Dostoevski 4. My Year of Meats by Ruth Ozeki 5. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon Set in Barcelona, a father introduces his son to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, where this young boy selects a novel to protect for the rest of his life. Then, the Devil tries to kill him.
The African American experience 1. Black Boy* by Richard Wright 2. The Bluest Eye* by Toni Morrison 3. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison 4. A Raisin in the Sun* by Lorraine Hansberry 5. Sula by Toni Morrison
War 1. In Our Time* by Ernest Hemingway 2. Catch‐22* Joseph Heller 3. A Farewell to Arms* by Ernest Hemingway 4. The Iliad* by Homer 5. In the Lake of the Woods by Tim O’Brien Wait, he does WHAT at the end? Or he doesn’t? No, he did, right? No? WHY WON’T HE TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED??? GAARGH!
AP Literature
Summer reading journal
As you read your chosen book this summer you will keep a brief journal responding to the text. Your journal will consist of a total of four entries.
Entry 1 ‐‐ Language Choose a passage from the book (1 page maximum) in which you feel the author has done something interesting with language. She may use a particularly apt, disturbing or beautiful metaphor. You may find one ironic passage especially hilarious. Whatever it is, you are going to choose 1 passage that stands out, even if you can’t exactly put your finger on why.
Write a 1 page, typed, 2x spaced MLA formatted analysis of this passage in which you Describe what stands out about the language (don’t worry if you don’t have a technical term for it, just describe what catches your attention about the language.) Explain the effect this creates Explain why the author wants to create this effect. How does it support the overall meaning of the work?
Entry 2 See entry #1
Entry 3 – Summary
Re‐tell the story in 20 words quoted from the text. Choose the 20 most important words that give the idea of what happens and what is important in the novel.
Entry 4 – Topic Vs. Theme One skill AP Lit students occasionally struggle with is finding the theme of a novel. Unfortunately for them, theme is the whole ball of wax. The whole nine yards. The big enchilada. The whole 9 yard ball of enchilada.
One of the traps is to mistake topic for theme. Topic is what the book is about. Theme is what the novel has to say about that topic. So if Romeo and Juliet is about ‘love’ (although it’s not…) then the theme would be what the play has to say about love. “Love is inherently trite and dangerous, a shallow obsession that leads to thoughtless, tragic acts.” Is the theme. If the play is about the danger of rash action, (which it is…) then that is the topic. The theme is what the play has to say about rash action. “In a world of suspicion where open, reasoned discussion is replaced with emotional knee‐jerk reactions the need for secrecy discourages deliberate action and encourages dangerous, rash and thoughtless action.”
In addition there may well be multiple topics and multiple themes, even multiple themes about a single topic or multiple topics that speak to a single theme. The variety is intoxicating.
State the topic of your novel Make an assertion which argues for a specific interpretation of this topic. What does this novel (or play) have to say about this topic? Express this theme in one or two sentences. Write a one page paragraph in which you prove your assertion. The final product might look a little like this:
Name Date
Topic: Theme:
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Due the first day of class.