SUMMER READING 2019 11th and 12th Grades In this packet, you will find information about Summer Reading for new and returning Commonwealth students. Traditionally, we begin each school by breaking into small groups to discuss a book or books that the whole community has read. This year, each group will discuss a different book, representing a range of topics and genres, chosen by the faculty member leading the conversation. Please select one book from the “Summer Reading Discussion Groups” list and come to school prepared to share your observations! Summer break can be a wonderful time to catch up on your reading—to discover new genres or authors, to re-read old favorites, or to finally tackle a literary classic. We encourage you to explore the titles on the attached lists, which include recommendations from the library, your teachers, and your classmates. If you liked a book in one of your courses last year, you might want to try another by the same author this summer. When you return to school in the fall, your advisor will be interested to hear what you have read and your responses. These lists are also available on the library webpage (under Academics at commschool.org) where I have provided links to online ordering options for the required reading. Most books on this list will also be available at your local bookshop or library. Happy reading! Ms. Johnson PART ONE: Summer Reading Discussion Groups Each student will participate a discussion group for one of these books upon returning to school in the fall. Michael Bloomberg & Carl Pope, Climate of Hope: How Cities, Businesses, and Citizens Can Save the Planet (Ms. Budding & Ms. Brewster): From the publisher’s description: “Bloomberg, an entrepreneur and former mayor of New York City, and Pope, a lifelong environmental leader, approach climate change from different perspectives, yet they arrive at similar conclusions. Without agreeing on every point, they share a belief that cities, businesses, and citizens can lead―and win―the battle against climate change, no matter which way the political winds in Washington may shift.” Albert Camus, The Plague (Ms. Haber): What better setting to explore essential (or existential) questions of how we should live our lives in the face of death, evil, and other realities of the human condition than a small city quarantined on account of plague? Michael Chabon, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (Ms. Johnson): A rollicking adventure set in the Golden Age of comics—a time that spawned characters like Wonder Woman, Captain America, and Superman. Chabon paints a vivid picture of 20th century New York City through the story of cousins Josef Kavalier (an amateur escape artist and refugee from Nazi-occupied Europe) and Sammy Clay (a fast-talking Brooklynite), who make it big in this “great, mad new American art form.” Jason Farman, Delayed Response: The Art of Waiting from the Ancient to the Instant World (Ms. Grant): If you find delays or waiting endlessly exasperating, read this book without delay! Farman explores how the ideas of delay and waiting have shaped human experience throughout time, and argues that waiting plays an unanticipated role in human creativity and invention. Martin Hägglund, This Life: Secular Faith and Spiritual Freedom (Mr. Holub-Moorman): From the publisher's description: “A profound, original, and accessible book that offers a new secular vision of how we can lead our lives. Ranging from fundamental existential questions to the most pressing social issues of our time, This Life shows why our commitment to freedom and democracy should lead us beyond both religion and capitalism.” George Orwell, 1984 (Mr. Barsi): From the publisher’s description: “The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command... Winston Smith toes the Party line, rewriting history to satisfy the demands of the Ministry of Truth. With each lie he writes, Winston grows to hate the Party that seeks power for its own sake and persecutes those who dare to commit thoughtcrimes. But as he starts to think for himself, Winston can’t escape the fact that Big Brother is always watching...” John Ratey, Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain (Ms. Tarnoff): From the publisher’s description: “Did you know you can beat stress, lift your mood, fight memory loss, sharpen your intellect, and function better than ever simply by elevating your heart rate and breaking a sweat? The evidence is incontrovertible: aerobic exercise physically remodels our brains for peak performance.” Jean Rhys, Wide Sargasso Sea (Mr. Pérez): In this short, intense, and beautifully written novel, Jean Rhys gives an account of the experience of “the madwoman in the attic” from Jane Eyre from the “madwoman” point of view, calling into question the colonial images and stereotypes that infuse the Brontë classic. However, the novel is a lot more than just that. No previous knowledge of Jane Eyre is necessary, but it wouldn't hurt either. Mark Strand, Hopper (Ms. Dale): “Of the many pieces of writing stimulated by Hopper, none is more coolly and eerily attentive (more Hopperesque, we could say) than Mark Strand’s brilliant small book Hopper, showing how we are moved and disquieted by formal elements in the paintings….” (John Updike, New York Review of Books). In September, we’ll meet to discuss Strand’s lyrical and attentive takes on Edward Hopper’s paintings—and look at images of the paintings, as well. Strand’s writing is beautiful in itself, and he captures in words what many of us feel but cannot quite articulate when we look at Hopper’s paintings. Tara Westover, Educated: A Memoir (Mr. Wharton): A gripping memoir of a young girl's upbringing in a family headed by her survivalist/fundamentalist father in Idaho, of her determination to pursue an education despite her father's opposition (she never set foot in a classroom until age 17), and of her eventual journey to college and graduate school. Michael Wolff, Siege: Trump Under Fire (Mr. Eagle): Pitched as the follow up to Michael Wolff's first chronicle of President Trump's ascension to the White House, this book promises to offer more revelations of what is currently going on behind the scenes in our nation's capital. The goal for this discussion is two-fold: 1) To better understand what makes Donald Trump tick (from a psychological perspective) and how his form of leadership works/does not work for those around him. 2) To discuss and consider the ethics/journalistic integrity issues that will likely arise around the book's sourcing (as this was a prominent concern of several critics of Wolff's last book) and just how important it is or isn't for authors of non-fiction to be completely honest about their work. Or, in other words, should a work of non-fiction need to be 100% accurate to be worth reading? PART TWO: Recommendations from the Class of 2019 Graduating seniors share some of their favorite books (and more!). ADRIANNA BRUSIE—The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson: “...for when you find yourself at a breaking point and need to reassess your goals, mindset, relationships, or anything holding you back from becoming the even better version of yourself.” MAIA DRIGGERS—Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling: “After spending nine months reading hyper-intellectual material at Commonwealth, it can be nice sometimes to kick back and read something a little more light-hearted. This is the first of Mindy Kaling’s two books, and I can't recommend it (and the second one, Why Not Me?) enough, especially for teenage girls. Kaling’s sense of humor is witty, wry, and oftentimes delightfully inane. Most of all, her stories will remind you that everything is going to be okay, even if your life feels like a mess right now.” NATE GARDINER—Geogaddi by Boards of Canada: “Not a book, but might as well be one. This 2002 album by Scottish electronic duo Boards of Canada is a complex, multi-layered listen that touches on topics like Satanism and cults, mathematics, conspiracy theories, post-9/11 panic, rebirthing therapy, the natural vs. real worlds, climate change and mass surveillance, just to name a few. Over the course of its 66 minutes and 6 seconds, the story of the album slowly unfolds in samples from old films and TV and vocoded speech. Wet orange synths melt their way into your ears. Reversed vocals and subliminal messages abound. Geogaddi paints us a bleak picture of modern society, holding a mirror to our worst selves. Favorite tracks: ‘Music is Math,’ ‘Sunshine Recorder,’ ‘The Devil in the Details,’ ‘You Could Feel the Sky,’ ‘Corsair.’” LINUS GLENHABER—Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier The Sparrow by Maria Doria Russell TOBIT GLENHABER—The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco: “Revelation-y murder mystery in a medieval abbey.” ROWAN HENEGHAN—Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood: “An enthralling and at some points stomach-turning picture of the intersection of capitalism and biological science in our future, this story follows a morally stunted protagonist through dystopia and the end times. This is the first book in a trilogy, in which Atwood takes our worlds current debate about the ethics of genetic engineering and examines them at their extremes along with authoritarianism, sex, violence, and religion.” NINA WATTENBERG—Hairdo by Rachel B. Glaser PART THREE: Books Recommended for Students Entering 11th and 12th Grades NOVELS Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Americanah (2013): Both a sharp social commentary and a heartfelt love story, Americanah explores the idea of “blackness” in the United States, England, and the author’s native Nigeria.