May 2019 Dear Rising Advanced Junior, Because summer reading is an effective way to maintain your reading and thinking skills, I want to give YOU the opportunity to excel in Advanced English III with the aid of a great summer reading book that explores how reading can shape us as humans. On that note, you’ll be reading: Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi Reading Lolita in Tehran Here’s a description from amazon.com: “Every Thursday morning for two years in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Azar Nafisi, a bold and inspired teacher, secretly gathered seven of her most committed female students to read forbidden Western classics. Some came from conservative and religious families, others were progressive and secular; some had spent time in jail. They were shy and uncomfortable at first, unaccustomed to being asked to speak their minds, but soon they removed their veils and began to speak more freely–their stories intertwining with the novels they were reading by Jane Austen, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Henry James, and Vladimir Nabokov. As Islamic morality squads staged arbitrary raids in Tehran, as fundamentalists seized hold of the universities and a blind censor stifled artistic expression, the women in Nafisi’s living room spoke not only of the books they were reading but also about themselves, their dreams and disappointments. Azar Nafisi’s luminous masterwork gives us a rare glimpse, from the inside, of women’s lives in revolutionary Iran. Reading Lolita in Tehran is a work of great passion and poetic beauty, a remarkable exploration of resilience in the face of tyranny, and a celebration of the liberating power of literature.” There may be some cultural/historical terms with which you’re unfamiliar, so here are some vocabulary words that may help as you read: http://www.randomhouse.com/highschool/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780812971064&view=tg). Ayatollah Khomeini: Charismatic leader of the revolution and holder of the office of Faqih until his death in 1989. Chador: Islamic dress for women characterized by a tight black head covering and a long flowing cape; along with robes, the chador is a common form of public attire for women in the Islamic Republic. Council of Guardians: Twelve-member council which ensures that legislation of the Majles (Iranian parliament) conforms to the principles of Islam and the constitution. Also approves candidates for elected office; in recent years it has rejected many potential candidates from running for office. Faqih: Official governmental position translated as Supreme Spiritual Leader; although he is not supposed to interfere with the daily business of government, his role is always to ensure its adherence to the principles of the Islamic revolution. Great Satan: Disparaging name applied to the United States by Khomeini and his followers. Imam: A clerical position in Islam; Khomeini was sometimes referred to as “the Imam”. Islam: Religion based on the revelation of the prophet Mohammed. Islamic Republic of Iran: Official name adopted by the nation after the revolution of 1979. Mohammed Reza Shah: The monarch of Iran who ruled from 1941 until he fled the revolution in January 1979. Muslim: Adherent to the religion of Islam. Print to PDF without this message by purchasing novaPDF (http://www.novapdf.com/) Persia: Ancient name for the nation of Iran. The word is of Latin derivation and has been used in recent years by those who wish to distance themselves from the current Islamic regime. Saddam Hussein: Former Iraqi President who invaded Iran in 1980, touching off the eight year Iran-Iraq war. Tehran: The capital of Iran. Veil: A general word used to refer to Islamic dress for women; it can range from a simple headscarf to a chador. Your summer reading selection will be a part of our first unit of the semester. We will begin the year studying a variety of essays and organizational patterns that address how writing and reading have powerfully influenced the lives of women (and hopefully you too!). We will analyze the writing style and discuss the content of this memoir in various class activities, including a Socratic Seminar the first week of school. It will also be formally assessed on the first unit test of the semester. On that note, active reading will help you to stay connected as you read and will be invaluable as you go back to the text to study. Remember, though, that the unit test will NOT be one in which you need to remember dates, names, and excruciating detail. It will be analyzing the author’s writing style and connecting her thoughts on reading with other authors we will read together. Things to note, highlight, and/or mark as you read: 1. Chapter Summaries: Write a 1-2 sentence chapter summary at the end of each chapter to help you manage the material in class discussions. 2. Description: Where does the author paint especially vivid scenes? 3. Reflection: How does the author feel about literature? Highlight her personal reflections on the power of literature. Think about adding your own thoughts in the margins. Where do you agree or disagree with her? Do you have similarly powerful memories of reading? 4. Organization: As you have written both a cause/effect and a compare/contrast essay, note where she uses those methods to organize her thoughts. 5. Characters: How does she describe the various characters (whether the members of Nafisi’s reading group or the people significant to Ellis’ life)? Highlight interesting and insightful comments on the people of her story. SPECIAL NOTE: If you decide to make a schedule change over the summer that results in a change in academic level for English, you will be required to read the book assigned for that level, which will be a different book. You will need to find the correct summer reading assignment on the school website and complete that activity by the beginning of the school year. Happy reading! Please e-mail if you have any questions. I will be checking my e-mail throughout the summer: [email protected] and I LOVE to talk about reading! Sincerely, Ms. Williams Print to PDF without this message by purchasing novaPDF (http://www.novapdf.com/).