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The novels, plays, poetry, and criticism you'll find listed here form a somewhat loose and idiosyncratic group. Some of the books are my own choice, picked simply because I read them and liked them and thought you might too. Some of them were found on published lists recommended for high school and Advanced Placement reading. Some of them were chosen by former students, and I invite you to join this group. If you read a good book that's not on this list, send me an e-mail with your recommendation. Let me know why you think it should be included, and append a short description of the book, and I'll consider adding it to the list. By the same token, should you read one of the many books listed without an annotation, please write one of about 20-40 words, and I will add it to the book's listing. Novels:
19th and 2oth century Atwood,
Margaret The
Handmaid’s Tale--A terrifying future in which a theocracy has taken over America, and
women are kept only to breed. Lady Oracle Auel, Jean The Clan of the Cave Bear--A detailed illustration of prehistoric life. A
suspenseful and emotional book about a Cro-Magnon orphan raised by Neanderthals. Bach, Richard Jonathan Livingston Seagull--Gulls are not meant to fly above their
station, but one dreams of beautiful flight. An unexpectedly poetic bestseller
about an unlikely topic. A parable for our times. Bradbury, Ray Fahrenheit 451--A future society where people pay firemen to set books
on fire. A frightening novel about thought control and fear. Dandelion Wine--Bradbury’s recollections of all the wonderful
moments of boyhood summers rolled up into one magical, mystical, fictional
summer. Reading this book will make you believe that life might turn out OK
after all. Buck, Pearl The Good Earth--A great novel about the courage of peasant Chinese in
the early 20th century. A modern classic loved by all ages. Camus, Albert The Stranger--The story of a man who lives his life simply and artlessly until he is
tried for murder. A chilling philosophical novel, one of the classics of the
20th century. The Plague--How would you live if the you were quarantined in your home town because
the Black Plague had come back? How would you live while you waited to die? A
dark exploration of our fears and weaknesses. Conrad, Joseph Typhoon--The effects of a huge typhoon on the crew of a sailing ship. An
adventure tale that is also deeply psychological. The Secret Sharer--A ship’s captain hides a stowaway to help him
escape from the authorities pursuing him on murder charges. The captain knows
the man is guilty, and he secretly sympathizes with him. Dickey, James Deliverance--A disturbing journey through the backwoods and through the darkest parts
of a man’s soul. Harrowing and unforgettable. Ellison, Ralph Invisible Man--A searing portrait of an anonymous black narrator who, expelled from his
traditional college in the South, travels north to the Harlem of the 1940s
and discovers, to his horror, that no one, black or white, can see him for who
he really is. Ellison’s only novel, but one of the great books of the 20th
century. Faulkner, William As I Lay Dying--A novel that takes you on a journey with the Bundren
family as they carry their dead mother to her resting place. A morbid and funny
tale, it’s narrated by all those along on the trip. Fitzgerald, F. Scott The Great Gatsby--Prime example of writing during the Jazz Age. Depicts
a doomed love affair between the wealthy and mysterious Gatsby and the aloof and
naive Daisy Buchanan. Golding, William The Lord of the Flies--A story about a group of boys stranded on an island
after a plane crash and about their failed attempts to establish a civilized
society. As a character in King's Hearts in Atlantis asks, "Who will
rescue the rescuers?" A dark and terrible vision of human nature. Heller, Joseph Catch-22--The satirical account of combat flying in WWII is at once hilarious and
grippingly suspenseful. Follow Lt.
Yosarian as he battles Germans, his own officers, and the terrible
“catch” that keeps him where he is. Hemingway, Ernest The Sun Also Rises--Hemingway’s breakthrough novel, this largely
autobiographical piece follows a group of American expatriates across Europe as
the discover the meaning of life and love. Joyce, James A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man--Joyce's bold and fascinating experiment using an evolving writing style to parallel the evolving character of his hero, Stephen Daedelus. This semi-autobiographical novel was the prelude to Joyce's masterwork Ulysses. Kafka, Franz The Castle The Metamorphosis--When Gregor Samsa awakes one morning to discover he has metamorphosed into a giant beetle, no one seems to think it remarkable. But over the next weeks and months, as Samsa grows increasingly alienated from his family and from the rest of humanity, you realize that this is not a science-fiction novel like The Fly, but that it is a deeply philosophical look at how really ALONE we all are. Read this book once, and it will haunt you for years. Koestler, Arthur Darkness at Noon Kerouac, Jack On the Road--One of the foundations of Beat Generation literature. A
semi-autobiographical novel that teaches us it’s the trip that counts, not the
destination. Read it while you’re young. Kesey, Ken One
Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest--A fascinating story about the triumph of good over
evil inside a mental hospital. Told from the perspective of one of the patients. Malraux, Andre Man's Fate Meredith, George The Ordeal of Richard Feverel Orwell, George 1984--In the future, hate masquerades as love, war as peace, and lies as truth. Winston Smith is a faceless little bureaucrat in the "Ministry of Truth" whose job it is to rewrite history to conform to present propaganda. But he commits the ultimate sin of falling in love and questioning "Big Brother." One of the greatest dystopian novels ever written, 1984 has become synonymous with totalitarianism, thought control, and fear. YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK!! Stendhal The Red and the Black The Charterhouse of Parma Tolstoy, Leo Anna Karenina Turgenev, Ivan Fathers and Sons Voltaire (18th century) Candide--An hilarious satire of the prevailing optimism of the 18th century, Candide is for the more sophisticated reader who "gets it." For those few, though, it's a quick read and a great look at the 18th century's version of George Carlin. Contemporary NovelsAllende, Isabella In the House of the Spirits Barth, John Sabbatical Beatie, Anne Falling in Place Bellow, Saul More Die of Heartbreak Brink, Andre A Dry White Season Brookner, Anita Family and Friends Coetzee, J.M. Life and Times of Michael K. Colwin, Laurie Happy All the Time Cortazar, Julio The Winners Doctorow, E.L. Ragtime Drabble, Margaret The Ice Age Duras, Margaret War Erdrich, Louise The Best Queen Fowles, John The French Lieutenant's Woman Daniel Martin Fuentes, Carlos Terra Nostra Gilchrist, Ellen A Sport of Nature Burger's Daughter Hoban, Russell Riddley Walker Howard, Maureen Bridgeport But Keillor, Garrison Lake Wobegon Days--Keillor's "memories" of the delightful Wisconsin town where he was a boy. Lake Wobegon has become a metaphor over the last 20 years for all that is good, innocent, fun, and whimsical in American small-town life. King, Stephen Hearts in Atlantis--Like the lost continent of Atlantis, the 60's, to those who lived through it, seem a magical time of hope and heartbreak. King here weaves an eloquent quintet of stories around a group of young men and one young woman who lived through this turbulent time--yet who did not live through it at all. It continues to haunt them, and us, to this day. Do you want to start understanding your parents' generation? Read this wonderful book. Llosa, Mario Vargas The War at the End of the World Malamud, Bernard The Assistant Morrison, Toni Song of Solomon The Bluest Eye Naipaul, V.S. A Bend in the River Oates, Joyce Carol Bellefleur Oz, Amos A Perfect Peace Ozick, Cynthia The Cannibal Galaxy Piercy, Marge Small Change Powell, Anthony Advance to the Music of Time Pym, Barbara Excellent Women A Few Green Leaves Rhys, Jean Wide Sargasso Sea Roth, Philip The Counterlife Sarton, May A Shower of Summer Days Schulz, Bruno The Street of Crocodiles Theroux, Paul Picture Palace Tyler, Anne Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant Updike, John The Coup Rabbit Walker, Alice The Color Purple Williams, Shirlee Dessa Rose Yehoshua, A.B. A Late Divorce Essays The following list includes titles of anthologies, names of individual essayists, and some recommendations of particular essay titles. Some of these are in a very serious vein, and some are much more loose and lighthearted. The student is encouraged to read both types for well-rounded experience. Books about books and
reading
Bloom, HaroldHow
to Read and Why—A fascinating and very intelligent book by one of America’s leading
literary critics. Bloom recommends that we read the best novels and
poetry, and he gives us a long list of books to start with. This is not an easy
book to read, but Bloom’s texts are an education in themselves. MEMOIRSSmith, BobShakespeare's Dresser--In this beautifully poetic and heartbreaking book, Bob Smith recounts a troubled life from which he was saved by Shakespeare's poetry. Growing up with a severely disabled sister, Smith found refuge in Shakespeare's plays and insights, going so far as to spend many of his summers among various groups of actors (including Katherine Hepburn), who made it all come alive. Weaving the haunted present together with his terrifying past, Smith makes us realize that literature has uses beyond what we can imagine. |
