Need recs for American Lit set after 1950s (xpost)

[bobbeym]

I have 5 more weeks to fill for my American Lit lessons and am in need of recommendations for novels of any genre that are SET after the 1950s that would be appropriate for 10th grade.  Almost all the lists I've found so far are by publish date, not the setting time period.

[Jane Elliot]

That's a good question.

 

Peace Like a River, set in 1962, would be good.

[bobbeym]

Luann, I'll check that one out.

 

Here's the rest of our reading list. I'm up to 9 books, so I only need one more.

1. Scarlet Letter
2. Narrative of the Life of David Crockett
3. Co. Aytch
4. Huck Finn
5. Call of the Wild
6. The Great Gatsby
7. To Kill a Mockingbird
8. Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of WW2
9. Travels with Charley
10. ??

 

We also have 4 plays and 3 weeks each of short stories and poetry.

[1Togo]

Something from Wendell Berry?

[Lori D.]

Since you don't have any classic fantasy or sci-fi on your list (and since I am a fan of those genres ;)), my suggestions are mostly in those areas. :) Warmest regards, Lori D.

 

 

1950s

- Farenheit 451 (Bradbury) -- (1951); sci-fi short novel

- "A Raisin in the Sun" (Hansberry) -- (1959) dramatic play

- Alas, Babylon (Frank) -- (1959) -- post-apocalyptic survival story novel

 

1960s

- A Canticle for Leibowitz (Miller) -- (1960) post-apocalyptic sci-fi novel; Christian themes

- Black Like Me (Griffith) -- (1961) -- autobiography of white author passing himself as black in the Deep South

- "Revelation" (O'Connor) -- (1965) short story in the "Southern Grotesque" genre

- I Heard the Owl Call My Name (Craven) -- (1967) realistic novella; Christian themes

- Wizard of Earthsea (LeGuin) -- (1968) fantasy novel

 

1970s

- The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas (LeGuin) -- (1973) sci-fi / dystopia short story

- Tuck Everlasting (Babbitt) -- (1975) short novella, young adult fantastical story set at turn of the 19th century

- House of Stairs (Sleator) -- (1974) young adult sci-fi short novel -- not a classic, but will generate good discussion on behavior modification and ethics

 

1980s

- The River Why (Duncan) -- (1983) *lengthy* coming of age novel, set in the 1960s; Christian themes, but also mature topics

- The Day They Arrested the Book (Hentoff) -- (1983) young adult novel -- good tie-in with Huck Finn; not a classic, but generates good discussion about censorship

- "Sunday in the Park With George" (Lapine & Sondheim) -- (1984) musical/dramatic play

- Ender's Game (Card) -- (1985) sci-fi novel

- The Joy Luck Club (Tan) -- (1989) novel as a series of character sketches of 4 Chinese immigrant women and their 4 first-generation American daughters

 

1990s

- The Giver (Lowry) -- (1994) -- young adult sci-fi / dystopian short novel

 

2000s

- Peace Like A River (Enger) -- (2001) realistic novel, set in the early 1960s; Christian themes

- A Walk in the Woods (Bryson) -- (2006) light, humorous non-fiction

- Auralia's Colors (Overstreet) -- (2007) fantasy (first of a quadrilogy); Christian themes

- The Hunger Games (Collins) -- (2008) -- sci-fi / dystopia novel

- Anathem (Stephenson) -- (2008) -- sci-fi novel -- great companion novel to A Canticle for Leibowitz

 

 

More Ideas (preview for appropriateness)

The Color Purple (Walker)

Beloved (Morrison)

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Kesey)

Confederacy of Dunces (O'Toole)

A Prayer for Owen Meaney (Irving)

Bonfire of the Vanities (Wolfe)

Jurassic Park (Chrichton)

The Help (Stockett)

The Road (McCarthy)

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (Foer)

something by Stephen King

 

 

 

ETA:

I just saw your x-post on the General Board, and see you did a few sci-fi works last year. That being the case, if you don't want to do any more sci-fi, then I'd really recommend A Wizard of Earthsea to finish out your list. It is fantasy, yes, and you don't have that genre anywhere in your list... But it is also a coming of age story, with the main character right about the same age as your DS, with those universal teen boy struggles.

 

Also, I can definitely see things you could talk about that would connect with a number of the works on your list as a way of tying all the year together -- ideas of coming of age (Mockingbird, Huck Finn), search for identity and meaning/purpose (Great Gatsby), consequence of a choice made in a moment of passion (anger in this case, sexual passion in Scarlet Letter), travel/survival/adventure (Call of the Wild, Travels with Charley, Huck Finn)...

[Kareni]

I'll repost my suggestion from the General Ed board in case others might be interested.

 

One book I had my daughter read in 9th grade when she was studying the time period from 1700 to 2000 might be of interest to you.

 

The Mouse That Roared by Leonard Wibberley

 

Here's a link to the Wikepedia article about the book.  (The book was also filmed and starred Peter Sellers in three roles.)

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I have 5 more weeks to fill for my American Lit lessons and am in need of recommendations for novels of any genre that are SET after the 1950s that would be appropriate for 10th grade.  Almost all the lists I've found so far are by publish date, not the setting time period.

 

What about The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe? 

[bobbeym]

What about The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe? 

 

Oooh, I think DS would actually like this one.  Thanks!

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I'm actually struggling to think of other books that I'd recommend.  It feels a bit like the best writing is in genres like science fiction and historical fiction.  Much of what passes for contemporary American literature is a little overdone (imho).  Too much testing of limits and not enough good story telling.

 

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan is a book that I really enjoyed, and that shows up on many lists.  One thing I like about it is the multiplicity of viewpoints presented.

There are some very good memoirs out of Viet Nam.  Once a Warrior King.  We Were Soldiers Once And Young.  A Sense of Honor.

 

The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger is historical, in the sense that it relates an actual event.  But it is fictionalized, because he could only suppose what really occurred on that voyage.  (I happened to be underway off of Rhode Island in the early days of that storm.  I'm tremendously happy that we returned to port, as it really was unreal.)

 

You might consider some of the writers who are often in college English classes, like Toni Morrison or Margaret Atwood.  I'm not much of a fan of either, but also don't want college days to be the first time my sons encounter something like The Handmaiden's Tale.

 

I also found this article, which lists a number of authors and movements.  Maybe you'll find some inspiration.

 

Oh, I was also thinking that Forest Gump was originally a book by Winston Groom.  Not sure how it reads.

[Candid]

Since Tom Wolfe has already been suggested I would suggest I Am Charlotte Simmons. I will say it has fairly specific adult content, but it is both positive in the end about learning and knowledge and is a great cautionary tale for those heading off to college. 

[Kareni]

I was reminded of this thread when I came across mumto2's post in the Book a Week thread about the book

The Expendable Man by Dorothy B. Hughes. 

The time period is right but I can't speak to the content.  See here.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[bobbeym]

I was reminded of this thread when I came across mumto2's post in the Book a Week thread about the book

The Expendable Man by Dorothy B. Hughes. 

The time period is right but I can't speak to the content.  See here.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

That sounds like I book I want to read. LOL  Thanks for the rec. I'm going to see if it's at the library.

[mumto2]

Since I saw Kareni's post I thought I would add a bit more info here. Dorothy B. Hughes appears to have written some great books set in the time she wrote them, the 1950's and 1960's. I am waiting for another one to arrive. "The Expendable Man" is not explicit in detail but it is an adult book. That being said Dd15 will probably read it at some point. There are some great reviews on Goodreads which contain all the spoilers which should be read. If you are considering this book know backroom abortion is a major topic in this book, so are equal rights. I would read it before assigning it -- you will want to discuss it.

[Kareni]

Thanks for the added details, mumto2.  The book does sound intriguing.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I have 5 more weeks to fill for my American Lit lessons and am in need of recommendations for novels of any genre that are SET after the 1950s that would be appropriate for 10th grade. Almost all the lists I've found so far are by publish date, not the setting time period.

So are you looking for books set in the US or written by Americans?

 

Leon Uris QB IIV is very good, but set in Europe. Armageddon is set in postwar Berlin.

 

You might consider Centennial by Michener. Michener wrote to a of books that were widely read. Centennial is a history of America through one town.

 

Is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn the right era or too early? Eta: I see it's set earlier in the century.

[bobbeym]

So are you looking for books set in the US or written by Americans?

 

Leon Uris QB IIV is very good, but set in Europe. Armageddon is set in postwar Berlin.

 

You might consider Centennial by Michener. Michener wrote to a of books that were widely read. Centennial is a history of America through one town.

 

Is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn the right era or too early? Eta: I see it's set earlier in the century.

 

I'm looking for books set in America.  I have my 10 (5 fiction, 5 historical non-fiction) books picked out, but suggestions from any era of US settlement are welcome in case we end up not liking something on the list and have to swap out.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

What did you settle on?

[bobbeym]

 

• American Literature: Poetry, Total Language Plus publishing

   

• American Literature: Short Stories, Total Language Plus publishing

 

Call of the Wild by Jack London (progeny press guide)

 

Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of WW2 by Joseph Bruchac

 

Company Aytch by Sam Watkins

 

Exploring America (selected readings), 2^nd edition, Notgrass Publishing

 

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (progeny press guide)

 

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald  (progeny press guide)

 

The Narrative of David Crockett by David Crockett

 

The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe

 

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (progeny press guide)

 

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee  (progeny press guide)

 

Travels with Charley in Search of America by John Steinbeck

 

Writing With Skill Level 1

 

EnglishGrammar101.com with reinforcement through Daily Grams and writing

 

Vocabulary identified through daily reading

 

Plays by American playwrights:

 

• Our Town by T. Wilder

   

• The Crucible by Arthur Miller

 

West Side Story

 

You Can't Take It With You by G. Kaufman

 

 

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Looks like some good reading.

[bobbeym]

Looks like some good reading.

 

Thanks. I swear I spend 3x more time planning English than I do everything else combined.  It's the one course that just can't be open and go for him and it wipes me out.

 

He asked for the guides for 3/5 of the fictions. A couple of the history non-fics I'm a little concerned about, but I think it'll be okay. They look like fairly quick reads, even if he doesn't care for the material.

 

Now I just need to figure out writing assignments for the non-fics.