fourisenough Posted June 11, 2021 Share Posted June 11, 2021 DD is taking Blue Tent’s Advanced Senior English (post-AP English class for graduating seniors) next year. We just got the welcome letter for the class. One of two summer assignments is to come prepared with a reading list for the year. Students select their own books in the following categories: ✓ Biography/Memoir ✓ Psychology or Sociology ✓ Science or History ✓ Current Issue ✓ American or British Fiction ✓ World Fiction ✓ Contemporary Fiction ✓ Award Winner or Finalist (Fiction or Non-Fiction) Anyone care to weigh-in? She has taken rigorous English classes since 8th grade, including both AP Lang and Lit, but I wouldn’t call her an avid reader. (She used to be, but sadly her high school years have been pretty intense, leaving little time for pleasure reading). What college-level books would you consider must reads for a graduating senior? She’s pretty easygoing and flexible; if it’s good, she’ll happily read it! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted June 12, 2021 Share Posted June 12, 2021 I could spend hours on this sort of thing. So I made myself just do off the top of my head. I think we need more guidance. Like, what does she generally like, even of assigned reading. Surely something resonated. Is she more contemporary or classics? More realism? Romance? Scifi? What does she like to study? ✓ Biography/Memoir Born a Crime Wild Swans Fun Home West with the Night I could go on... so many great memoirs out there... ✓ Psychology or Sociology✓ Science or History If she likes science, I'd read some Mary Roach. Packing for Mars or Stiff maybe. If she likes history... how about The Ghost Map or Salt? ✓ Current Issue Caste The Sixth Extinction What issues does she care about? ✓ American or British Fiction All of these are broad, but this is really broad. What does she like? ✓ World Fiction Some Rushdie? Some Garcia Marquez? I think I need to know what she likes... ✓ Contemporary Fiction How about Station Eleven or The Fifth Season? Or... just anything that's recent that she might really like. ✓ Award Winner or Finalist (Fiction or Non-Fiction) I'd look at the Booker and the National Book Award lists. When I glance at the Booker... gosh, I adored Girl, Woman, Other. And Possession is one of my all time favorites. But again... so many possibilities. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted June 12, 2021 Share Posted June 12, 2021 (edited) I recommend Scale by Geoffrey West for science or history. Also, The Ghost Map (which would be considerable easier than Scale) is excellent. For psychology or sociology, The Righteous Mind is definitely perspective changing. Also, if she's interested in philosophy, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance might fit into a few of those categories (fiction or memoir, for example). Edited June 12, 2021 by EKS 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourisenough Posted June 12, 2021 Author Share Posted June 12, 2021 Thank you both for your suggestions. I am not familiar with many of those suggestions at all— I’ve got some googling to do. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilaclady Posted June 12, 2021 Share Posted June 12, 2021 For psychology my students read and liked, The immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks The man who mistook his wife for a hat Stroke of insight 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madteaparty Posted June 12, 2021 Share Posted June 12, 2021 (edited) There’s a ton of ballet and ballet-adjacent biographies. I know because my ballet-mad friend reads them all the time...while driving her DD to ballet 😉 I can ask her her faves if you want. as regards award winners, there’s very few Man Booker prizes I didn’t love. Actually i don’t do well with most other award categories. Lincoln in the Bardo, by Saunders is a particular fairly recent favorite and only second American to win that prize. there’s also The Sellout by Paul Beatty, a completely outrageous, satirical, laugh-out-loud but also look around to see if it’s okay to do so? novel. This was the first American Man Booker winner.;) I just got it for DS as light reading for the summer after an intense year. So in this class they make their book lists huh. I was going to make my own Senior English, or DE it, but this sounds intriguing... Edited June 12, 2021 by madteaparty 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourisenough Posted June 12, 2021 Author Share Posted June 12, 2021 Okay, I just spent a pleasant hour perusing your suggestions, asking DD what she’s interested in, browsing book lists, etc. and here’s what we’ve come up with so far. It’s definitely a work-in-progress. Any more thoughts? ✓ Biography/Memoir: Fun Home, Alison Bechdel ✓ Psychology or Sociology: The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion, Jonathan Haidt ✓ Science or History: Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, Mary Roach ✓ Current Issue: The Sum of Us, Heather McGee World Fiction: Americanah, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ✓ American or British Fiction: Wide Saragosso Sea, Jean Rhys ✓ Contemporary Fiction: Hamnet, Maggie O’Farrel ✓ Award Winner or Finalist (Fiction or Non-Fiction): Girl, Woman, Other: A Novel, Bernadine Evaristo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourisenough Posted June 12, 2021 Author Share Posted June 12, 2021 11 hours ago, Lilaclady said: For psychology my students read and liked, The immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks The man who mistook his wife for a hat Stroke of insight She has read and loved both Immortal Life... & Man who Mistook... Great suggestions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted June 12, 2021 Share Posted June 12, 2021 I LOVE that list. I really like nearly all the books on it. Does she like Jane Eyre? Wide Sargasso Sea is better IMHO if you do. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourisenough Posted June 13, 2021 Author Share Posted June 13, 2021 1 hour ago, Farrar said: I LOVE that list. I really like nearly all the books on it. Does she like Jane Eyre? Wide Sargasso Sea is better IMHO if you do. She adores Jane Eyre! Thanks for your help making the list; some books were entirely unknown to me! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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