Harrison High School
Summer 2010 Reading List
For Entering 10th Graders
The tenth grade English teachers have prepared this reading list to encourage you to set aside time this summer for reading. You are required to read at least one book from the following list. The Big Idea explored in each of these selections is identity. As you read, you will meet individuals like yourself who are growing up and searching for who they are. Use the following Essential Question to frame your thinking about what you read:
How do the choices we make affect who we are and how others perceive us?
You are encouraged to keep a reader response journal so that you can record your reactions to the choices made by the main characters and explore the Essential Question. The work that you will do in English the first two weeks of school will include important discussions and writing assignments that connect to your summer reading.
In selecting a summer reading list, the tenth grade English teachers have chosen books that represent a broad spectrum of themes. You are strongly encouraged to explore and select a book that is challenging and interesting to you. Please feel free to consult with your present English teacher if you would like additional guidance in selecting the right book for you. Happy reading and welcome to tenth grade!
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Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens
In an overgrown churchyard, a grizzled convict springs upon an orphan named Pip. The convict terrifies the young boy and threatens to kill him unless Pip helps further his escape. Later, Pip finds himself in the ruined garden where he meets the bitter and crazy Miss Havisham and her foster child Estella, with whom he immediately falls in love. After a secret benefactor gives him a fortune, Pip moves to London, where he cultivates great expectations for a life which would allow him to discard his impoverished beginnings and socialize with the idle upper class. As Pip struggles to become a gentleman and is tormented endlessly by the beautiful Estella, he slowly learns the truth about himself and his illusions.
Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
Brave New World reveals a society where people come to love their oppression and adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think.* "Community, Identity, Stability" is the motto of the utopian World State described in this story. Here everyone consumes daily grams of “soma” to fight depression, babies are born in laboratories, and the most
popular form of entertainment is a movie that stimulates the senses of sight, hearing, and touch. Though there is no violence and everyone is provided for, Bernard Marx feels something is missing and senses his relationship with a young woman has the potential to be much more than the confines of their existence allow.
*Paraphrased from the words of Neil Postman
In the Time of Butterflies, by Julia Alvarez
This novel recounts the rebellion against Rafael Leónidas Trujillo, the dictator of the Dominican Republic. The main characters are the Mirabal sisters, who, throughout the novel, come to understand the injustices committed by Trujillo's dictatorship. The butterfly becomes their symbol, which represents independence - their main goal in their struggle against Trujillo's abusive dictatorship. Although a work of fiction, the novel was inspired by the true story of the three Mirabal sisters who, in 1960, were murdered for their part in an underground plot to overthrow the government.
Tuesdays With Morrie, by Mitch Albom
Acclaimed Detroit sportswriter, Mitch Albom, flies to Massachusetts every week to meet with his teacher, friend, and mentor, Morrie Schwartz. Over the weeks and months of their sessions, the terminally ill Morrie teaches Albom how to live.
The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
Junior is a Spokane Indian living on a reservation. His life is tough, but he is bright and wants more out of school than the beatings and put-downs he gets. This is a story of identity and determination in the face of adversity, with a few surprises mixed in.
Bleachers, by John Grisham
When his old coach dies, high school football star Neely Crenshaw returns to his hometown after 15 years, reunites with his former teammates, and struggles to resolve his mixed feelings about the man.
