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AP Literature and Composition

Summer Reading 2014


Jane LaBond (jl12bps@birmingham.k12.mi.us)
Valeria Petrozzi (vp02bps@birmingham.k12.mi.us)
Summer should be a time of great fun, which in our view, includes time to sit
beneath the maple tree out back, or on a beach with your toes in the sand and a
good book in your hand. To that end, we have provided a list of books from which
you will choose two (or more!). Once youve read the books, review the list of
journal prompts provided beneath the book list, and ponder your reading. What is
the ultimate aim of any quest? What is the nature of courage? Which characters or
people demonstrate virtue? What are we willing to sacrifice for love? These ideas
underpin the best of classic literature, modern books and poetry and for that
matter, the hottest of HBO dramas. Reflect, ponder and daydreamand then come
to class in September rested, refreshed and well-read. Oh, and dont forget to
complete the assignment which is included here and on the English departments
web page. Feel free to contact us through email, should you want to discuss any of
the works or if you have a question. We check email weekly, not daily, but we will
respond! We look forward to seeing you in September to begin a great school year!
Part A: Read at least two books from the following list. If you choose to
read a book of poems, be sure the second book is not poetry.
Angles of Ascent: A Norton Anthology of Contemporary African American Poetry
edited by Charles Henry Rowe
10 Poems to Change Your Life compiled by Roger Housden (poetry)
101 Great American Poems (Dover Thrift Edition) (poetry)
The Poetry of Robert Frost: The Collected Poems edited by Edward Connery Lathem
Mayas Notebook: A Novel by Isabele Allende
Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexie
My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor (nonfiction)
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
Money Ball by Michael Lewis (nonfiction)
Enduring Love by Ian McEwan
Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (graphic novel)
Beloved by Toni Morrison
The Time Travelers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Socrates Caf by Christopher Phillips (nonfiction)
The Mysterious Stranger by Mark Twain
To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
The Book Thief or I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
Adam and Eve: A Novel or Ahabs Wife by Sarah Jeter Naslund
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children by Ransome Riggs
Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel

Goldfinch by Donna Tartt


David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants by Malcolm
Gladwell (nonfiction)

From the questions below, select three prompts to respond to in essay


form: Please use specific examples, even references (quotations), from
the text to support your observations. We are not looking for a formal
essay, but rather, we want to see you exploring ideas and reflecting on the
authors characters, settings and themes.
1. Explain how gender roles function in one your readings. Is it stereotypical or
does it break the cultural mode? Do you object to the roles on a personal
level? Why or why not?
2. Relationships provide key insights into the authors intent for a book. Choose
a relationship and explore it through one or both of the books youve read.
3. Nonfiction warrants its own methodology. How did reading a book of
nonfiction differ from reading fiction? Is it at all similar? Why or why not?
4. In one sentence summarize the authors argument or purpose of the book,
and then examine how well he or she succeeded in communicating this idea
to his or her reader.
5. Choose a symbol or motif that you see at work in your book and explain its
significance.
6. Would you recommend this book as a classroom study? Why or why not?
7. Several of the books on the list focus on the nature of love in human lives.
Examine the context of love as seen in your particular work.
8. Poetry: what threads or themes do you see working within the poetry that
youve read? Examine multiple poems to formulate your answer.
9. Thomas Foster says that all quests are for self-knowledge, despite the literal
journey itself. Using a quote or two from the book, apply this idea to one or
more of the books on the list included for your summer reading.
10.Analyze Fosters assertion that there is really only one story. Use your
readings from English classes as well as books
* Because you are reading two books and answering three prompts, you must write
two essays on one book and one on the other.
**Unless, of course, you read three books.

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