Independent Reading Options: first semester

1. Independent Reading Options:first semester

2. 1984(georgeorwell) • British dystopian novel • 328 pages • Published in 1949 • Focuses on a man’s struggle with his controlling government, where an organization called Big Brother watches everyone’s actions and punishes those who do not conform; was futuristic at time of writing

3. Adventures of huckfinn(mark twain) • American historical satirical novel • 224 pages • Published in 1884 • Focuses on a boy’s journey to adulthood as he runs away from abuse, questions the morality of slavery, and learns to judge people by their actions; was written after Civil War, to expose continuing racial prejudice in Americans

4. The Awakening(katechopin) • American coming-of-age morality novel • 128 pages • Published in 1899 • Focuses on a woman’s journey through early marriage and how to find her independence in a time period when women were dependent on husbands; considered ground-breaking feminism at time of writing

5. Beloved(tonimorrison) • American historical novel with supernatural elements (ghosts) • 321 pages • Published in 1987 • Focuses on a woman’s struggles to shield her family from slavery, using a ghost as a plot device and symbol for guilt, rage, and fear of being powerless

6. Cold mountain(charlesfrazier) • American episodic (journey) romance novel • 449 pages • Published in 1997 • Focuses on a man and woman living apart because of war, and his journey across the mountains to return to her; both characters question their commitment to each other and learn to define love

7. Fault in our stars(John Green) • American Young Adult contemporary novel • 337 pages • Published in 2012 • Focuses on two teens living with cancer and how to live a full life knowing it will be much shorter than a normal life; deals with death and depression in an often-humorous way

8. Justice buried(hilarythompson) • American Young Adult dystopian novel • 243 pages • Published in 2014 • Focuses on a girl prophesied to save her city, and how this destiny erases her personal independence; first of a series that examines free will and social responsibility in a fantasy-based society

9. Light in august(williamfaulkner) • American Southern morality novel • 512 pages • Published in 1932 • Focuses on a mixed-race man’s search for personal identity when he has no family or community ties; multiple characters are used to explore the idea of identity and the different ways we struggle with our pasts

10. Red badge of courage(stephen crane) • American historical realistic war novel • 126 pages • Published in 1895 • Focuses on a young man’s experience in the Civil War, and how he learns to be a man in a time of hardship; notable because it was one of the first books to tell war realistically, rather than romantically

11. Slaughterhouse-five(kurtvonnegut) • American satirical anti-war novel with science-fiction elements (aliens) • 215 pages • Published in 1969 • Focuses on a man’s experiences during WWII, and as a POW, as well as the fantastical journeys he has when abducted by aliens; satires war as destructive and idiotic

12. We were the mulvaneys(joyce carol oates) • American realistic morality novel • 454 pages • Published in 2001 • Focuses on the downfall of a “perfect” family after the daughter experiences a sexual assault; told by the youngest son as he struggles to bring his large family together again and searches for forgiveness