Semester One Lit Circle Book List
*Available in the bookroom Always Running – Luis Rodriguez* This is the searing true story of one man’s life growing up in a Chicano gang in the San Gabriel Valley and his heroic struggle to free himself from its grip. Like Water for Chocolate – Laura Esquivel* Set in turn of the century Mexico, it tells the romantic tale of Tita De La Garza, the youngest of Mama Elena’s three daughters, whose fate, dictated by family tradition, is to remain single so that she can take care of her mother in her old age. We witness the nurturing Tita’s struggle to be true both to tradition and to her own heart. The Complete Maus – Art Spiegelman* In this Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel, Spiegelman tells the story of his his father, a Holocaust survivor. In the novel, the Jewish people are depicted as mice and the Nazis are cats. (Maus has a Part One and a Part Two, so make sure to read The Complete Maus, which is a compilation of the two. The book room has two separate copies so you need to check out and read both). The Princess Bride – William Goldman* This Fantasy-Romance novel by popular novelist and screenwriter William Goldman was made into a popular film in 1987. The Bean Trees – Barbara Kingsolver* When a child is suddenly placed in her care, Taylor doesn’t know what to do. This book conveys multiple symbolic meanings about shared motherhood, life and death, and beauty. The underlying themes not always recognized include those about mockery toward the judicial system, the flawed coping strategies of current day issues, and the strength of friendship. Beloved – Toni Morrison* This novel of a slave woman who experiences great tragedy was based on a true story and won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1988. The Book Thief – Markus Zusak* A girl steals books from the Nazis in this 2005 bestseller. Ender’s Game – Orson Scott Card* This science fiction novel of warfare and armies is the first in a series. I Am Malala – Malala Yousafzai* This is the autobiography of a girl who stood up for education and was shot by the taliban - but lived to tell her story. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man – James Joyce* The first novel of Irish writer James Joyce, it traces the religious and intellectual awakening of young Stephen Dedalus, a fictional alter ego of Joyce and an allusion to Daedalus, the consummate craftsman of Greek mythology. Stephen questions and rebels against the Catholic and Irish conventions under which he has grown, culminating in his self-exile from Ireland to Europe. Frankenstein - Mary Shelley* The story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a hideous sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment. The Glass Castle – Jeannette Walls* A remarkable memoir of resilience and redemption, and a revelatory look into a family at once deeply dysfunctional and uniquely vibrant. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings – Maya Angelou* This 1969 autobiography describes the early years of American writer and poet Maya Angelou. It is a coming-of-age story that illustrates how strength of character and a love of literature can help overcome racism and trauma. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich – Aleksander Solzhenitsyn* The story, by nobel prize winning Russian novelist Aleksander Solzhenitsyn, is set in a Soviet labor camp in the 1950s and describes a single day in the life of ordinary prisoner, Ivan Denisovich Shukhov. A Room with a View – E. M. Forster* This 1908 novel by English writer E. M. Forster is about a young woman in the restrained culture of Edwardian era England. Set in Italy and England, the story is both a romance and a humorous critique of English society at the beginning of the 20th century. Other options (not in the bookroom) include: Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl – Harriet Ann Jacobs, Persuasion (or Emma or Sense and Sensibility or Mansfield Park)– Jane Austen, Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte, The Age of Innocence – Edith Wharton, The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood, Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens, Rebecca – Daphne Du Maurier, The Red Badge of Courage – Stephen Crane, All the Light We Cannot See – Anthony Doerr, A Prayer for Owen Meany – John Irving, and The Portrait of a Lady – Henry James
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September 2022
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