ECE Marine Science Summer Reading 2017

Mrs. Wilcoxen ( or )

Summer Reading Choices for UConn ECE Marine Science @ UHSSE: Choose one title, and read the book. Take notes and keep a handwritten or online journal as you read. You will share your journal with me on the first day of class, and you will be tested on your book’s content and your understanding of it (you can use your notes if you wish). Your journal and the results of your test will determine your eligibility to remain in UConn ECE Marine Science.

  1. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, by Jules Verne. A novel about undersea travel, back in the late 1700’s. One of the things that you should do as you read is to compare some of the discoveries made by the men on the Nautilus with ocean life as we know it today. Remember, back when Jules Verne wrote this story, no one had ever travelled under the sea in a submarine.
  2. Moby Dick, by Herman Melville. “Call me Ishmael.” The famous story of whaling and the life of whalers at sea on the Pequod. This is a classic!
  3. In the Heart of the Sea - The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex, by Nathaniel Philbrick. Drama and danger abound is this true story of whaling life.
  4. The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway. This Pulitzer Prize winning classic about a Cuban fisherman and his quest to reel in the big one, will hook you with its drama and adventure.
  5. The Sea Around Us, by Rachel Carson. This prize-winning and best-selling book by the American biologist, ecologist, and writer Rachel Carson is the result of eight years of research and writing. Carson writes about the world’s oceans and the formation of islands, among other fascinating facts about the marine environment.
  6. Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson. This classic novel will grab your attention as you read about pirates, parrots, treasure, and life on a tropical island.
  7. Life of Pi, by Yann Martel. What happens when a boy finds himself on a boat with a tiger? Life of Pi will keep you hooked and on the edge of your seat as you follow the boy’s adventures and conversations with the tiger.
  8. Wide Sargasso Sea, by Jean Rhys. This novel is a prequel to Jane Eyre, and takes place in the 1800’s. As the story begins, slavery has recently ended, and there is a lot of conflict between the whites and the former slaves.“Wide Sargasso Sea is as dark as a tropical storm, portraying the island life of Caribbean heiress Antoinette Cosway before she married a certain English gentleman, who declared her mad and locked her up.”
  9. Jaws, by Peter Benchley. This book and subsequent movie scared people away from the beach during several summers. I dare you to read this at the beach!
  10. Robinson Crusoe, by Daniel Defoe. Robinson Crusoe and his man Friday end up marooned on an island in the middle of the ocean; you may be able to pick up some new survival skills as you read!
  11. Kon-Tiki, by Thor Heyerdahl. Norwegian explorer and writer Thor Heyerdahl set off in 1947 to prove that South Americans were the original Polynesian islanders. How did he do this? By building a boat out of balsa wood, of course!
  12. English Passengers, by Matthew Kneale. This historical novel features a group of unlikely co-passengers and crew on a 19th century British vessel headed to Tasmania (the vicar thinks that is the Garden of Eden)! One of the odd passengers is a student of eugenics (creepy).
  13. Caribbean, by James Michener. A very lengthy but amazing historical novel about the Caribbean, from ancient times to the 1970’s. Many of the islands are represented, including Dominica, Jamaica, and St. Thomas, among others. There is so much information here about pirates, slavery, the sugar and rum trades, and life in the islands, good and bad. This may take you all summer to read, but it’s worth it! This is one of my favorite books of all times.

Happy Reading!