Dear Pre-AP Student,
Welcome to Pre-AP English 9! We are looking forward to seeing you in August at the Freshman Academy prepared to have a great year! Your summer reading selections are all exciting and thought provoking selections. Please consult with your parents choose one from the following:
The Amazing Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
In the Name of God by Paula Jolin
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
Zeitoun by Dave Eggers
Columbine by Dave Cullen
Selections may be found in either print or electronic form at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Steve's Sundry and public libraries. It is imperative that the student bring a copy of the book, either electronic or print, to school the first and second day and entire first week of school.
This may be your first experience in the close reading of a book. As you have learned in previous English classes, indirect characterization by an author is conveyed in several ways. The reader learns about the character through description of appearance, the thoughts and feelings as told or thought by the character, direct dialogue, and conversations among other characters. Direct characterization occurs when the writer directly describes the character. You have also learned about the different literary elements of plot, conflict, setting, point of view and theme. You are encouraged to highlight important moments of plot, vivid characterization, development of theme, moments of conflict, and how this all sets the tone. If you happen on moments of author commentary through your inferences, indicate that, as well. You are also encouraged to annotate on sticky notes your thoughts and reactions to the plot, the conflict, the theme, and the characters in the book. If you wish to organize your markings by category and color, your ability to find important passages for your first project at school will be greatly enhanced. For this project, you will be properly citing passages on these very things learning MLA formatting. You will want to come to school that first day with an arsenal of thought provoking passages to enable you to participate well in the group discussions. It will also improve your ability write a well-supported essay on one or more of the different elements mentioned. You will receive the prompt (s) upon your arrival at school in August.
A test over your book will be given the second day of school. An essay will be assigned on the third day.
Should you have any questions, please contact the Freshman Academy office at 299-4415 ext. 2269.
See you in the fall! Jean Nelson, Melinda Stevens, and Emily Winner
Fiction Choices:
Zeitoun by Dave Eggers
The true story of one family, caught between America’s two biggest policy disasters: the war on terror and the response to Hurricane Katrina.
Abdulrahman and Kathy Zeitoun run a house-painting business in New Orleans. In August of 2005, as Hurricane Katrina approaches, Kathy evacuates with their four young children, leaving Zeitoun to watch over the business. In the days following the storm he travels the city by canoe, feeding abandoned animals and helping elderly neighbors. Then, on September 6th, police officers armed with M-16s arrest Zeitoun in his home. Told with eloquence and compassion, Zeitoun is a riveting account of one family’s unthinkable struggle with forces beyond wind and water.
Non-fiction Choices
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
This title is an international bestseller. Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer whose cancer cells - taken without her knowledge - became one of the most important tools in medicine. The first 'immortal' human tissue grown in culture, HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer, viruses, and the effects of the atom bomb; helped lead to important advances like in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and, have been bought and sold by the billions.
on an extraordinary journey in search of Henrietta's story, from the 'coloured' ward of Johns Hopkins Hospital in the 1950s to East Baltimore today, where her children and grandchildren live, and struggle with the legacy of her cells. Full of warmth and questing intelligence, astonishing in scope and impossible to put down, "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" captures the beauty and drama of scientific discovery, as well as its human consequences.
In the Name of God by Paula Jolin
Grade 8 Up—In this believable depiction of the growth of religious zealotry, 17-year-old Nadia describes the period after her cousin's arrest by the Syrian secret police. Already committed to Islam, she moves toward fanaticism, actually seeking out an attractive man whom she hopes will help her to learn more about the revolutionary cause. Moderates in her family attempt to counter her extremism; this is not the kind of flirtation her mother expected of a teenage daughter, and the mother's quiet example of a different Muslim way is the most appealing part of this unsettling picture. Nadia's internal and external arguments provide a stark vision of how others see the U.S. Jolin effectively works in every negative impression, real or perceived, about America and its foreign policy. Beyond the usual stereotypes of American commercialism, there are comments on 9/11 and the war in Iraq, quotations from George Bush, and allegations of worldwide Jewish conspiracies. American readers may find that Nadia's change from an ambitious student to a suicide bomber comes a bit too quickly. But the author's Islamic studies and long residence in the Middle East help make this a convincing picture of life in present-day Damascus, and the suspense will keep readers engaged.
Unbroken by Laura Hilldebrand
From Laura Hillenbrand, the bestselling author of Seabiscuit, comes Unbroken, the inspiring true story of a man who lived through a series of catastrophes almost too incredible to be believed. In evocative, immediate descriptions, Hillenbrand unfurls the story of Louie Zamperini--a juvenile delinquent-turned-Olympic runner-turned-Army hero. During a routine search mission over the Pacific, Louie’s plane crashed into the ocean, and what happened to him over the next three years of his life is a story that will keep you glued to the pages, eagerly awaiting the next turn in the story and fearing it at the same time. You’ll cheer for the man who somehow maintained his selfhood and humanity despite the monumental degradations he suffered, and you’ll want to share this book with everyone you know. Show more
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Columbine by Dave Cullen
In this remarkable account of the April 20, 1999, Columbine High School shooting, journalist Cullen not only dispels several of the prevailing myths about the event but tackles the hardest question of all: why did it happen? Drawing on extensive interviews, police reports and his own reporting, Cullen meticulously pieces together what happened when 18-year-old Eric Harris and 17-year-old Dylan Klebold killed 13 people before turning their guns on themselves. The media spin was that specific students, namely jocks, were targeted and that Dylan and Eric were members of the Trench Coat Mafia. According to Cullen, they lived apparently normal lives, but under the surface lay an angry, erratic depressive (Klebold) and a sadistic psychopath (Harris), together forming a combustible pair. They planned the massacre for a year, outlining their intentions for massive carnage in extensive journals and video diaries. Cullen expertly balances the psychological analysis—enhanced by several of the nation's leading experts on psychopathology—with an examination of the shooting's effects on survivors, victims' families and the Columbine community.