Summer Reading Topics
School Violence
Topic: Newtown. Columbine. Virginia Tech. In recent years, America has been plagued by a series of mass shootings, many of which have occurred in our nation’s schools. These tragic events have both captivated and horrified the American people, and with each seemingly senseless tragedy, we are left to ponder why people commit such seemingly senseless acts of violence.
Primary Text: Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
Other Recommended Texts: Columbine by David Cullen, Shooter by Walter Dean Myers, The Last Domino by Adam Meyer, The Hate List by Jennifer Brown, No Right to Remain Silent: The Tragedy at Virginia Tech by Lucinda Roy
Vampires
Topic: What features of the vampire myth have made it compelling for readers and audiences over the past two centuries? Why is it now so prevalent and popular in modern culture? What human desires and fears does the vampire embody?
Primary Text: Twilight by Stephanie Meyer (under discussion)
Other Recommended Texts: Dracula by Bram Stoker, Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice, Salem’s Lot by Stephen King, From Demons to Dracula: The Creation of the Modern Vampire Myth by Matthew Beresford, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (graphic novel and television series), Glass Houses by Rachel Caine, Twilight series
Sports Figures
Topic: Sports figures are idolized all around the world for their athletic prowess, but why do so many of our idols—Tiger Woods, Lance Armstrong, O.J. Simpson, and others—self-destruct? And should such figures still be considered heroes?
Primary Text: Sports Heroes, Fallen Idols by Stanley H. Teitelbaum
Other Recommended Texts: The Passion of Tiger Woods by Orin Starn, The Secret Race: Inside the Hidden World of the Tour de France by Tyler Hamilton, Pete Rose: My Story by Pete Rose, Love Me Hate Me: Barry Bonds and the Making of an Antihero by Jeff Pearlman, Seven Deadly Sins: My Pursuit of Lance Armstrong by David Walsh
Graphic Novels
Topic: Why and how do we read graphic novels? Are graphic novels works of literature? How do graphic novelists use artistic techniques—such as facial expressions—to express the author’s message?
Primary Text: Understanding Comics by Scott McLeod
Other Recommended Texts: Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, Maus by Art Spiegelman, Blankets by Craig Thompson, Fun Home by Alison Bechdel, Stitched by David Small, Epileptic by David B.; Burma Chronicles by Guy DeLisle
Coping with Death
Topic: How do I cope with the loss of a family member or friend? How do I begin to heal?
Primary Text: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Other Recommended Texts: Grief Girl by Erin Vincent, The Grief Club by Melody Beattie, Knowing Jesse by Arianne Leone, When a Friend Dies by Marilyn Gootman; Gone Boy: A Father’s Search for the Truth in His Son’s Murder by Gregory Gibson; The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold; A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks; The Pact by Jodi Picoult
Survival
Topic: What qualities does a true survivor have? What does it take to live through adversity?
Primary Text: In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick
Other Recommended Texts: 127 Hours: Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston, Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson, The Road by Cormac McCarthy, Brian’s Winter by Gary Paulsen, Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster by John Krakauer; Into the Wild by John Krakauer
Troubled Childhoods
Topic: Not all children grow up in ideal families or homes—many children are victims of abuse, neglect and abandonment. What happens to these children? Do they become survivors or victims as they head into adulthood?
Primary Text: An Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff
Other Recommended Texts: With or Without You by Dominica Ruta, The Glass Castle by Jeanette Wall, The Blind Side by Michael Lewis, A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard, Sold by Patricia McCormack,
Eating Disorders
Topic: Why do so many young adults, particularly teenage girls, fall prey to eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia? Is the media to blame?
Primary Text: Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Andersen
Other Recommended Texts: Gaining: The Truth About Life after Eating Disorders by Aimee E. Liu, Next to Nothing: A Firsthand Account of One Teenager’s Experience with an Eating Disorder by Carrie Arnold, Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia by Marya Hornbacher, Perfect by Natasha Friend
Coping with Depression
Topic: What is depression? What causes it? How can a young adult cope with depression rather than adopting destructive behavior?
Primary Text: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Other Recommended Texts: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, Cut by Patricia McCormack, Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Dreamland by Sarah Dessen
Technology
Topic: How can we use information technologies—the technologies that connect us to news, maps, facts, and each other—to shape the world we want instead of allowing the technology to shape us?
Primary Text: Present Shock by Douglas Rushkoff
Other Recommended Texts: You are Not a Gadget by Jaron Lanier, The Shallows by Nicholas Carr, Hamlet’s Blackberry by William Powers
Fast Food
Topic: McDonalds. Burger King. Wendy’s. These fast food chains and others populate the American landscape—but why do we consume so much fast food? And how does fast food consume us? Are there better eating alternatives?
Primary Text: Don’t Eat this Book: Fast Food and the Supersizing of America by Morgan Spurlock
Other Recommended Texts: Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser, “Supersize Me” (documentary), “Food Inc.” (documentary), Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan
Fishing Industry
Topic: What will be the future of the fishing industry in Gloucester and beyond? What exactly is Red Tide? Could fish be extinct in as little as 50 years? How will this impact us and what should we do to protect our oceans?
Primary Text: World without Fish by Mark Kurlansky
Other Recommended Texts: Song for the Blue Ocean by Carl Safina
Cultural Differences
Topic: What is cultural identity? How does an individual hold onto their cultural identity while living in a foreign country? What struggles might such an individual have adjusting to life in America?
Primary Text: Ciao, America! by Beppe Severgnini
Other Recommended Texts: The Arrival by Saun Tan, Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing up Iranian in America by Foroozeh Dumas, Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai, The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, When I was Puerto Rican: A Memoir by Esmeralda Santiago, The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
Art Theft
Topic: Why does someone steal artistic masterpieces? And just who are these art thieves?
Primary Text: The Gardner Heist: The True Story of the World’s Largest Unsolved Art Theft by Ulrich Boser
Other Recommended Texts: Priceless by Robert K. Wittman, The Rockwell Heist by Bruce Rubenstein, The Crimes of Paris by Dorothy and ThomasHoobler, The Rape of Europa by Lynn Nicholas
DNA in Crime Investigations
Topic: How does DNA help or hinder crime detection?
Primary Text: The Blooding by Joseph Wambaugh
Other Recommended Texts: Beyond the body farm : a legendary bone detective explores murders, mysteries, and the revolution in forensic science / Bill Bass and Jon Jefferson, In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Music: The Beach Boys
Topic: The music of the Beach Boys and the simplistic tunes of early rock were synonymous with all that was right with America’s young people in the early to mid 1960’s. Yet, everything was not as it seemed behind the scenes. Who were the Beach Boys really? What was the driving force behind their music? What can we learn from their story about the contemporary music industry?
Primary Text: Wouldn’t It Be Nice by Brian Wilson
Other Recommended Texts: My Life as a Supreme by Mary Wilson, Life by Keith Richards, Does the Noise Inside my Head Bother You by Steven Tyler
Terrorism
Topic: What is terrorism? How has terrorism changed since 9/11? How has U.S. policy both influenced and been influenced by terrorism both at home and abroad?
Primary Text: The Scorpion’s Gate by Richard Clarke
Other Recommended Texts: Future Jihad by Walid Phares, newspaper and magazine articles in publications such as The Economist, Time, and Foreign Policy
Physics
Topic: What is going on in cutting edge physics? How does it affect our view of the world?
Primary Text: The Elegant Universe, Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory by Brian Green
Other Recommended Texts: Explore recently published scientific articles on the topics from the book that interest you.
Mafia Crimes
Topic: What impact do notorious mobsters, such as Whitey Bulger, have on our society, culture and history?
Primary Text: All Souls: A Family Story from Southie by Michael Patrick MacDonald
Other Recommended Texts: Black Mass by Gerard O’Neill, The Westies: Inside New York’s Irish Mob by T.J. English, Citizen Somerville: Growing up with the Winter Hill Gang by Bobby Martini, Rogues and Redeemers by Gerard O’Neill
Philosophy
Topic: What is the meaning of life? Are human beings inherently good or evil? Does truth exist? Why are we all here?
Primary Text: Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder
Other Recommended Texts: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig, The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff, Six Questions of Socrates by Christopher Phillips, Shop Class as Soulcraft by Matthew Crawford
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