Welcome to AP English Language and Composition.
You have TWO books to read this summer - one fiction and one non-fiction.
Below are some book descriptions to help you choose and the actual assignment sheet you were given at the end of school. If you have any questions or need to speak to me about the assignment, send me an email. Have a great summer and happy reading!!
Fiction Choices:
The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald) - Midwest native Nick Carraway arrives in 1922 New York in search of the American dream. Nick, a would-be writer, moves in next-door to millionaire Jay Gatsby and across the bay from his cousin Daisy. Thus, Nick becomes drawn into the captivating world of the wealthy and -- as he bears witness to their illusions and deceits -- pens a tale of impossible love, dreams, and tragedy within the carefree lifestyle of the Roaring Twenties.
A Lesson Before Dying (Ernest Gaines) - Set in the fictional community of Bayonne, Louisiana, in the late 1940s, A Lesson Before Dying tells the story of Jefferson, a twenty-one-year-old uneducated black field worker wrongfully accused and convicted of the robbery and murder of a white man. A teacher from the same area, Grant Wiggins, is recruited to help Jefferson face the sentence he is given.
Non-Fiction Choices:
UnBroken (Laura Hillenbrand) - This nonfiction writing describes Louis Zamperini’s life from the tumultuous teenage years that led him to find comfort in running to his journey as an Air Force bomber. Follow Zamperini through his trip to the Berlin Olympics, time lost at sea, and years in prison camps. Unbroken is an unforgettable testament to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit. This book contains some graphic descriptions and adult language. Be sure you read the unabridged/adult version.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Maya Angelou) - Poet Maya Angelou was sent at a young age to live with her grandmother in Arkansas. Angelou learned a great deal from this exceptional woman and the tightly knit black community there. These very lessons carried her throughout the hardships she endured later in life, including a tragic occurrence while visiting her mother in St. Louis and her formative years spent in California. Years later, in San Francisco, Maya learns that love for herself, the kindness of others, and her own strong spirit will allow her to be free instead of imprisoned. This book contains some graphic descriptions and adult language.
Gifted Hands The Ben Carson Story (Ben Carson) - Carson tells of his inspiring odyssey from his childhood in inner-city Detroit to his position as director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital at age 33. Ben Carson is a role model for anyone who attempts the seemingly impossible as he takes you into the operating room where he has saved countless lives. Filled with fascinating case histories, this is the dramatic and intimate story of Ben Carson's struggle to beat the odds of poverty -- and of the faith and genius that make him one of the greatest life-givers of the century.
Here is the assignment sheet and template to be used for the non-fiction reading -