AP World History
Summer Reading Assignment
Directions: Choose one of the books below to read. Be sure to research some plot
summaries and reviews on the internet before you make your selection. Some of the
books are fiction and some are non-fiction. Choose a style of writing and topic that may
specifically interest you. After you READ the book, you must complete a book review.
Possible Book Choices:
1.
Bridal, Tessa--Tree of Red Stars
2.
Hesse, Hermann--Siddhartha
3.
Levathes, Louise--When China Ruled the Seas
4.
See, Lisa--Snowflower and the Secret Fan
5.
Sundaresan, Indu--The Twentieth Wife
6.
Sundaresan, Indu--The Feast of Roses
7.
Whitfield, Susan--Life Along the Silk Road
8.
Dunn, Ross E.--The Adventures of Ibn Battuta: A Muslim Traveler of the 14th
Century
9.
Gallagher, Thomas--Paddy’s Lament
10. Greenfield, Amy Butler--A Perfect Red
11. Japin, Arthur--The Two Hearts of Kwasi Boachi: A Novel
12. Markandaya, Kamala--Nectar in a Sieve
13. Massie, Robert K.--Peter the Great: His Life and World
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
Weatherford, Jack--Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
Bagdasarian, Adam--Forgotten Fire
Chang, Jung--Wild Swans
Kingsolver, Barbara--The Poisonwood Bible
Hochschild, Adam--King Leopold’s Ghost
Seierstad, Asne--The Bookseller of Kabul
Solzhenitsyn, Alexander--One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
Nafisi, Azar--Reading Lolita in Tehran
Book Review
Directions: After you have finished reading, complete all of the following questions.
Book Reviews must be typed and responses must be numbered and lettered in order.
Remember, this assignment is the first impression you will make as an AP World student.
I.
Description of Book
A. Author’s name, place of publication, date of publication,
number of pages in book
5 points
B. Summary of book: Important points, highlights (don’t just
give a plot summary) DO NOT PLAGIARIZE
20 points
II.
Analysis
A. Author’s Objectives: What did the author intend for the
reader in writing this book?
10 points
B. Universal Lessons: Provide examples from the book of
10 points
lessons that would apply any place or time. If you do not feel
there is any lesson to be learned from your book, explain why.
C. Use passages from the book to support your answer.
III.
10 points
Appraisal
A. Did you like/Dislike the book and why?
10 points
B. What is missing?
5 points
IV.
Themes of World History
A. What themes of World History were covered in the book?
How did the book connect the theme?
20 points
V.
10 points
Presentation/Class Discussion
100
points