Junior English
I-SEARCH Independent reading list
Author/Title
Pgs.
Everything Good is Bad for You:
254
Popular Culture by Stephen Johnson
Prozac Nation by Elizabeth Wurtzel
368
Joined at the Heart by Al and
Tipper Gore
432
Nothing Feels Good by Andy
Greenwald
Hollywood Nation by James Hirsen
320
Wasted by Marya Hornbacher
298
Be Happy or I’ll Scream! By Sheri
Lynch
Stick Figure by Lori Gottlieb
240
Dude, Where’s My Country? by
Michael Moore
From Pieces to Weight by Curtis “50
Cent” Jackson
American Dream: A Short History of
an Idea That Shaped a Nation by
Jim Cullen
Are You Happy? A Childhood
Remembered by Emily Fox Gordon
272
Another Planet: A Year in the Life of
a Suburban High School by Elinor
Burkett
Honky by Dalton Conley
352
American Soldier by General
Tommy Franks
Soldier: The Life of Colin Powell by
Karen DeYoung
Breaking the Surface by Greg
Louganis
992
The Skills to Pay the Bills by Alan
Light
Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs by
Chuck Klosterman
206
277
240
240
224
256
224
610
306
256
Description
The author explores the positive impact aspects of
popular culture (video games, reality shows, etc.) have
on society.
This book details a writer’s struggles with atypical
depression.
The Gores explain how the economy and cultural shifts
have changed American families over the past two
generations.
This book focuses on emo and punk rock as modes of
self-exploration.
Hollywood Nation investigates how elite celebrities use
the media to force their views upon others.
A memoir describes a woman’s personal experiences
with anorexia and bulimia.
Lynch explains the disconnect between the ideal family
and the real family.
Gottlieb shares her experiences with anorexia and the
impact society had on her illness.
In usual fashion, Moore explores the hypocrisies and
dilemmas within our country.
50 Cent tells his rags to riches story in his own narrative
voice.
Cullen focuses on the progression of the American
dream from the pilgrims to modern day.
In her memoir, Emily Fox Gordon recounts a difficult
childhood and discusses how to rebound from struggles
in youth.
Burkett uses her first hand experiences and research to
discuss the problems of America’s school system.
Told from the perspective of a white child living as a
minority, Conley explores how race impacts everyone.
General Tommy Franks shares his experiences in Iraq
and Afghanistan.
DeYoung investigates Powel’s rise from son of
Jamaican immigrants to a leader of his country.
In his autobiography Louganis discusses his successes
and his struggles with dyslexia, prejudice and
homosexuality.
This book explains the rise of the Beastie Boys.
Klosterman explores the impact of popular culture on
Americans.
Junior English
I-SEARCH Independent reading list
Smashed by Koren Zailckas
342
It’s Not About the Bike: My Journey
Back to Life by Lance Armstrong
and Sally Jenkins
Swimming to Antarctica by Lynne
Cox
Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis
304
Oprah Winfrey: The Definitive Story
of Her Struggle and Success by
George Mair
Son Rise: The Miracle Continues by
Barry Neil Kaufman
Nobody Nowhere by Donna
Williams
I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell by
Tucker Max
376
American Dreams Lost and Found
by Studs Terkel
Lebron James: The Rise of a Star by
David Lee Morgan
Come Together: John Lennon in His
Time by Jon Wiener
470
No Excuses: The True Story of a
Congenital Amputee Who Became a
Champion in Wrestling and in Life
by Kyle Maynard
Don’t Bother Me Mom! I’m
Learning! by Marc Prensky
256
Scars of Sweet Paradise: The Life
and Times of Janis Joplin by Alice
Echols
432
Room Full of Mirrors: A Biography
of Jimi Hendrix by Charles R. Cross
400
Clapton: The Autobiography by
Eric Clapton
352
323
465
372
218
220
240
380
254
Zailckas retells her stories of binge drinking and how
alcohol can become a coping technique.
This book details how Armstrong succeeded as a
professional bike rider and worked to overcome cancer.
In love with swimming and cold water, Cox highlights
her triumphs and accomplishments as a swimmer.
The lead singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers retells the
dark and bright moments of his career.
The book details Oprah’s climb from a difficult
childhood in the deep south to a successful talk show
host.
Kaufman shows how a family’s love triumphs over
autism.
Williams explains her struggles to overcome autism.
Selfish disregard for other people comes to light in
Max’s descriptions of his life of partying and sleeping
around.
Celebrities and average Americans across the country
explore their dreams and hopes.
An inspirational tale of a rise from the projects to the
fame of the basketball court.
John Lennon rose to fame through his music, and
Wiener describes how Lennon used his fame to spread
his political messages.
Born without arms or legs below his elbows and knees,
Kyle Maynard excels as a champion athlete,
inspirational speaker, college student and male model.
Prensky contends that video games can teach a
multitude of skills, including problem solving, language
and cognitive skills, strategic thinking, multitasking, and
parallel processing.
Joplin emerges as a female rock superstar of her era--a
period when sexism hampered Joplin's progress.
References sex-and-drugs episodes, bisexuality, and
alcoholism.
Cross captures Hendrix's difficult, poverty-stricken
childhood with alcoholic and absent parents. This
describes Hendrix’s rags-to-riches story.
Eric Clapton details experiences with sex, drugs, and
rock-and-roll - a story of how he achieved both dreams
and failures.
Junior English
I-SEARCH Independent reading list
Report from Ground Zero by Dennis
Smith
416
Never Die Easy: The
Autobiography of Walter Payton by
Walter Payton and Don Yaeger
288
The Lost Boy by David J. Pelzer
335
The Richest Man Who Ever Lived by
Steven K. Scott
256
Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves
of Adolescent Girls by Mary Pipher
304
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a
Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
240
Billy, Alfred and General Motors by
William Pelfrey
315
Michael Phelps: Beneath the
Surface by Michael Phelps and
Brian Cazeneuve
Sowbelly: The Obsessive Quest for
the World Record Largemouth Bass
by Monte Burke
192
The Electric Koolaid Acid Test by
Tom Wolfe
432
Money Talks: Candid Conversations
about Wealth in America by Robert
Koppel
250
272
Smith, a retired NYC fireman, captures the horrors of
September 11, 2001. He conveys the mind-set of this
"brotherhood" as America works to rebuild itself from
one of the greatest tragedies in its history.
Payton not only broke NFL records as one of the
toughest, hardest-working players ever, but he was also
devoted to the dreams of others, even when facing the
end of his own life.
As the sequel to A Child Called It, The Lost Boy tells
Pelzer’s story from the time he left his abusive mother
and alcoholic father, through his experiences in five
foster homes and juvenile detention, and his eventual
induction into the Air Force.
In this short, powerful book, multimillionaire and
bestselling author Steven K. Scott reveals King
Solomon’s breakthrough strategies to achieve a life of
financial success and personal fulfillment.
Therapist Mary Pipher describes American culture as a
"girl-poisoning" society: they are persecuted for
individuality when they stray from the narrow definition
of the female.
A boy living amidst war is transformed into someone as
addicted to killing as he is to the cocaine from the army.
When the United Nations place him in a rehab center, he
achieves his dreams, graduating from Oberlin and
working his way up the social ladder.
Pelfrey's biography of the two founders of General
Motors retells the lives of these two entrepreneurs.
While one achieves his American dream, the other loses
it.
Although Phelps is now a world-renowned swimmer, he
had to overcome numerous difficulties which he
explores in this book.
During his quest to catch the world record largemouth
bass, Burke sprinkles scientific details about bass
fishing, in addition to a tale about the lengths to which
humans will go to achieve their dreams.
In the 1960s, Ken Kesey led a group of psychedelic
sympathizers around the country in a painted bus,
presiding over LSD-induced "acid tests" all along the
way.
A former Chicago Mercantile Exchange trader
interviews a series of successful individuals in various
fields about the role money plays in their lives.
Junior English
I-SEARCH Independent reading list
Do Hard Things: A Teenage
Rebellion Against Low Expectations
by Alex and Brett Harris
241
Two teenagers explore the lack of societal expectations
for teenagers, the causes, effects and ways in which
teenagers can fulfill their true potential.
Bushworld by Maureen Dowd
560
Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis
227
Better: A Surgeon’s Notes on
Performance by Atul Gawande
288
Flying by the Seat of Their Pants by
Walter B. Hawkins
Autobiography of a Face by Lucy
Grealy
American Vertigo by Bernard Henri
Levy
208
Teacher Man by Frank McCourt
320
The Mozart Effect by Don Campbell
352
Love Me, Hate Me: Barry Bonds
and the Making of the Antihero by
Jeff Pearlman
The Audacity of Hope by Barack
Obama
384
The Boys of Winter by Wayne
Coffey
288
The 51% Minority: How Women Are
Still Not Equal and What You Can
Do About It by Lis Wiehl
288
Best Friend: The Pleasures and
Perils of Women’s Friendships by
Terri Apter & Ruthellen Josselson
320
This New York Times columnist had a soft spot for the
elder Bush, but she criticizes George W.’s dangerous
ideas and hasty war with disastrous consequences.
The late Lewis, Oxford professor, scholar, author, and
Christian supporter, presents the listener with a case for
orthodox Christianity.
Dr. Atul Gawande succeeds in putting a human face on
controversial topics like malpractice and global
disparities in medical care, while taking an unflinching
look at his own failings as a doctor.
The story of the life of Walter B. Hawkins, born in
1897, who became one of the county’s first aviators.
Struggling with cancer, Grealy must undergo a series of
surgeries which leave her disfigured for life.
Levy travels from coast to coast. He interviews wealthy
stars and politicians – and he contrasts them with people
living in urban ghettoes and prisons.
As McCourt matured in his teaching job, he found
ingenious ways to motivate New York’s urban, black,
female youth.
Dramatic accounts explain how music is used to cure
everything from anxiety to cancer, high blood pressure,
chronic pain, dyslexia, and even mental illness.
While the reader is always reminded of Bonds' supreme
talent, Pearlman delivers a critical portrayal of the
baseball superstar.
Obama’s compelling and moving memoir focuses on
personal issues of race, identity, and community in
America.
Coffey recounts the story of the 1980 Olympic goldmedal winning hockey team when the Americans beat
the Soviets.
Lis Wiehl, one of the country’s top federal prosecutors,
reveals the legal and social inequalities women must
face in their daily lives–and provides a “Tool Box” for
dealing with a variety of issues.
Both the joy and the pain of friendship between
adolescent girls and women are scrutinized.
236
320
384
Junior English
I-SEARCH Independent reading list
The Rise of a Star: LeBron James
by David Lee Morgan, Jr.
208
Educating Esme by Esme Raji
Codell
216
Hole in My Life by Jack Gantos
267
Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of 293
the Mount Everest Disaster by Jack
Krakauer
The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier’s 400
Education by Craig Mullaney
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
224
and Jeffery Zaslow
Scratch Beginnings by Adam
Shepard
240
Catch Me If You Can: The Amazing
True Story of the Most
Extraordinary Liar in the History of
Fun and Profit by Frank Abagnale
My Thirteenth Winter: A Memoir by
Samantha Abeel
219
The Year We Disappeared: A
Father- Daughter Memoir by Cylin
Busby
352
When Rabbit Howls by Trudi Chase
370
A Heartbreaking Word of
Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
437
Sickened: The Memoir of a
Munchausen by Proxy Childhood by
Julie Gregory
244
Hawk: Occupation Skateboarder by
Tony Hawk
320
208
This is the rags-to-riches story of the LeBron James,
who went from an impoverished high school student to
the new Michael Jordan.
Codell keeps a diary of her first year of teaching,
exploring the racism, injustice, hardships and victories
experienced by a first year teacher.
A writer looking for cash for college tuition gets caught
up with big-time drug smugglers.
Krakauer had a front row seat for the death and
destruction that hit a crew whose goal was to get to the
top of Mount Everest in 1996.
A young soldier tries to come to terms with his
experiences in Afghanistan and coming of age.
Recently diagnosed with terminal cancer, this professor
doesn’t have to pretend this lecture might be his last.
However, he uses the time he has left to inspire his
students to explore their childhood dreams.
Disillusioned by American society, Shepard abandons
all material possessions in an attempt to see if he could
make something out of nothing, but times are hard right
from the start.
Former conman Frank Abagnale, an authority on
financial foul play, tells stories of the adventures he had
while living the high life as a criminal.
The author discusses her life before and after being
diagnosed with the math-related learning disability
dyscalculia in seventh grade.
A father and daughter share the memories of the
challenges their family faced after being forced to go
into hiding in order to protect themselves from a killer
who already killed a police officer and was waiting to
finish the job.
An account of the life of Trudi Chase, a woman who
developed multiple personalities as a result of childhood
abuse and incest.
A memoir of a college senior who, in the span of five
weeks, loses both of his parents to cancer and inherits
his eight-year-old brother.
The author describes her life as the daughter of a woman
afflicted with Munchausen by Proxy, a form of child
abuse in which a parent invents of induces illnesses in a
child in order to get attention.
Internationally known American skateboarding champ
Tony Hawk chronicles his life and his eventful
involvement in the sport.
Junior English
I-SEARCH Independent reading list
Becoming Anna: The Autobiography
of a Sixteen-Year-Old by Anna
Michener
264
Not Like Other Boys: Growing Up
Gay: A Mother and Son Look Back
by Marlene Fanta Shyer
Life on the Color Line: The True
Story of a White Boy Who
Discovered He Was Black by
Gregory Howard Williams.
Autobiography of Malcolm X by
Malcolm X
259
285
496
With their Eyes: The View from a
High School at Ground Zero by
Annie Thomas
The author tells the story of her childhood of extreme
physical and mental abuse at the hands of her parents
and grandmother, forced to live in the garage before
being committed to a mental institution.
Mother and son discuss the hardships of having a family
member who is struggling to survive in a world that is
not yet accepting of the LGBT community.
Gregory always thought his father’s dark skin was due
to his Italian decent. However, when hard financial and
family times force his father to take his sons back home,
the truth surfaces about Gregory’s father.
After his father died and his mother was committed to a
mental hospital, Malcolm X became a controversial
figure as an advocate for African American rights who
was often accused of preaching violence. After some
reflection, it was his transition to a Muslim that changed
his world view.
September 11, 2001 started as a normal day for the
students of Stuyvesant High School, four blocks away
from the Twin Towers in New York City. Read
firsthand accounts from the students about living in the
shadow of the World Trade Center attack.
Greitens, a Navy Seal who has taught art to street
children in Bolivia and has helped rehabilitate veterans,
offers each of us a new way of thinking about living a
meaningful life. We learn that to win any war, even
those we wage against ourselves; to create and obtain
lasting peace; to save a life; and even, simply to live
with purpose requires us—every one of us—to be both
good and strong.
The Heart and the Fist: The
Education of a Humanitarian, the
Making of a Navy Seal by Eric
Greitens
320
The Bite of the Mango by Mariatu
Kamara
216
As a child in a small rural village in Sierra Leone, Mariatu
Kamara lived peacefully surrounded by family and friends.
Rumors of rebel attacks were no more than a distant worry.
But when 12-year-old Mariatu set out for a neighboring
village, she never arrived. Heavily armed rebel soldiers,
many no older than children themselves, attacked and
tortured Mariatu. During this brutal act of senseless violence
they cut off both her hands.
Nickel and Dimed by Barbara
Ehrenreich
256
Millions of Americans work full time, year round, for poverty-level
wages. In 1998, Barbara Ehrenreich decided to join them. She was
inspired in part by the rhetoric surrounding welfare reform, which
promised that a job -- any job -- can be the ticket to a better life.
But how does anyone survive, let alone prosper, on $6 an hour? To
find out, Ehrenreich left her home, took the cheapest lodgings she
could find, and accepted whatever jobs she was offered.