Fair Lawn High School English Department
2013 Summer Reading Assignment
The English Department is excited to announce a revised Summer Reading Initiative for all students entering
Fair Lawn High School next year based upon feedback from students, teachers, and parents.
Assignment: Students must read at least two books this summer:
Book #1:
For one of the book selections, please choose and read one of the assigned texts from the provided lists. Be
sure that the book selected from the appropriate grade level. The books were chosen based on department
research and collaboration. All of the titles listed are nonfiction and multiple copies are available from the
Fair Lawn High School and Maurice M. Pine Libraries. They can also be purchased at various bookstores and
online. E-book versions are also available for the Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble’s Nook.
Book #2:
For the second book selection, please read a book-of-choice (grade appropriate). Students are welcome to
peruse the suggestions from the High School and Public Library on the Summer Reading web site or research
books online (try: http://www.education.com/topic/books-high-school/), but our hope is that students select
their book as a result of visiting the public library, school library, or local bookstore.
Assessment: There is a different assessment for each book.
Book #1 Assessment:
Within the first week of the new school year, students will be assessed on their understanding of the text via a
multiple choice test, to be administered by their English teacher. The questions included on this assessment
will require a demonstration of knowledge, comprehension and synthesis of the material, as well as an
application and analysis of the text content. It is recommended that students take notes as they read. During
the last week of summer vacation, students should review their notes and write down any questions regarding
the summer reading text content. These questions will be addressed by the English teacher in the first days of
class.
Book #2 Assessment:
Write a draft of a book review for the student book-of-choice. Students will have the opportunity to revise
their book review within the first week of class after some instruction from the English teacher. The following
web link displays a rubric that will be used as a guide to score the assessment:
http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson976/rubric.pdf. Select book lists may be
published on the high school library’s web page and/or submitted for publication at:
http://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/.
Both assessments will be graded and will account for 20% of students’ Marking Period 5 grade. (As has been
the case, the remainder of a student’s Marking Period 5 grade will consist of a performance assessment,
midterm exam, and final exam.) By affording students more choice in their book selections and keeping the
assignment short and meaningful, we hope that students find their reading pleasurable while staying
connected with reading processes and behaviors. We hope this initiative will broaden students’ love of
literature and increase their interest in the art of reading. Please contact me if you have any questions or
concerns.
In partnership,
Fair Lawn High School English Department
2013 Summer Reading Assignment
Gary Pankiewicz, K-12 Language Arts Supervisor, gpankiewicz@fairlawnschools.org
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Students entering 9 Grade:
Half a Life: A Memoir, by Darin Strauss
In this powerful, unforgettable memoir, acclaimed novelist Darin Strauss examines the far-reaching
consequences of the tragic moment that has shadowed his whole life. In his last month of high school, he was
behind the wheel of his dad's Oldsmobile, driving with friends, heading off to play mini-golf. Then, a classmate
swerved in front of his car. The collision resulted in her death. With piercing insight and stark prose, Darin
Strauss leads us on a deeply personal, immediate, and emotional journey—graduating high school, going away
to college, starting his writing career, falling in love with his future wife, becoming a father. Along the way, he
takes a hard look at loss and guilt, maturity and accountability, hope and, at last, acceptance. The result is a
staggering, uplifting tour de force (Random House).
Wait Till Next Year: A Memoir, by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Set in the suburbs of New York in the 1950s, Wait Till Next Year is Doris Kearns Goodwin's touching memoir of
growing up in love with her family and baseball. She re-creates the postwar era, when the corner store was a
place to share stories and neighborhoods were equally divided between Dodger, Giant, and Yankee fans. We
meet the people who most influenced Goodwin's early life: her mother, who taught her the joy of books but
whose debilitating illness left her housebound: and her father, who taught her the joy of baseball and to root
for the Dodgers: Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, Pee Wee Reese, Duke Snider, and Gil Hodges. Most
importantly, Goodwin describes with eloquence how the Dodgers' leaving Brooklyn in 1957, and the death of
her mother soon after, marked both the end of an era and, for her, the end of childhood (Simon & Schuster).
Students entering 10th Grade:
The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates, by Wes Moore
Two kids named Wes Moore were born blocks apart within a year of each other. Both grew up fatherless in
similar Baltimore neighborhoods and had difficult childhoods; both hung out on street corners with their
crews; both ran into trouble with the police. How, then, did one grow up to be a Rhodes Scholar, decorated
veteran, White House Fellow, and business leader, while the other ended up a convicted murderer serving a
life sentence? Wes Moore, the author of this fascinating book, sets out to answer this profound question. In
alternating narratives that take readers from heart-wrenching losses to moments of surprising redemption,
The Other Wes Moore tells the story of a generation of boys trying to find their way in a hostile world (Spiegel
& Grau).
How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming, by Mike Brown
The solar system most of us grew up with included nine planets, with Mercury closest to the sun and Pluto at
the outer edge. Then, in 2005, astronomer Mike Brown made the discovery of a lifetime: a tenth planet, Eris,
slightly bigger than Pluto. But instead of adding one more planet to our solar system, Brown’s find ignited a
firestorm of controversy that culminated in the demotion of Pluto from real planet to the newly coined
category of “dwarf” planet. Suddenly Brown was receiving hate mail from schoolchildren and being
bombarded by TV reporters- all because of the discovery he had spent years searching for and a lifetime
dreaming about. A heartfelt and personal journey filled with both humor and drama, How I Killed Pluto and
Why It Had It Coming is the book for anyone, young or old, who has ever imagined exploring the universe—
and who among us hasn’t? (Spiegel & Grau).
Fair Lawn High School English Department
2013 Summer Reading Assignment
Students entering 11th Grade:
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, by Amy Chua
An awe-inspiring, often hilarious, and unerringly honest story of one mother's exercise in extreme parenting, revealing
the rewards-and the costs-of raising her children the Chinese way…Western parents try to respect their children's
individuality, encouraging them to pursue their true passions and providing a nurturing environment. The Chinese
believe that the best way to protect your children is by preparing them for the future and arming them with skills, strong
work habits, and inner confidence. Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother chronicles Chua's iron-willed decision to raise her
daughters, Sophia and Lulu, her way - the Chinese way - and the remarkable results her choice inspires…Battle Hymn of
the Tiger Mother is an eye-opening exploration of the differences in Eastern and Western parenting - and the lessons
parents and children everywhere teach one another (Penguin Group).
The Winter of Our Disconnect: How Three Totally Wired Teenagers (and a Mother Who Slept with Her iPhone) Pulled the
Plug on Their Technology and Lived to Tell the Tale, by Susan Maushart
When Susan Maushart first announced her intention to pull the plug on her family's entire armory of electronic
weaponry for six months-from the itsy-bitsiest iPod Shuffle to her son's seriously souped-up gaming PC-her three kids
didn't blink an eye. Says Maushart: "Looking back, I can understand why. They didn't hear me." The Winter of Our
Disconnect challenges readers to examine the toll that technology is taking on their own family connections, and to
create a media ecology that instead encourages kids-and parents-to thrive. Indeed, as a self-confessed single mom who
"slept with her iPhone," Maushart knew her family's exile from Cyburbia wasn't going to be any easier for her than for
her three teenagers, ages fourteen, fifteen, and eighteen. Yet they all soon discovered that the rewards of becoming
"unplugged" were more rich and varied than any cyber reality could ever be (Penguin).
Students entering AP English 11:
Please complete this assignment instead of the assignment listed above in preparation for English 11 AP Language and
Composition.
Please become familiar with the rhetorical strategies listed below. This list is a portion of what you will be learning this
year as you prepare for the AP exam. As you complete the two summer reading assignments, look for evidence of these
strategies in your readings.
1. Parallelism: repeated similarities in the way something is written. A famous example from Martin Luther King Jr.: "I
have a dream that one day the sons of slaves… I have a dream that my four little children one day will…I have a dream
that one day, down in Alabama…"
2. Colloquial language: informal conversational style pertinent to a specific time period.
3. Pathos: an attempt by the author to make us feel compassion, pity or just plain heart-wrenching love for a character.
4. Irony: Of all the possible outcomes, this is the one you'd least expect given the circumstances.
5. Metaphor: comparing two totally unlike things in order to point out some common characteristic. Ex: She lights up my
life. He's a firecracker!
6. Personification: giving human qualities to something not human. Ex: That cake is begging me to eat it.
7. Tone: the mood of a piece of writing. Ex: Catcher in the Rye is written with a cocky, rebellious tone whereas
Huckleberry Finn has a humorous tone.
8. Diction: choice of words to convey a specific meaning. Ex: look at the difference between she cried, she whimpered,
she wailed.
9. Humor: You know this word.
10. Satire: a kind of humor, but it makes fun of something. Jon Stewart on the Daily Show makes fun of real news shows.
Fair Lawn High School English Department
2013 Summer Reading Assignment
English 11 AP Language and Composition (continued)
#1 Read On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
King states in his introduction, “Nobody ever asks about the language. They ask the DeLillos and the Updikes and the
Styrons, but they don’t ask popular novelists. Yet many of us proles also care about the language in our humble way, and
care passionately about the art and craft of telling stories on paper. What follows is an attempt to put down, briefly and
simply, how I came to the craft, what I know about it now, and how it’s done. It’s about the day job; it’s about the
language.” On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft provides its readers with both a look at King’s life--his experiences that
have influenced his work--and a set of useful “tools” for anyone who aspires to be a writer.
Read the text in its entirety. As you read, compile notes that you feel will prove useful in our class discussions on the
text, as we will use it as a basis for other reading and writing endeavors. Your notes may include rhetorical strategies
King uses throughout his text, key passages that you feel are enlightening or thought provoking in some way, or excerpts
that may be helpful for you as a writer. Your notes may be taken using a separate log book, highlighting and annotating
within in the text, or using post-it notes that can be placed in the text as you read.
You will be given an objective test on King’s memoir on the second day of school. Also, be prepared to contribute to an
in-depth discussion on his work when we return. You may use your notes for our class discussion; however, you will not
be permitted to use them during the objective test. Keep in mind, the more thorough your notes, the more familiar and
comfortable with the text you will be.
#2 Independent Reading: Book of Your Choosing
When discussing any written work, we often ask ourselves, “Did the writer really mean to do that?” One focus of this
course will be to assume that every writer makes deliberate choices when crafting a story, whether it be fact or fiction.
Using our list of rhetorical devices, we will attempt to explore what some of those premeditated choices were.
For your second assignment, select a nonfiction book of your choosing to read independently. As you read, consider the
author’s intent in writing this work as well as how he or she achieves that goal. Consider the rhetorical strategies listed
above. As you become familiar with these strategies, determine which ones may be most fitting for the work you have
selected. It is strongly suggested that you take notes as you read--using any of the possible methods listed above--on
which strategies are implemented throughout the text and how those strategies affect the author’s tone and overall
message.
Your familiarity with your chosen work and the author’s use of rhetorical strategies will be the basis for your first formal
writing assignment.
Fair Lawn High School English Department
2013 Summer Reading Assignment
Students entering 12th Grade:
Outliers: The Story of Success, by Malcolm Gladwell
Malcolm Gladwell poses a provocative question in Outliers: why do some people succeed, living remarkably productive
and impactful lives, while so many more never reach their potential?...Examining the lives of outliers from Mozart to Bill
Gates, he builds a convincing case for how successful people rise on a tide of advantages, "some deserved, some not,
some earned, some just plain lucky."
Outliers can be enjoyed for its bits of trivia…But there's more to it than that. Throughout all of [his] examples…Gladwell
invites conversations about the complex ways privilege manifests in our culture. He leaves us pondering the gifts of our
own history, and how the world could benefit if more of our kids were granted the opportunities to fulfill their
remarkable potential (Amazon).
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, by Laura Hillenbrand
On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a
spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood. Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared. It was that of a young
lieutenant, the plane’s bombardier, who was struggling to a life raft and pulling himself aboard. So began one of the
most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War. The lieutenant’s name was Louis Zamperini…Ahead of him lay
thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a
trial even greater. Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with
hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion. His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the
fraying wire of his will. Telling an unforgettable story of a man’s journey into extremity, Unbroken is a testament to the
resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit (Random House).
Students entering AP English 12:
Please complete this assignment instead of the assignment listed above in preparation for English 12 AP Literature and
Composition.
Fiction
Please consider purchasing the following books. If you decide not to purchase these books, please take notes related to
the assignment below and be prepared to discuss them upon your return to school in September. Free copies may
downloaded or viewed online at: www.gutenberg.org.
 The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
 The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Poetry
These poems can be found online and printed. Please bring a copy of each to class upon your return to school in
September. Annotate, noting the Gothic elements.
 “La Belle Dame Sans Merci” by John Keats
 “Porphyria’s Lover” by Robert Browning
Assignment:
Please read The Turn of the Screw, The Picture of Dorian Gray, “La Belle Dame Sans Merci” and “Porphyria’s Lover.”
Note the elements of Gothic literature in all of the works. Consult the website below for an extensive list of elements.
Again, if you decide to purchase the books, annotate and mark the points in the book that can be attributed to Gothic
literature. If you do not purchase the books, take careful notes while you read. The poems can be printed and should
be annotated. You will work on an in-class essay to demonstrate your knowledge of Gothicism and how these works are
prime examples of this genre. We will continue our study of Gothic Literature with the reading of Jane Eyre by Charlotte
Bronte and some stories by Shirley Jackson (she wrote “The Lottery”).
Fair Lawn High School English Department
2013 Summer Reading Assignment
Elements of Gothic Literature Website: http://www.saylor.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/engl403-1.3.1-AGlossary-of-Literary-Gothic-Terms.pdf
While there is no recommended or required reading list for the AP English Literature and Composition course,
the following authors are provided simply to suggest the range and quality of reading expected in the course.
If you would like to read more books or poetry over the summer, consider any works by these
representative authors! See Ms. Slender for recommendations!
Poetry
W. H. Auden; Elizabeth Bishop; William Blake; Anne Bradstreet; Edward Kamau Brathwaite; Gwendolyn Brooks; Robert
Browning; George Gordon, Lord Byron; Lorna Dee Cervantes; Geoffrey Chaucer; Lucille Clifton; Samuel Taylor Coleridge;
Billy Collins; H. D. (Hilda Doolittle); Emily Dickinson; John Donne; Rita Dove; Paul Laurence Dunbar; T. S. Eliot; Robert
Frost; Joy Harjo; Seamus Heaney; George Herbert; Garrett Hongo; Gerard Manley Hopkins; Langston Hughes; Ben
Jonson; John Keats; Philip Larkin; Robert Lowell; Andrew Marvell; John Milton; Marianne Moore; Sylvia Plath; Edgar
Allan Poe; Alexander Pope; Adrienne Rich; Anne Sexton; William Shakespeare; Percy Bysshe Shelley; Leslie Marmon
Silko; Cathy Song; Wallace Stevens; Alfred, Lord Tennyson; Derek Walcott; Walt Whitman; Richard Wilbur; William
Carlos Williams; William Wordsworth; William Butler Yeats
Fiction (Novel and Short Story)
Chinua Achebe; Sherman Alexie; Isabel Allende; Rudolfo Anaya; Margaret Atwood; Jane Austen; James Baldwin; Saul
Bellow; Charlotte Brontë; Emily Brontë; Raymond Carver; Willa Cather; John Cheever; Kate Chopin; Sandra Cisneros;
Joseph Conrad; Edwidge Danticat; Daniel Defoe; Anita Desai; Charles Dickens; Fyodor Dostoevsky; George Eliot; Ralph
Ellison; Louise Erdrich; William Faulkner; Henry Fielding; F. Scott Fitzgerald; E. M. Forster; Thomas Hardy; Nathaniel
Hawthorne; Ernest Hemingway; Zora Neale Hurston; Kazuo Ishiguro; Henry James; Ha Jin; Edward P. Jones; James Joyce;
Maxine Hong Kingston; Joy Kogawa; Jhumpa Lahiri; Margaret Laurence; D. H. Lawrence; Chang-rae Lee; Bernard
Malamud; Gabriel García Márquez; Cormac McCarthy; Ian McEwan; Herman Melville; Toni Morrison; Bharati Mukherjee;
Vladimir Nabokov; Flannery O’Connor; Orhan Pamuk; Katherine Anne Porter; Marilynne Robinson; Jonathan Swift; Mark
Twain; John Updike; Alice Walker; Evelyn Waugh; Eudora Welty; Edith Wharton; John Edgar Wideman; Virginia Woolf;
Richard Wright