KMETZ’S ENG 2—P-AP OUTSIDE READING BOOK (ORB) PROGRAM:
APPROVED BOOK LIST & OTHER INFORMATION
You will read five books total outside of class during this year: The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, The Great
Gatsby, and three books from the approved reading list. Your completion and comprehension of the shared reading,
Julius Caesar and Gatsby, will be assessed through quizzes, tests, writing assignments, and class discussion, and
your completion and comprehension of the books you choose from the outside reading list will be assessed through
a writing assignment due at the beginning of the six weeks in which the grade counts. For example, you will begin
reading an ORB now, and the assignment will be due at the beginning second six weeks.
1. You must read three different books from the reading list during the year. I will keep track of each book
that you read. If you use the same book for two assignments, you will earn no credit for the second
one, and you will not be allowed to redo the assignment.
2. The ORB assignment will always count as a test grade.
3. Although the majority of the reading will take place outside of class, occasionally, you will be given class
time to read your ORB in class. On such days bringing your book to class and using your reading time
productively will count as a daily grade. It’s a great idea to carry your ORB with you at all times so you can
use “down time,” such as when your peers are finishing a quiz or test, to read!
4. Sometimes the specific written assignment will be announced in advance of the due date because you must
complete and type it outside of class, and sometimes you will receive specific instructions and class time to
complete the assignment on the day it is due (see due dates below).
5. The assignment will require you to apply skills we are learning during a particular unit to your particular book
and thus will be different each time.
6. Reading widely will help you do well on the AP tests because the writing prompts don’t require you to write
about any particular book. The ORB approved reading list is designed to help you develop the depth and
breadth of your reading so you can do well on the AP essays (of course, this is secondary to making you a
better, more well-read, well-educated person! ).
7. The books on the approved list were chosen on the basis of their literary merit, cultural diversity, and
potential applicability to AP writing prompts, which means they were written for mature readers who have
well-developed reading skills. Because you are not yet adults, the language or subject matter might be
objectionable to you and/or your parent. Please choose wisely, and discuss your reading choices with your
parent.
PLEASE NOTE: DUE TO THE NATURE OF THE FIRST ASSIGNMENT,
YOU MUST READ A FICTION BOOK.
Not sure what to read? Please ask me for recommendations!
I will take your interests and educational goals into account when doing so.
Don’t forget that you can also find short summaries of the books on amazon.com.
ORB DUE DATES—These are the dates by which you must be finished reading your book for the applicable six
weeks. Be sure you bring your book to class with you. A written assignment will be assigned (and in some cases,
completed in class and due on the date given) on the due date noted:
During the 1st six weeks read a FICTION book from approved list; finish reading by _______________________________________
During the 2nd six weeks EVERYONE will read The Tragedy of Julius Caesar; specific due dates for specific acts announced in class
During the 3rd six weeks read a book from approved list; finish reading by ________________________________________ ______
During the 4th six weeks EVERYONE reads The Great Gatsby; specific due dates for quizzes over specific chapters announced in
class
During the 5th six weeks read a book from approved list; finish reading by _______________________________________________
*REMEMBER, the grade for the “reading list” (books you choose from the list) ORB assignment is always due near the
beginning of a particular six weeks so that I have time to grade them. I cannot possibly read and fairly evaluate 300+
pages of student work in the hour I have daily to grade papers!!
(The approved list is on a separate handout.)
LIST OF APPROVED ORB TITLES
If you need another copy, check my web site, or ask me for another copy!!
FICTION (For descriptions of these, please ask your teacher or search amazon.com): Remember, due to the nature of
the first ORB assignment, you MUST read a fiction book during the first six weeks!!:
These books can be sorted into one or more general thematic categories: classics, romance, war, “coming-of-age” (i.e.
issues related to growing into adulthood), religion/spirituality, mental disabilities/differences, books set primarily or
entirely outside the U.S., contemporary (published within the last 25 years), and science fiction. Books that fit equally
well into more than one category are listed in each applicable category.
CLASSICS:
BOOKS SET PRIMARILY OR ENTIRELY OUTSIDE THE U.S.:
The Chosen, Chaim Potok
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
The Red Badge of Courage, Stephen Crane
All Quiet on the Western Front, Eric Maria Remarque
Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte
Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte
A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway
The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway
Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison
Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
Siddhartha, Hermann Hesse
Lord of the Flies, William Golding
All Quiet on the Western Front, Eric Maria Remarque (WWI French/German front)
Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte (England)
Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte (England)
A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway (Italy)
The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway (France)
Siddhartha, Hermann Hesse (India)
The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien (Vietnam)
The Inheritance of Loss, Kiran Desai (India)
The Book Thief, Markus Zusak (Nazi Germany)
The God of Small Things, Arundhati Roy (India)
Cry, the Beloved Country, Alan Paton (South Africa)
The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver (the Congo)
The Good Earth, Pearl Buck (rural China)
A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hossseini (Afghanistan)
COMING-OF-AGE/SEARCH FOR IDENTITY:
The Member of the Wedding, Carson McCullers
Animal Dreams, Barbara Kingsolver
The Chosen, Chaim Potok
My Name is Asher Lev, Chaim Potok
How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, Julia Alvarez
Franny and Zooey, J.D. Salinger
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison
Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
Siddhartha, Hermann Hesse
The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison
Like Water for Chocolate, Laura Esquivel
RELIGION/SPIRITUALITY:
The Chosen, Chaim Potok (Judaism)
My Name is Asher Lev, Chaim Potok (Judaism)
Siddhartha, Hermann Hesse (Buddhism)
Franny and Zooey, J.D. Salinger (general spirituality)
SCIENCE FICTION:
Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
WAR:
The Red Badge of Courage, Stephen Crane (Civil War)
All Quiet on the Western Front, Eric Maria Remarque (WWI)
A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway (WWI)
The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien (Vietnam War)
CONTEMPORARY (published within the last 25 years):
A Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon (2003)
The Life of Pi, Yann Martel (2002)
The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien (1990)
The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver (1999)
Animal Dreams, Barbara Kingsolver (1997)
Pigs in Heaven, Barbara Kingsolver (1993; sequel to The Bean Trees)
The Inheritance of Loss, Kiran Desai (2006)
The Book Thief, Markus Zusak (2006)
The God of Small Things, Arundhati Roy (1997)
The Tortilla Curtain, T.C. Boyle (1995)
Like Water for Chocolate, Laura Esquivel (1992)
How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, Julia Alvarez (1992)
A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hossseini (2007)
MENTAL ILLNESS/DIFFERENCES:
The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath (Plath’s semi-autobiographical account of her
depression and suicide attempt)
A Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon (teenage
narrator is autistic)
ROMANCE:
Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte
Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte
A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway
The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway
Like Water for Chocolate, Laura Esquivel
NONFICTION
BOOKS ARE
LISTED ON
THE BACK!!
NONFICTION
Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America, Erik Larson (account of H.H.
Holmes, a serial murderer active during the 1893 World’s Fair held in Chicago)
What is the What, Dave Eggers (account of a “Lost Boy” forced to flee his village in the Sudan)
Home Before Morning, Lynda Van Devanter (Vietnam War from the perspective of a combat nurse; highly recommended
if you are interested in the Vietnam War and/or nursing)
And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic, Randy Shilts (a detailed narrative of the first five years
of the AIDS pandemic; warning—sensitive subject matter that is biased and highly critical of the American political and
medical response to the emergence of AIDS but highly recommended if you are interested in medicine or politics)
Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America, Barbara Ehrenreich (a journalist examines how those who work
minimum-wage jobs are able to “make ends meet”—or not able to, as she finds out—by taking several jobs with low
hourly pay)
The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls (memoir of a woman’s difficult childhood growing up with a brilliant but alcoholic
father and artistic yet depressed mother; essentially, Ms. Walls and her siblings raised themselves, yet all managed to
escape the hardships of their childhoods)
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: And Other Clinical Tales, Dr. Oliver Sacks (Dr. Sacks, a neurologist [doctor who
treats disorders of the brain], describes case histories of some of his patients; although scholarly at times, highly
recommended if you are interested in medicine or psychology)
Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain, Dr. Oliver Sacks (Dr. Sacks examines the effects of music on the
human brain by describing case histories of actual patients; HIGHLY recommended for those who love
music and science and/or psychology!!)
The Hot Zone: A Terrifying True Story, Richard Preston (an account of how a highly contagious, dangerous, deadly virus—
a strain of the Ebola virus—came to Reston, Virginia; clearly details how technology is changing the world, potentially
enabling frightening viruses to spread around the world with unimaginable speed; warning—graphic in its descriptions
of the effects of the virus)
The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century, Thomas L. Friedman (an examination of how the world is
changing as a result of rapid advances in technology, particularly communication; those who enjoy geography and/or
technology would love this book!)
Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser (an in-depth examination of the invention and rise of the American fast food Industry
and its effects on health, economics, agriculture, other industries, and the rest of the world; might prevent you from
eating fast food for a very, very long time…)
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Dave Eggers (the memoir of a man who became guardian to his younger
brother after their parents died)
A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future, Daniel Pink (the author argues that those who have
traditional “right brain” strengths such as creativity, artistic ability, and relationship finesse will be the most successful
professionals in the 21st century)