Honors Book Selections
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
Raisin in the Sun by Loraine Hansberry
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
Absalom, Absalom by William Faulkner
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
Pudd’nhead Wilson by Mark Twain
The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
The Things they Carried by Tim O’Brien
Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger*
The Piano Lesson by August Wilson
Old Man and the Sea by Earnest Hemingway
Slaughter-house Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston
A Farewell to Arms by Earnest Hemingway
Savage Inequalities by Johnathon Kozol
Tooth and Nail by Charles Harrington Elster and Joseph Elliot
Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
For Whom the Bell Tells by Earnest Hemingway
Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
The Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Ann Jacobs
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey*
Freakanomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
The Human Stain by Phillip Roth*
Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
Moneyball by Michael Lewis
Go, Dr. Buzzard, and the Bolito Man by Cornelia Bailey
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison*
The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Gone with the Wind by Margret Mitchell
White Noise by Don Delillo*
Falling Man by Don Delillo*
*These titles require parental permission
English III Independent Novel Study Assignment #1
DUE MARCH 11th
*TEST GRADE*
For this assignment you will read a significant work of American literature on your own and make a
presentation to the class about that book. You will also submit journals/written reflections about that book to
your teacher. No more than 2 students per class period may sign up for a given book from the list provided.
Sign up is first come, first served. Bring your book with you to class every day, so that you can read if you
finish an assignment/test/quiz early.
PresentationYou will give 15 minute persuasive presentation in which you convince your classmates to read your book.
Your presentation can be a PowerPoint/Prezi, an oral presentation with handouts, or a poster presentation. In
order to convince your classmates, you must include the following in your presentation:
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An “attention-getter” – Grab your audience’s attention, but do so in a way that demonstrates your
understanding of the novel. Be creative.
A general overview or summary of the plot. Include the point of view, setting, major characters, and
important events. Summarize the chapters for non-fiction selections.
A theme from the book, and one discussion question to ask the class that relates to a theme or
event in the book. Keep in mind that the class has not read the book. An example of a good discussion
question for The Crucible would be “Is lying ever justifiable, or should the truth be told at all costs?”
This question cannot serve double duty as your attention-getter.
Something interesting that you discovered about your book through research. Include a works cited
entry.
Explain your personal reaction to the book. What did you like most about the book? Did you laugh,
cry, or scream while reading? Were you surprised by something? Did the book change your opinion
about something? Show that you have though deeply about the book, and that you have reflected upon
the book.
Describe the author’s tone and writing style. Analyze the author’s word choice, use of figurative
language, rhetoric, vocabulary, and sentence structure. What is unique about this author’s narrative
voice?
Criteria:
Comments:
Points:
Reading comprehension
___________________/ 35
Critical thinking/ analysis
___________________/ 25
Presentation skills
___________________/ 25
Grammar/mechanics/conventions
___________________/ 15