NAIRANA STUDY CENTER
HIGH SCHOOL READING LIST
Page 1 of 10
PRIMARY LIST
BIOGRAPHY
Author
Barlow
Cameron, Ian
Flexner, James
Thomas
Title
Thomas Becket
Magellan
Washington: The
Indispensable Man
Description
Biography of the man who went from being the handsome,
worldly courtier to the zealous prelate, exile, and saintmartyr. A very interesting figure.
Excellent biography of the great explorer.
Best one-volume biography of George Washington.
Frank, Anne
Diary of a Young Girl, The
Manchester, William
American Caesar
Massie, R.K.
Peter the Great
Book based on the diary of a young Dutch Jewish girl as she
was in hiding for 2 years during the Nazi occupation of the
Netherlands.
Great narrative of Gen. Douglas MacArthur; interesting
perspective on World War II and the Korean Conflict.
Story of the amazing ruler who transformed Russia with his
rule in the 17th and 18th centuries.
John Adams
Gripping biography of John Adam, from his roots in
Quincy, through his legal career and many years of service
to the founding of the United States.
McCullough, David
Morris, Edmund
Admiral of The Ocean Sea
Rise of Theodore Roosevelt,
The
Oates, Stephen B.
Smith, Gene
Treese, Patricia
Waugh, Evelyn
With Malice Toward None
Lee and Grant
Man for Others, A
Edmund Campion
Best biography of Christopher Columbus. Morrison is an
expert mariner as well as historian, so he conveys greater
appreciation for Columbus’s achievement.
An excellent account of Roosevelt’s rise to the Presidency,
winner of the Pulitzer Prize.
Superb biography of Abraham Lincoln, probably the best in
one volume.
Dual biography of Robert E. Lee and U.S. Grant.
Outstanding biography of St. Maximilian Kolbe.
Biography of martyr Edmund Campion in England.
Come Rack, Come Rope
Lord of the World
Historical novel about Catholic martyrs in Elizabethan
England, written by an English Catholic convert from
Anglicanism.
Insightful and interesting apocalyptic novel.
Man for all Seasons, A
Historical play about Thomas More's struggle to preserve
law and truth against the tyranny of Henry VIII in making
himself head of the Church in England, ending with the
heroic martyrdom of More.
Morison, Samuel
Eliot
FICTION
Benson, Robert Hugh
Benson, Robert Hugh
Bolt, Robert
NAIRANA STUDY CENTER
HIGH SCHOOL READING LIST
Page 2 of 10
Cather, Willa
Black Hawk Down
Death Comes for the
Archbishop
Cather, Willa
My Antonia
Novel dealing with British soldiers in a Japanese POW
camp during World War 2 and the ways they resist their
capturers.
Novel about the bloody fight of American troops against
Somoli warlords.
Beautifully written fictional account of Bishop Lamy of
Santa Fe in the 19th century.
The final book of the prarie trilogy, about immigrant
families moving to start new lives in Nebraska.
And Then There Were None
Detective fiction novel about 10 people, previously
complicit in the deaths of others but having escaped notice
and/or punishment, and who are tricked onto an island and
each mysteriously murdered one by one.
Boulle, Pierre
Bowden
Christie, Agatha
Christie, Agatha
Cooper, James
Fenimore
Crane, Stephen
Dante
Defoe, Daniel
Dickens, Charles
Doyle, Sir Aurthur
Conan
Greene, Graham
Bridge Over the River Kwai,
The
Last of the Mohicans, The
Red Badge of Courage, The
Detective fiction novel about a detective's attempts to solve
a murder that occurs on the train he's riding through the
Middle-East back to Europe.
Historical adventure novel about the relationship between
American settlers and different warring Indian tribes.
Historical novel on the Civil War and one soldier's role in it.
Divine Comedy, The:
Inferno, Purgatorio,
Paradisio
One of the greatest works of literature in history, covering a
trek through purgatory, hell, and heaven. Beautiful poetry
infused with philosophical and theological thought.
Robinson Crusoe
Excellent story of a ship-wrecked Englishmen and his
struggle with basic survival, native savages, and the
meaning and reason behind his solitary existence.
Christmas Carol, A
Story of sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's ideological,
ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural
visitations of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmases
Past, Present, and Yet to Come.
Complete Sherlock Holmes,
The
Stories about the briliant detective Holmes, who is famous
for his intellectual prowess and is renowned for his skillful
use of astute observation, deductive reasoning and forensic
skills to solve difficult cases.
Power and the Glory, The
Story of a Roman Catholic priest in the state of Tabasco in
Mexico in the 1930s when the Mexican government strove
to surpess the Catholic Church.
Murder on the Orient
Express
Kipling, Rudyard
Kipling, Rudyard
Captains Courageous
Jungle Book, The
Lee, Harper
To Kill a Mockingbird
A spoilt son of a millionaire falls overboard from an ocean
liner and is rescued by Portuguese fisherman. As he then
must join the crew for the rest of their summer voyage, he
undergoes a deep transformation in that alien and tough
environment.
Collection of fable short stories.
Classic novel of a lawyer in the Deep South defending a
black man charged with the rape of a white girl.
NAIRANA STUDY CENTER
HIGH SCHOOL READING LIST
Lewis, C.S.
McLean, Alistair
McLean, Alistair
NA
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Chronicles of Narnia
Series of 7 classic fantasy novels for children, drawing upon
Christian principles, Greek and Roman mythology and
traditional British and Irish fairy tails. They present the
adventures of children in the unfolding history of the
fictional realm of Narnia, a place where animals talk, magic
is common, and good battles evil. In each book the children
help the Lion Aslan handle a crisis in the world of Narnia.
Guns of Navarrone, The
The story concerns the efforts of an Allied commando team
to destroy a seemingly impregnable German fortress that
threatens Allied naval ships in the Aegean Sea, and prevents
over 1,200 isolated British troops from being rescued. The
story is based on the real events surrounding the Battle of
Leros in World War II.
H.M.S. Ulysses
Novel about a British light cruiser's battle against German
U-boats as it attempts to escort a convoy of ships to
Murmansk.
Beowulf
Medieval epic poem about the hero Beowulf's quest to save
a people from a mythical monster. One of the major pieces
of Old English literature.
Remarque, Erich
Scarlet Pimpernel, The
All Quiet in the Western
Front
Ryan, Cornelius
Ryan, Cornelius
Bridge Too Far, A
Longest Day, The
Novel about an English aristocrat who pretends to be a weak
foppish figure but in reality saves French noblemen from the
French Revolution's guillotine.
The book about World War I, still as gripping and deeply
moving as when first published in the 1920’s.
Historical novel about the failed attempt to end the Second
World War by Christmas 1944.
Historical novel about D-Day, June 6, 1944.
Killer Angels, The
Historical fiction account of the Battle of Gettysburg. Won
the Pulitzer Prize, and called the best war narrative since
Stephen Crane’s Red Badge of Courage.
Comedy of Errors, A
A short and quite farcical comedy, it tells the story of two
sets of identical twins that were accidentally separated at
birth. Antipholus of Syracuse and his servant, Dromio of
Syracuse, arrive in Ephesus, which turns out to be the home
of their twin brothers, Antipholus of Ephesus and his
servant, Dromio of Ephesus. When the Syracusans
encounter the friends and families of their twins, a series of
wild mishaps based on mistaken identities lead to wrongful
beatings, a near-seduction, the arrest of Antipholus of
Ephesus, and accusations of infidelity, theft, madness, and
demonic possession.
Hamlet
The play, set in Denmark, recounts how Prince Hamlet
exacts revenge on his uncle Claudius, who has murdered
Hamlet's father, the King, and then taken the throne and
married Gertrude, Hamlet's mother. The play vividly charts
the course of real and feigned madness—from
overwhelming grief to seething rage—and explores themes
and various forms of moral corruption.
Orczy, Baroness
Shaara, Michael
Shakespeare,
William
Shakespeare,
William
NAIRANA STUDY CENTER
HIGH SCHOOL READING LIST
Shakespeare,
William
Shakespeare,
William
Shakespeare,
William
Solzhenitsyn,
Alexander
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Julius Caesar
It portrays the conspiracy against the Roman dictator of the
same name, his assassination and its aftermath. Although
the title of the play is Julius Caesar, Caesar is not the central
character in its action; he appears in only three scenes, and
is killed at the beginning of the third act. The protagonist of
the play is Marcus Brutus, and the central psychological
drama is his struggle between the conflicting demands of
honour, patriotism, and friendship.
King Lear
Tragedy of King Lear's failure to see which daughters and
subjects are good and bad. The evil subjects revolt, and
those loyal defend him. One of Shakespeare's greatest
works.
Macbeth
First Circle, The
Stevenson, Robert L
Black Arrow, The
Stevenson, Robert L
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Tragedy in which Macbeth and his wife overthrow and
murder King Duncan but later suffer retribution for their
evil deeds.
Great Russian novel about life in the Soviet Union; this
book won Solzhenitsyn the Nobel Prize.
An historical adventure novel and romance set during the
Wars of the Roses.
A novella about a dual personality much depicted in plays
and films.
Stevenson, Robert L
Kidnapped
Stevenson, Robert L
Treasure Island
Tolkien, JRR
Hobbit, The
A historical novel that tells of the boy David Balfour's
pursuit of his inheritance and his alliance with Alan Breck
in the intrigues of Jacobite troubles in Scotland.
Story of a boy and how he gets caught up in a race against
pirates to find a hidden treasure.
Novel about Bilbo Baggins and how he comes into
possession of the Ring of Power.
Lord of the Rings, The
Epic novel in the mythical world of Middle-Earth about the
war and quest to defeat the forces of evil who seek to
conquer all others.
Tolkien, JRR
Tolstoy, Leo
Anna Karenina
Twain, Mark
Tom Sawyer
Twenty Thousand Leagues
Under the Sea
Verne, Jules
Virgil
Aeneid
Greatest novel of Tolstoy, tells the story of 2 figures: the
rebellious, sensual Anna and the self-doubting agnostic
Levin and the struggle of both for fulfillment and happiness.
Classic story of a boy's life in a Mississippi river town in
19th century America.
Adventure story of exploring the depths of the ocean.
Classic piece of western literature. Picking up on the
tradition of Homer, Virgil tells the epic story of Aeneas'
struggle to reach Italy and the wars required to settle finally
the wandering Trojans in their new home, which eventually
would be Rome. Greatest piece of Latin literature.
NAIRANA STUDY CENTER
HIGH SCHOOL READING LIST
Page 5 of 10
Wallace, Lew
Ben-Hur
Novel set in the time of Christ. The central character is
Judah, prince of the Hebrew house of Hur. Judah grows up
in Jerusalem, during the turbulent years around the birth of
Christ. His best friend is Messala, a Roman. As adults Judah
and Messala become rivals, each hating the other, which
leads to Judah's downfall and eventual triumph.
Wilder, Thornton
Bridge Of San Luis Rey,
The
Short but beautifully written story about the lives of several
people caught in a tragic accident—how their lives were all
touched by love.
GENERAL INTEREST
Chesterton, G.K.
Everlasting Man , The
Lewis, C.S.
Screwtape Letters
Two-part history of mankind, Christ, and Christianity. It is
to some extent a conscious rebuttal of H.G. Well's book
which argued for a purely evolutionary origin of man and
against the divinity of Christ.
Shrewd moral insights from correspondence between an
arch-devil and his apprentice.
HISTORY
Alexander, Caroline
Endurance, The
Beevor, Antony
Stalingrad
True story of Shackleton’s ill-fated expedition to Antarctica
in 1914, an amazing feat of courage and survival. Illustrated
with remarkable photos.
Detailed narrative of the horrific battle of Stalingrad in
World War II.
Birnbaun, Louis
Red Dawn at Lexington
Bishop, Jim
Day Lincoln Was Shot, The
Bradford, Ernle
Great Siege, The
One of the best narrative histories about the outbreak of the
American Revolution, from the Boston Tea Party to the
close of 1776.
An hour-by-hour account of events leading up to Lincoln’s
assassination.
Stirring narrative of how the Knights of Malta held of the
Turkish invasion of that island in 1565, thus saving Europe.
Catton, Bruce
Part 1 of 3: The Coming
Fury
Explores the causes and events leading to the start of the
war, culminating in its first major combat, the First Battle of
Bull Run.
Catton, Bruce
Part 2 of 3: Terrible Swift
Sword
Both sides mobilize for a massive war effort and the story
continues through 1862, ending with the Battle of
Fredericksburg.
Catton, Bruce
Part 3 of 3: Never Call
Retreat
Catton, Bruce
Stillness at Appomatox, A
The war continues through Vicksburg, Gettysburg, and the
bloody struggles of 1864 and 1865 before the final
surrender.
Won the Pulitzer prize. Describes the campaigns of Grant
in Virginia during 1864 to the end of the war in 1865.
NAIRANA STUDY CENTER
HIGH SCHOOL READING LIST
Crowley, Roger
Fischer, David
Hackett
Fischer, David
Hackett
Ketchum, Richard
Empires of the Sea: The
Siege of Malta, the Battle of
Lepanto, and the Contest for
the Center of the World
Excellent narrative of the momentous struggle against the
Turks in the 16th century.
Paul Revere's Ride
Story of Paul Revere and his famous exploits, much more
interesting than the popular myth about him. Good
companion book to Birnbaum’s above.
Washington's Crossing
Well written account of Washington’s crossing the
Delaware River and the New Jersey campaign of 1777, a
turning point in the American Revolution.
Saratoga
Excellent narrative of Britain’s campaign in upper New
York (1777) leading to the decisive Battle of Saratoga, a
turning point in the American revolution.
Klein, Maury
Days of Defiance
Lafore, Lawrence
Lord, Walter
Long Fuse , The
Night to Remember, A
Mattingly, Garrett
McCullough, David
Armada, The
Great Bridge, The
McCullough, David
Path Between the Seas, The
McPherson, James
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Moore & Galloway
Battle Cry Of Freedom
We were Soldiers Once...
and Young
Moorehead, Alan
Blue Nile, The
Moorehead, Alan
Sears, Stephen
White Nile, The
Landscape Turned Red, The
Gripping, detailed narrative of events leading up to the
Southern attack on Ft. Sumter in Charlestown harbor, the
spark that ignited the American Civil War.
The very best popular, one-volume study about the origins
of World War I.
Sinking of the Titanic.
Incomparable narrative about the ill-fated Spanish armada
and its defeat against the British in 1588.
Engineering feat: building of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Excellent account of one of engineering’s greatest
achievements: the building of the Panama Canal.
Pulitzer-Prize winning 1-volume history of the American
Civil War: causes, events, personalities, outcome. A great
book.
Detailed, very moving narrative about the La Drang
Offensive during the Vietnam War, 1965.
History of a 19th century exploration in East Africa to
headwaters of the Nile.
History of a 19th century exploration in East Africa to
headwaters of the Nile.
History of the Battle of Antietnam.
PHILOSOPHY
Kreeft, Peter
Ten Philosophical Mistakes
Refutation of Moral
Relativism, A
Lewis, C.S.
Abolition of Man, The
Simple, clear account of ten mistakes made by modern
philosophers.
Entertaining and helpful refutation of moral relativism,
written in dialogue form.
Reflections on modern education; defends objective values
and natural law, and their compatibility with science.
Apology of Socrates
Dialogue with the defense speech of Socrates against the
charge of impiety and corrupting the youth; the trial took
place in 399 B.C.
Adler, Mortimer
Plato
NAIRANA STUDY CENTER
HIGH SCHOOL READING LIST
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SPIRITUAL READING
Friends of God
Great, short chapters about fundamental aspects of the
spiritual life.
Collection of homilies given on major feasts throughout the
year.
Collection of 1055 aphorisms designed to help and foster
personal prayer, and tracing the soul's journey through life.
Collection of homilies covering major themes of the
Christian life.
Furrow
Collection of 1000 aphorisms designed to help and foster
personal prayer, and focusing on all the human and
Christian virtues.
Holy Rosary
Commentary on each mystery of the rosary.
Stations of the Cross
Commentary on each station of the cross.
Escriva, St.
Josemaria
Way, The
NA
Bible, The
St. Josemaria's most famous and best-selling book.
Collection of 999 aphorisms designed to help and foster
personal prayer, tracing one's path through the spiritual life.
The 46 books of the Old Testament, and the 27 books of the
New Testament.
NA
Scepter booklets #s: 15, 18,
20, 43, 61, 62, 89, 92, 118,
122, 125, 147, 158, 168,
179, 184, 188, 208
Excellent short pamphlets written to help one grow in living
the Christian life. Available at www.tenley.org
NA
Scepter booklets #s: 4, 8, 66,
96, 123, 124, 136, 140, 152,
159, 169, 172, 174, 180,
187, 201
Sheed, Frank
Map of Life, A
Sheed, Frank
To Know Christ Jesus
Suarez, Federico
Casciaro, Pedro
Narrow Gate, The
Dream and your dreams will
fall short
NA
Catechism of the Catholic
Church.
Trese, Leo J.
Faith Explained, The
Canals, Salvador
Escriva, St.
Josemaria
Escriva, St.
Josemaria
Escriva, St.
Josemaria
Escriva, St.
Josemaria
Escriva, St.
Josemaria
Escriva, St.
Josemaria
Jesus as Friend
Christ is Passing By
Forge, The
Excellent short pamphlets written to increase your
knowledge on foundational and pertinent issues in Catholic
doctrine and philosophy. Available at www.tenley.org
Gives great insight and perspective on one's struggle for
sanctity.
Using insightful commentary on the gospels, a great book
for learning about Christ.
A straight-forward look at the necessity for struggle in the
Christian life.
First-hand account of a man who lived with St. Josemaria in
the early years of Opus Dei.
Official summary and handbook of Catholic doctrine,
broken into four parts: the creed, the sacraments, the moral
law, and prayer.
Classic, systematic explanation of the teachings of the
Catholic Church.
NAIRANA STUDY CENTER
HIGH SCHOOL READING LIST
SECONDARY LIST
BIOGRAPHY
Abbott.J
Baldwin, Neil
Chesterton, G.K.
Massie, R.K.
Mattingly, Garrett
McCullough, David
Morison, Samuel
Eliot
Morison, Samuel
Eliot
Mary Queen of Scots
Edison: Inventing the
Century
Charles Dickens: The Last
of the Great Man
Nicholas and Alexandra
Catherine of Aragon
Truman
Christopher Columbus:
Mariner
John Paul Jones
ECONOMICS
Hazlitt, William
Selected Essays
FICTION
Bradbury, Ray
Bradbury, Ray
Bradbury, Ray
Bronte, Charlotte
Bronte, Emily
Browning, Robert
Cather, Willa
Cather, Willa
Cervantes, Miguel de
Christie, Agatha
Christie, Agatha
Christie, Agatha
Conrad, Joseph
Conrad, Joseph
Cooper, James
Fenimore
Cooper, James
Fenimore
Cooper, James
Fenimore
Fahrenheit 451
Illustrated Man, The
Martian Chronocles, The
Jane Eyre
Wuthering Heights
Selected Poems
O Pioneers
Shadows on the Rock
Don Quixote
Curtain
Murder of Roger Ackroyd
Tuesday Club Murders, The
Heart of Darkness, The
Lord Jim
Deerslayer, The
Leatherstocking Tales, The
Pathfinder, The
Page 8 of 10
NAIRANA STUDY CENTER
HIGH SCHOOL READING LIST
Cooper, James
Fenimore
Crichton, Michael
Dickens, Charles
Eliot, George
Spy, The
Andromeda Strain, The
Kipling, Rudyard
Kipling, Rudyard
Lewis, C.S.
Lewis, C.S.
London, Jack
London, Jack
Malory, Thomas
Great Expectations
Silas Marner
Horatio Hornblower Series,
The
Last Nine Days of
Bismarck, The
Old Man and the Sea, The
Light That Failed, The
Man Who Would Be King,
The
Plain Tales from the Hills
Out of the Silent Planet
Perelandra
Call of the Wild, The
White Fang
Le Morte D' Arthur
Melville, Herman
Mitchell , Margaret
Paton, Alan
Billy Budd
Gone with the Wind
Cry the Belowed Country
Roberts, Kenneth
Arundel
Roberts, Kenneth
Northwest Passage
Roberts, Kenneth
Roberts, Kenneth
Sabatini, Rafael
Schaefer, Dorothy
Scott Card, Orson
Scott, Sir Walter
Scott, Sir Walter
Steinbeck, John
Stowe, Harriet
Betcher
Tolkien, JRR
Oliver Wiswell
Rable in Arms
Captain blood
Shane
Ender's Game
Ivanhoe
Talisman, The
Pearl, The
Forester, C.S.
Forester, C.S.
Hemingway, Ernest
Kipling, Rudyard
Verne, Jules
Verne, Jules
Verne, Jules
Waugh, Evelyn
Wells, H.G.
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Silmarillion, The
Around the World in 80
Days
Journey to the Center of the
Earth
Mysterious Island
Scoop
Invisible Man, The
Page 9 of 10
NAIRANA STUDY CENTER
HIGH SCHOOL READING LIST
Wells, H.G.
Wodehouse, P.G.
Wren, P.C.
War of the Worlds
Virtually all his Works
Beau Geste
HISTORY
Bullock, Alan
Churchill, Winston
Churchill, Winston
Churchill, Winston
Churchill, Winston
Costain, Thomas B.
Costain, Thomas B.
Costain, Thomas B.
Costain, Thomas B.
Costain, Thomas B.
Costain, Thomas B.
Diaz, Bernal
Hamilton, Edith
Hunt, Sir John
Kennedy, John F.
Parkman, Francis
Tuchman, Barbara
Tuchman, Barbara
White, Theodore H
Hitler: A study in Tyranny
Crisis, The
Gathering Storm, The
History of the EnglishSpeaking Peoples, A
Their Finest Hour
Conquering Family, The
Last Plantagenets, The
Silver Chalice, The
Three Edwards, The
Tontine, The
William the Conqueror
Conquest of Mexico, The
Mythology
Conquest of Everest
Profiles in Courage
Oregon Trail, The
Guns of August, The
Zimmerman Telegram, The
Making of the President
1960, The
SPIRITUAL READING
Scupoli, Lorenzo
Spiritual Combat
Suarez, Federico
Joseph of Nazareth
Suarez, Federico
Mary of Nazareth
Casciaro, Jose Maria
It is worth while
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