Summer Reading 11th grade English 3
Consider the following info before and as you read.
Good readers bring background knowledge to a book. Try to
recall what you may know about the topic or something similar. For
example, Fahrenheit 451 is set in the future when books are banned
and knowledge is strictly controlled. This may remind you of countries
where people’s access to the internet is forbidden or limited. Thinking
about what you already know helps you comprehend
something you don’t.
Good readers monitor their comprehension using a variety of
techniques. It’s important to check understanding as you read
instead of waiting until the end of the book. People look at maps or
listen to a GPS while they are traveling, not once they think they are
at the end of the trip, right? One strategy is to stop and see if you can
retell you have read in the past 5 minutes. If you can and your
retelling makes sense, then keep reading. If not, reread. Another way
is to talk to someone about what has been read so far. Some readers
like to skim summaries of the chapters they have read on websites to
see if they got the same meaning. However, most good readers find
this the most boring strategy.
Finally, taking brief notes can help you recall the book for the test.
Use a graphic organizer or a story map. There are tons on-line you can
fill in. One of the techniques I like is to fill in the following sentence
about the book. This sentence also works as an ongoing
comprehension strategy.
Somebody wanted to XXXXXX but XXXXXX so XXXXXX.
Here’s how it would work with Romeo & Juliet.
Romeo & Juliet want to be together
but their families are enemies. When Romeo tries to stop a fight
between the families which results in his friend Mercutio’s death by
Juliet’s cousin, Tybalt, things get worse.
So they miss each others messages and both commit suicide at the
end.
Notes on the books
A Small Place, Jamaica Kincaid.
This book is about the author’s home island. Notice how her point of
view is different from that of visitors to her homeland. Her view of
history is different from “the official version” she was taught. Think
about the reasons her views are different. How does this relate to you
and your hometown? If you think about it, you may find many
similarities.
Beautiful, Amy Reed
As you read this novel, think about similarities between the situations
in the book and yours. The “SOMEBODY WANTED TO __ BUT ___ SO
___” strategy works well with this book.
The Color of Water
James McBride
Genre: Memoire (a narrative about the events of the author’s life
based more on memories than research of the actual events.)
POSSIBLE CONFUSTION ALERT!!! The narrator, James, is attempting
to learn more about his mother’s life and as a result remembers his life
with her. The story is told in two voices, James’ and his mother’s. Most
of the sections about his mother’s life or about her memories are in
italics. Be sure you pay attention to whose story is being told. The
book alternates between the two stories.
BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE ALERT!!! Good readers bring what they
already know into the text to better understand it. This memoire
touches on the following events and themes. Think about what you
already know about this to better understand the text.
Judaism, Jews, the Holocaust, prejudice against Jews.
Racism against Blacks in the US, the Jim Crow era, the Civil Rights
movement.
Immigration to the US.
Living in poverty.
Character List (from Grade Saver Study Guide)
James McBride The narrator of his experiences growing up in a Brooklyn housing project with a Jewish
mother, James McBride describes his personal confusion about race and identity, the initial impulse to
discover his mother's history, his evolution into music and writing, and his ultimate endeavor to tell his
mother's story - a story that is, at heart, his own.
Ruth McBride Born Ruchel Dwajra Zylska on April 1, 1921, in Poland, Ruth McBride Jordan (or
"Mommy"), the mother of twelve children, was born into an Orthodox Jewish family and raised in a violent
Southern town. At nineteen, she moved into a new life in New York City, where she fell in love with a
black Baptist minister named Andrew McBride. When she married McBride, she was pronounced "dead" by
her Jewish relations.
Hunter Jordan A good-natured furnace fireman for the New York Housing Authority, Hunter Jordan was
Ruth's second husband and the father of the four youngest children. He spent his entire life savings to buy
Ruth and the children a house in Queens.
Tateh A Russian Orthodox Jew, Tateh (or Fishel Shilsky) married Hudis in Poland in an arranged
marriage. The couple emigrated to America, where Tateh worked as a traveling Orthodox rabbi. He forced
the family to settle in Suffolk, where he opened a grocery store and treated his family very poorly. After a
long-term affair with a woman in town, Tateh divorced Hudis.
Mameh A Polish Orthodox Jew crippled by polio as a child, Mameh (or Hudis Shilsky) was a gentle and
good Jewish wife. She bore her husband, Fishel, one son and two daughters, and never learned to speak
English, even though she lived in America for many years. Mameh passed away shortly after Ruth (or
Rachel) left for New York.
Zaydeh Ruth's grandfather on her mother's side, Zaydeh wore a dark suit and a long beard. When he
passed away, it was Ruth's first encounter with death.
Bubeh Ruth's grandmother on her mother's side, Bubeh, a diabetic, housed Ruth when she arrived in New
York and worked in her aunt's leather factory. Bubeh passed away during Ruth's trip home to care for her
ailing mother.
Andrew McBride Ruth's first husband, Andrew McBride (or Dennis), became a Baptist minister, and the
couple founded the New Brown Memorial Church in the Red Hook housing project. He passed away at
forty-five of lung cancer, and James is the last of his children. Andrew McBride, whom Ruth described as a
man with "vision", died before James was born.
Jacqueline James's stepsister and his father's daughter from a previous marriage, Jacqueline
(affectionately called "Jack") served as more of an aunt than a sister to James. During high school, when
James rebelled against his mother and school, Ruth sent him to Kentucky to stay with Jack.
Dee-Dee Ruth's younger sister, Dee-Dee (or Gladys) grew up more Americanized than Ruth or Sam. Ruth
promised Dee-Dee she would not leave her, but broke the promise. Later, when Ruth contacted Dee-Dee
for help, she was reminded of the broken promise and shut out.
Sam Ruth's older brother, Sam ran away to Chicago at fifteen to escape his father's tyranny. He was later
killed during World War II.
Helen The second eldest of the sisters, Helen was the most artistic of the siblings. She grew to become a
full-fledged hippie, ran away from home, and returned five years later with a nursing degree and a child.
Frances Ruth's only friend during her childhood in Suffolk, Frances lived in a house on the other side of
the cemetery. As James explored his mother's history for the book, he successfully tracked her down, and
his mother and Frances resumed their friendship in old age.
Peter A young black man living in one of the houses down the road behind the store, Peter became Ruth's
first lover. She fell in love with him at fifteen, and became pregnant. After an abortion in New York, Ruth
returned to Suffolk and learned that Peter was due to marry a black girl he had also made pregnant.
Aunt Betsy The youngest of Mameh's sisters, Aunt Betsy helped Ruth procure an abortion in New York
City. Years later, Aunt Betsy slammed the door in Ruth's face, but Ruth was never angry, still grateful for
the help she offered in the past.
Chicken Man A drunk who hung out on "The Corner" in Louisville, Kentucky, Chicken Man offered James
worldly advice. In the end, a woman stabbed him to death.
Aunt Mary The obese owner of a leather-goods factory in New York City, Aunt Mary hired Ruth when she
graduated from high school. Ruth met her first husband, Dennis, at the factory, where he was Aunt Mary's
best artisan.
Rocky The fifty-five year old manager of a manicure shop (and sometime pimp) in Harlem, Rocky hired
Ruth at nineteen. Over time, he set her up in her own apartment in Harlem, took her out to clubs, and
prepared her to become a prostitute.
Aunt Candis Dennis's favorite aunt, the elderly Aunt Candis traveled to New York from North Carolina to
help Ruth with her eight children after Dennis passed away.
Aubrey Rubenstein The son of the man who eventually took over Shilsky's store, Aubrey Rubenstein
offered James a better view of the history of the Jewish community in Suffolk.
David Lee Preston One of James's best adulthood friends, David Lee Preston is a Jewish reporter who
invited Ruth to attend his traditional Jewish wedding.