9th Grade Summer Reading Assignment 2013
Choose One:
The Republic of East L.A. by Luis Rodriguez OR
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman
Overview:
Every entering student to Oakland Tech H.S. is expected to complete a summer reading assignment
for his/her grade level. The purpose of this assignment is to sharpen reading comprehension skills
and prepare students for the writing that will take place the first week of school.
Directions:
The summer reading assignment for entering the 9th grade is to choose ONE of the two non-fiction
books to read: The Republic of East L.A. by Luis Rodriguez or The Spirit Catches You and You Fall
Down by Anne Fadiman. Students are expected to obtain a copy of the work from a local library,
purchase it (Amazon.com has used copies for sale), borrow from someone they know, or search for
a free PDF online. Students should read the entire book and then complete the study questions.
The study questions will be due the first day of school and an essay will be assigned the first week.
Please note that plagiarism will not be tolerated and will result in a zero on the assignment.
Plagiarism is the taking of someone else’s work, whether you know them or not, and trying to pass
it off as your own.
**Summer Bridge students will be provided a copy of one of the books and will work on this
assignment during the four weeks of the program**
Study Questions
1) How do these characters’ struggle to fit into California society and how do they react to that
struggle?
2. What do these stories tell us about the experiences of immigrants to the United States and
particularly California?