Ms. Annis’ Recommendations for AP English Literature Summer Reading
The AP Literature exam requires that students read from a wide selection of Western literature. To
prepare yourself for what might appear on that exam, here are my suggestions for some fun
summer reading from the College Board’s AP Lit suggested reading list.
Title and Author
Arcadia by Tom Stoppard
The Children’s Hour by Lillian
Hellman
A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen
The Importance of Being
Earnest by Oscar Wilde
Much Ado about Nothing by
William Shakespeare
Othello by William Shakespeare
Going after Cacciato by Tim
O’Brien
Rationale
Do you ever say to yourself “there’s just not enough math and
theoretical physics in my fiction”? Well, my friend, this short but deep
play by Tom Stoppard is for you. What is truth? How does this concept
change when approached through the lenses of history, art, math, and
science? Stoppard approaches these questions with a plot and
characters that span two eras in British history. It is one of the finest
contemporary plays in the English language. I took a course in college
where we read all of Stoppard’s plays. Come talk to me about this one!
This drama is set at a small boarding school for girls. To avoid being
sent back to this boarding school, Mary Tilford, an angry student, tells
her grandmother that the two headmistresses are having a lesbian
affair. The drama unfolds as this accusation ruins the headmistresses’
careers, reputations, and relationships. This play is an excellent
reflection on the topics of credibility, reputation, innocence, and
justice.
A seminal work of feminist literature, this novel uses metaphor and
characterization to highlight one woman’s disenchantment with the
limited choices allowed to her by a patriarchal society. It is a rather
searing indictment of the Victorian concept of the “angel in the house”.
This play is also good preparation for reading The Awakening by Kate
Chopin.
This is a witty comedy about confused identities. If you like wordplay,
you will love this text. It is laugh-out-loud funny.
One of the few Shakespeare comedies that doesn’t rely on cheesy plot
twists, mistaken identities, or other unlikely situations. This comedy is
pleasing because it is genuinely funny, but it addresses important
ideas like duty, honor, and shame. Watch the film adaptations by
Kenneth Branaugh and/or Joss Whedon.
This play has one of the “baddest”, most insane villains in all of
literature. You will hate Iago. Yet, you will love his wicked cunning,
and artful persuasion at the same time. This is also an important
Shakespeare play in that it deals with both race and gender. Excellent,
excellent! A must read/see.
Like many of O’Brien’s novels, this story is set in Vietnam during the
war. The narrator, an American soldier, recounts the events that
ensue after a fellow soldier, Cacciato, goes AWOL. This is a highly
complex –but entertaining- novel that explores the topics of
psychological trauma, war, and masculinity through plot twists and
surreal imagery. There are many allusions to Alice in Wonderland
which reflect the absurdity of war and life. O’Brien is by far one of my
favorite authors. I would love to discuss this with anyone who reads
it. (Also, considering the investigation into Sgt Bowe Bergdahl’s
Great Expectations by Charles
Dickens
The Handmaid’s Tale by
Margaret Atwood
In Cold Blood by Truman
Capote
The House on Mango Street by
Sandra Cisneros
The Metamorphosis by Franz
Kafka
1984 by George Orwell
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt
Vonnegut
The Sun also Rises by Ernest
Hemingway
Their Eyes Were Watching God
by Zora Neale Hurston
seeming abandonment of his post make the themes in this novel all
the more relevant.)
The best, best, best Dickens novel in my opinion. A fabulous reflection
on growing up, love, family, and betrayal all set against Dickens’
atmospheric and murky descriptions of place and person. This book
has some of the most memorable characters you will ever encounter
in fiction. I mean, one of the characters continues wearing her
wedding dress despite being jilted at the altar years (and eventually,
decades) later.
This book could change your life. Atwood speculates on a future
America where religious orthodoxy rules the government, and men
and women are cast into rigid gender roles. Even though this book is
set in the future, it depicts themes about gender roles and how men
and women gain agency in today’s society. If you love dystopian
fiction like The Hunger Games or The Giver, you will like this.
One of the first non-fiction, true crime/murder books. Bonus
Literature Connection: Truman Capote, the author, was a childhood
friend of Harper Lee, who wrote To Kill a Mockingbird. The character
of Dill in TKAM is based on Capote.
A meditation on cultural identity in America. The style is experimental
but engaging. A quick but excellent read.
This novella describes the narrator’s surreal experience of waking up
transformed into a grotesque insect. A short yet excellent portrayal of
alienation, sympathy, and the absurdity of life. Definitely a must-read.
The author of Animal Farm brings you another tale of man vs. society,
and the dangers of totalitarian rule. Set in a futuristic Europe, Winston
Smith struggles with his role in society. On the one hand, this is a
novel about rebellion, but on the other hand it is about the eventuality
of conformity. The scene where Smith cries out “Do it to her!” presents
one of the most fascinating debates about human nature in literature.
This book is worth reading for the dozens of words, and political ideas
it has contributed to contemporary society. If you like dystopian
fiction, you’ll like this.
I love novels about war, and this book is no exception. A semiautobiographical account of the author’s experience as a prisoner of
war in WWII Germany, this novel also incorporates elements of the
surreal, absurd, and humorous. Vonnegut’s experiments with
language and plot help reveal his many themes about war, memory,
art, and imagination. This novel is short and awesome.
As a reflection on masculinity, love, and the effects of war, a book
cannot get much better than The Sun also Rises. This is a short novel,
but it is packed with so much meaning, and characterization between
the lines. Plus, there are love triangles and excessive drinking that you
can get all judgmental about. There’s nothing quite like yelling at a
fictional character’s moral decisions.
If you like your fiction to hit close-to-home, and appear realistic, then
you will enjoy this novel about a young woman who gains confidence
and authority through her varied experiences in relationships and the
real world. You will love the protagonist Janie Crawford. This book is
The Woman Warrior by Maxine
Hong Kingston
Any and all short stories by
Flannery O’Connor
Any and all short stories by
Alice Munro
Any and all short stories by
Joyce Carol Oates
considered a seminal work of African-American literature, but it is
also clearly a classic work of any kind of literature.
This book is a work of creative non-fiction. It reads more as a series of
creative essays reflecting on the author’s experience growing up as
the daughter of Chinese immigrants. The prose is both elegant and
surprising. You will likely recognize the narrative frame of the first
chapter as a similar to Mulan (one of the best Disney movies ever).
Do yourself a favor. Read “Everything that Rises Must Converge”, “A
Good Man is Hard to Find” (creepy!), and “The Life You Save May Be
Your Own”.
This Canadian author recently won the Nobel Prize in Literature. If
you enjoy stories that are realistic, you should read her collections.
Dark, complex, and awesome tales.