Required Summer Reading

Jefferson Parish Public School System

Magnet Schools

World Literature (Honors)

Directions: You MUST read at least three books from the list

below. Each of your three chosen books must come

from a different category: fiction, non-fiction,

drama.

Fiction:

How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents—Alvarez, Julia

Four sisters and their parents flee the Dominican Republic and try to fit into the American scene. 

Life of Pi—Martel, Yann

Pi Patel, having spent an idyllic childhood in Pondicherry, India, as the son of a zookeeper, sets off with his family at the age of sixteen to start anew in Canada. His life takes a marvelous turn when their ship sinks in the Pacific, leaving him adrift on a raft with a 450-pound Bengal tiger for company. 

The Historian —Kostova, Elizabeth 

The Historian examines Dracula as both an historic and a mythic figure. At times violent, but always intriguing, this is a modern version of the ongoing struggle between good and evil. 

Shogan —Clavell, James 

The attitudes and politics of the first Europeans to reach Japan and their Japanese counterparts are the subject of this novel. The book is a The Historian examines Dracula as both an historic and a mythic figure. At times violent, but always intriguing, this is a modern version of the ongoing struggle between good and evil.

fun read. Although never graphic, the characters are adults in high stress situations and behave as such. 

The Alchemist —Coelho, Paulo

The Alchemist is an allegorical novel first published in 1988. It follows Santiago, a young Spanish shepherd, on a journey to fulfill his Personal Legend. It has been hailed as a modern classic.  Originally written in Portugese, it has since been translated into 67 languages and has sold more than 65 million copies in more than 150 countries.

Non-fiction:

Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time

—Mortenson, Greg and David Oliver Relin 

Greg Mortenson, and journalist David Oliver Relin, recount the journey that led Mortenson from a failed 1993 attempt to climb Pakistan’s K2, the world’s second highest mountain, to successfully establish schools in some of the most remote regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan. By replacing guns with pencils, rhetoric with reading, Mortenson combines his unique background with his intimate knowledge of the third-world to promote peace with books, not bombs, and successfully bring education and hope to remote communities in central Asia. Both an unforgettable adventure and the inspiring true story of how one man really is changing the world—one school at a time. 

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West —Brown, Dee

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is Dee Brown's eloquent, fully documented account of

the systematic destruction of the American Indian during the second half of the 19th century. When it was first published in 1971, both reviewers and the reading public responded first with shock, then a deep sense of shame, calling it "shattering" (Washington Post), and "heartbreaking" (The New York Times). It went on to sell over a million copies in hardcover and four million copies in paperback, and was translated into 15 languages around the world. 

Kaffir Boy: The True Story of a Black Youth’s Coming of Age in Apartheid South Africa

—Mathabane, Mark

Mathabane describes his life growing up in a nonwhite ghetto outside Johannesburg and how he escaped its horrors. Hard work and faith in education played key roles. He eventually won a tennis scholarship to an American university. 

Reading Lolita in Tehran — Nafisi, Azar

Told by a college professor who experienced the Iranian revolution, this book blends the author’s love of Iran with her need for intellectual freedom. The book is structured around a series of novels that she presents to her “secret” class. The problems and personalities of the young women whom she teaches provide a cross-section of views on the political situation. 

Leap of Faith: Memoirs of an Unexpected Life — Queen Noor

Queen Noor was a young American who married the King of Jordan – but this is not a fairy tale. She reveals the stresses and joys of her private and public lives as Queen of Jordan. This is a worthwhile read for those interested in modern Middle Eastern politics. 

The Last Samurai— Ravina, Mark

The dramatic arc of Saigo Takamori's life, from his humble origins as a lowly samurai, to national leadership, to his death as a rebel leader, has captivated generations of Japanese readers. In this vibrant new biography, Mark Ravina, professor of history and Director of East Asian Studies at Emory University, explores the facts and explains the passion and poignancy of Saigo's life. Ravina recreates the world in which Saigo lived and died, the last days of the samurai.

Drama:

The Cherry Orchard—Chekov, Anton

The nineteenth century offered two important developments to Russia. In the

1830's, the railroads arrived, an important step in Russia's move into a more international sphere. More importantly, in February of 1861, Russia's vast population of serfs was liberated for good, bringing a long-awaited social change. These two dimensions, social change and the growing importance of the international community, pervade the play and even drive the plot. The railroad facilitates Madame Ranevsky in coming and going across borders, but the intrigue itself deals with the theme of social change: the aristocratic family loses power as the former serf gains, and a whole host of other characters fall in between. With the changes in the class system, debates about the nature of progress and freedom spring up across Russia, and these questions are reflected in The Cherry Orchard as well. The theme of social change is an international theme at the moment when the play was written: countries everywhere, including the United States, were experiencing similar growing pains and similar philosophical debates.  

Doctor Faustus—Marlowe, Christopher

One of the most durable myths in Western culture, the story of Faust tells of a learned German doctor who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for knowledge and power. Early enactments of Faust's damnation were often the raffish fare of clowns and low comedians. But the young Elizabethan playwright Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593) recognized in the story of Faust's temptation and fall the elements of tragedy. 

Tartuffe, or the Hypocrite —Moliere, Jean-Baptiste

This timeless comedy by one of France's greatest playwrights follows the outrageous activities of a penniless scoundrel and religious pretender. Invited to live in his benefactor's house, he wreaks havoc among family members by breaking off the daughter's engagement, attempting to seduce his hostess, and resorting to blackmail and extortion.