A great book should leave you with many experiences, and slightly exhausted at the end.
You live several lives while reading it. --William Styron

Gilmour Academy

Summer Reading

2009

Many Stories, One Community

This year we share our theme with the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) whose annual reading program is called “Many Stories, One Community.”  The Sisters frame their theme around Terry Tempest Williams’ words:

How are we to find our way toward conversation?  For me the answer has always been through story.

Story bypasses rhetoric and pierces the heart.

Story offers a wash of images and emotion that returns us to our highest and deepest selves, where we remember what it means to be human, living in place with our neighbors.

In keeping with this theme, we are pleased to announce as our selection for Gilmour Academy’s 2009 summer reading book:

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Zusak writes in lyrical prose about a young girl whose life is transformed by words, by stories, by books.  We hope that the power of words, the love of language, the ability of a book to transport and transform you is part of your summer respite. 

One of the primary goals of our summer reading program is to encourage you to choose books you want to read so you can discover books you love.  With that in mind, as usual, we are asking that you read at least two books this summer, the second of your own choosing.  We are including a list of faculty recommendations, updated from last year’s list, to aid in this process.  Each book is listed under the recommending faculty member’s name in order to facilitate conversation. 

Of course, we would like nothing better than to hear reports of students who have read both widely and deeply this summer.  We understand that your reading during the school year is largely devoted to academics.  Summer reading provides an opportunity to explore the universe of literature beyond Gilmour. 

The list of faculty recommendations can be found at:

http://ganet.gilmour.org/pdf/readinglistfaculty.pdf

Gilmour faculty and staff have compiled this list of their recommendations based on literary quality and adolescent appeal, but for the most part, our choices have come from what we have enjoyed reading.  Some of the more sophisticated books (some in terms of content, some in terms of style) have been labeled as recommended for grades 11-12.  High-quality, adult literature often deals with adult themes or language that may not be appropriate for all readers.  Our students are at varying levels of sophistication; we'd appreciate help from those who know them best.  We recommend that parents work with their children to choose appropriate books that they will find compelling and challenging, but first and foremost, engaging.

Previous choices:+

2008:  Escape from Slavery by Francis Bok

2007:  Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

2006:  Old School by Tobias Wolff

2005:  The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon

AP Language and Composition:

• The Book Thief  by Markus Zusak
• Cutting for Stone  by Abraham Verghese
• Still Alice by Lisa Genova, Ph.D
• Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman
• Europa, Europa by Solomon Perel or Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
• One of Malcolm Gladwell's books: The Tipping Point, Blink or Outliers
• One book of choice

AP Language and Literature:

• The Book Thief by Marcus Zuzak (whole school reading)
• Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
• A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley
• The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Worblewski