PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF EDISON TOWNSHIP

11TH GRADE SUMMER READING 2015

Directions: Students must read ONE book (either fiction OR non-fiction) and ONE non-fiction article from the list below. When you return to school in September, you must also submit a Reading Quotes Organizer for the texts that you read (worksheet is attached to this packet). Please choose quotations that support the theme below. Assignments and links to the non-fiction articles are provided on the school and District Websites.

GRADE 11 THEME: Survival
What does it mean to be a survivor? The human spirit is constantly challenged by obstacles such as loss, family tragedy, illness, natural disaster, and even war. Include references from the texts that you read that relate to the theme of survival.
For students entering Grade 11
Fiction
Boy21 – Matthew Quick
When Finley’s basketball coach asks him to look out for new kid Russ, he has no idea what’s in store. Finley might be used to the racial conflict in his town and the pressures of basketball, he is totally unprepared for Russ’s strange request to be called “Boy21.”
Twisted – Laurie Halse Anderson
High school senior Tyler Miller used to be the kind of guy who faded into the background—average student, average looks, average dysfunctional family. His new physique attracts more attention from the popular crowd, which sets off a string of events and changes that have Tyler questioning his place in the school, in his family, and in the world.
The Road – Cormac McCarthy
A father and his son walk alone through burned post-apocalyptic America. They boldly imagine a future in which no hope remains, but in which they are "each the other's world entire.”
If I Stay – Gayle Forman
In a single moment, everything changes. Seventeen-year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall riding along the snow-wet Oregon road with her family. Then, in a blink, she finds herself watching as her own damaged body is taken from the wreck. Little by little she struggles to put together the pieces- to figure out what she has lost, what she has left, and the very difficult choice she must make.
Feeling Sorry For Celia – Jaclyn Moriarty
Life is pretty complicated for Elizabeth Clarry. Her best friend Celia keeps disappearing, her absent father suddenly reappears, and her communication with her mother consists entirely of wacky notes left on the fridge. On top of everything else, because her English teacher wants to rekindle the "Joy of the Envelope," a complete and utter Stranger knows more about Elizabeth than anyone else.
Non-Fiction
The New Kids: Big Dreams and Brave Journeys at a High School for Immigrant Teens – Brooke Hauser
Some walked across deserts and mountains to get here. One arrived after escaping in a suitcase. And others won’t say how they got here. These are “the new kids”: new to America and all the routines and rituals of an American high school, from lonely first days to prom. They attend Brooklyn’s International High School at Prospect Heights, where all the students are recent immigrants learning English.
Zeitoun – Dave Eggers
The true story of one family, caught between America’s two biggest disasters: the war on terror and the response to Hurricane Katrina. A riveting account of one family’s unthinkable struggle with forces beyond wind and water.
Nickel and Dimed – Barbara Ehrenreich
Millions of Americans work full time, year round, for poverty-level wages. In 1998, Barbara Ehrenreich decided to go undercover and join them. Moving from Florida to Maine to Minnesota, she worked as a waitress, a hotel maid, a cleaning woman, a nursing-home aide, and a Wal-Mart sales clerk. She learned that one job is not enough; you need at least two if you want to live indoors.
Into Thin Air – Jon Krakauer
A bank of clouds was assembling on the not-so-distant horizon, but journalist-mountaineer Jon Krakauer, standing on the summit of Mt. Everest, saw nothing that "suggested that a murderous storm was bearing down." He was wrong. The storm claimed five lives and left countless more--including Krakauer's--in guilt-ridden disarray.
Tattoos on the Heart – Gregory Boyle
For twenty years, Gregory Boyle has run Homeboy Industries, a gang-intervention program located in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, the gang capital of the world. He distills his experience working in the ghetto into a breathtaking series of stories inspired by faith, reminding us that no life is less valuable than another.
We Beat the Street – Drs. Sampson Davis, George Jenkins, Rameck Hunt
Growing up on the rough streets of Newark, New Jersey, Rameck, George, and Sampson could easily have followed their childhood friends into drug dealing, gangs, and prison. But when a presentation at their school made the three boys aware of the opportunities available to them in the medical and dental professions, they made a pact among themselves that they would become doctors.
Non-Fiction Articles
*Links and copies of articles are also provided on the school and District Websites.
“Used to Hardship, Latvia Accept Austerity, and Its Pain Eases” – Andrew Higgins
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/02/world/europe/used-to-hardship-latvia-accepts-austerity-and-its-pain-eases.html?pagewanted=all&action=click&module=Search&region=searchResults&mabReward=relbias%3Ar&url=http%3A%2F%2Fquery.nytimes.com
“The Heartache of an Immigrant Family” – Sonia Nazario
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/15/opinion/the-heartache-of-an-immigrant-family.html
“How Much Control Do You Think You Have Over Fate?” – Michael Gonchar
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/02/25/how-much-control-do-you-think-you-have-over-your-fate/#more-142889

A reading program is a joint responsibility between school and family. Parents might very reasonably disagree about what material constitutes suitable reading for children. The titles suggested are not Board of Education approved texts. They are works that are recommended by such organizations as the American Library Association, the New York Times, and the National Council for Teachers of English. They appear on many reading lists across the nation. Nevertheless, certain titles may contain subject matter that some parents may not want their children to read (whether Grimm’s Fairy Tales for young children or books with mature themes and graphic language for older students). Only parents can determine appropriate choices for their children. Check with teachers, local librarians, and book web-sites for reading levels and information about the various titles.