AP LANGUAGE/COMPOSITION SUMMER READING LIST
The purpose of summer reading is to sustain the powers of the imagination and to explore worlds of characters, settings, plots, and ideas we can visit only through literature. The summer reading list contains different types of nonfiction writing. As an AP student, you are required to read THREE books, which are available from your local library or bookstore.
During the first week of the semester, your English teacher will evaluate your reading with various types of assessment. Although video versions are enjoyable, they may differ greatly from the written word; rely on the works themselves. Some of the works may contain somewhat explicit language, sexual references, or mature subject matter. Feel free to make another choice from the list. You may also read other books from the list for extra credit. Lexile scores are in parentheses.
1. Everyone should read Elie Weisel’s Night (590) and complete the five question response journal on this nonfiction work.
2. Everyone should choose one work from the following list and be prepared to take an objective test on it.
King On Writing (1110)
Angelou I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1070)
Conroy My Losing Season (1100)
Wright Black Boy (950)
Hillenbrand Seabiscuit (990)
Walls The Glass Castle (1010)
McCourt Teacher Man
O’Brien The Things They Carried (880)
3. Everyone should read one work from the following list and be prepared to write an in-class essay on it during the first week of school.
Gantos A Hole in My Life (840)
McCourt Angela’s Ashes (1110)
Krakauer Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman
Ling First They Killed My Father (920)
Alvarez In the Time of Butterflies (910)
Ansarv West of Kabul, East of New York (940)
Gandhi Legacy of Love: My Education in the Path of
Nonviolence
Bok Escape from Slavery
Gilbert Eat, Pray, Love
Bryson A Short History of Nearly Everything
Cullen Columbine
AP LANGUAGE SUMMER READING NONFICTION RESPONSE JOURNAL
RESPOND TO EACH OF THE FOLLOWING FIVE DIRECTIVES. EACH RESPONSE SHOULD BE A ONE TYPED PAGE ESSAY, CITING AS MANY SPECIFIC EXAMPLES AND/OR QUOTES FROM THE WORK TO SUPPORT YOUR POINT. THE EVIDENCE FROM THE WORK IS YOUR PROOF THAT YOU READ THE NONFICTION PIECE. YOU MUST USE A DIFFERENT QUOTE FOR EACH ESSAY.
1. CHOOSE A PASSAGE FROM THE WORK THAT YOU FEEL DELINEATES THE AUTHOR’S PURPOSE FOR WRITING THIS PIECE OF NONFICTION. QUOTE IT; THEN EXPLAIN BOTH THE PASSAGE AND YOUR REASON FOR CHOOSING IT.
2. CHOOSE A PASSAGE FROM THE WORK THAT YOU FEEL BEST EXPRESSES THE CONFLICT, STRUGGLE, OR IMPETUS FOR CHANGE OF THE AUTHOR. QUOTE IT; THEN EXPLAIN BOTH THE PASSAGE AND YOUR REASON FOR CHOOSING IT.
3. CHOOSE A PASSAGE FROM THE WORK THAT YOU FEEL IS THE TECHNICAL CLIMAX OF THE WORK. QUOTE IT; THEN EXPLAIN BOTH THE PASSAGE AND YOUR REASON FOR CHOOSING THIS SPECIFIC INCIDENT.
4. CHOOSE A PASSAGE FROM THE WORK THAT BEST REFLECTS THE AUTHOR’S STYLE. QUOTE IT; THEN DISCUSS THE STYLE, BEING SURE TO CONSIDER IRONY, TONE, DICTION, FORMALITY, AND SENTENCE STRUCTURE.
5. CHOOSE A FAVORITE PASSAGE OF YOURS FROM THE WORK. QUOTE IT; THEN EXPLAIN WHY THIS PARTICULAR PASSAGE SPOKE TO YOU OR HOW THIS PASSAGE RELATES TO YOUR LIFE.