Suggested IRP novels – 2012

Mr. Reid's ENG 4U classes

The following books are suggested texts only. Students are encouraged to research their own "award winning" novels from the categories, but these texts have been enjoyed by other students. Mr. Reid has read these novels and has a good sense about their levels of interest and difficulty.

Canadian authors
The Book of Negroes (Lawrence Hill)
Helpless (Barbara Gowdy)
Divisadero (Michael Ondaatje)
Three Day Road (Joseph Boyden)
Through Black Spruce (Joseph Boyden)
The Blind Assassin (Margaret Atwood)
Late Nights on the Air (Elizabeth Hay)
Room (Emma Donoghue)
Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
The Way the Crow Flies (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
Oryx and Crake (Margaret Atwood) You may only select this book if you did not study it in ENG 3U1 & with consultation with Mr. Reid
The Year of the Flood (Margaret Atwood) It is the second part of the MADDADAM Trilogy / Humorous or off-beat
Middlesex (Jeffrey Eugenides)
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
(Michael Chabon)
Vernon God Little (D.B. C. Pierre)
The Sisters Brothers (Patric deWitt)
White Teeth (Zadie Smith)
Come Thou, Tortoise (Jessica Grant)
Fraction of the Whole (Eric Stoltz)
The White Tiger (Aravind Adiga) Need to consult with Mr. Reid before this novel may be chosen
______
Others
Small Island (Andrea Levy)
The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
The Secret Scripture (Sebastian Barry)
Olive Kitteridge (Elizabeth Strout) A series of short stories focused on one character

Post-Colonial Literature Option

Some students may also want to have a taste of the post-colonial literature that is offered in one section of ENG 4U. Mr. Reid is prepared to work with students on this option but students must enjoy literature and be strong readers.

Indian novels
Such A Long Journey (Rohinton Mistry)
A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
Midnight’s Children (Salman Rushdie)
The God of Small Things (Arundhati Roy)
African novels
Cry, The Beloved Country – Alan Paton
The Famished Road (Ben Okri)
Disgrace (J.M. Coetzee)
Half A Yellow Sun (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie) / Latin American
House of the Spirits (Isabelle Allende)
In the Time of Butterflies (Julia Alvarez)
Carribean Writers
A Casual Brutality (Neil Bissondath)
A House for Mr. Biswas (V.S. Naipaul)
The Polished Hoe (Austin Clarke)