The Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler; 1993; 350 pp. 

In this post-apocalyptic novel, Olamina / Lauren - who suffers from hyperempathy, in which she feels any pain that she witnesses - plans to escape a Los Angeles that has descended into chaos and violence to find somewhere to start a new religion based on the inevitability of change.

Content Warning: This book contains all factors associated with a total breakdown in society - violence, sexual assault, etc.

Mr. Bellini has 0 copies to lend.

The Handmaid's Tale (1985, 300 pp.) AND 

The Testaments (2019, 400 pp.) by Margaret Atwood

Please note that these two novels must be 

read together; students cannot read The Handmaid's Tale and another book option.

These speculative fiction novels imagine a world in which a far-right group seizes power and transforms the U.S. into Gilead, a theocracy in which women have no rights. 

Content Warning: Be aware that The 

Handmaid's Tale contains vivid sexual 

encounters and both books contain 

references to extreme, state-sanctioned 

violence.

 Mr. Bellini has 0 copies to lend.

Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut; 1963; 300 pages

Considered to be “soft sci-fi,” Vonnegut’s sardonic prose is a joy to read. The fictitious island of San Lorenzo satirizes government and religion; the compound “ice-nine” ridicules unbridled scientific progress and the atomic bomb.

FYI - Vonnegut is very easy to read but hard to pin down themes to write about.

Mr. Bellini has 0 copies to lend.

The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver; 1986; 300 pp. 

Narrator Taylor Greer leaves backwoods KY to start her own life in AZ, picking up an orphaned Cherokee girl on the way and eventually rooming with Lou Ann Ruiz, a recently-divorced single mother. 

FYI - This is a pretty political novel that unabashedly supports women's rights, refugees, and the environment.

Mr. Bellini has many copies to lend.

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead; 2019; 225 pp. 

“Set in the 1960s during Jim Crow, The Nickel Boys is both an enjoyable read and a powerful portrayal of racism and inequality that acts as a lever to pry against our own willingness to ignore it.” —Chris Schluep, Amazon Book Review  

Content Warning: This book depicts institutional violence at an all-boys reform school.

Mr. Bellini has 0 copies left to lend.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie; 2007; 230 pp.

This novel depicts life on a Native American reservation and a teenager’s attempt to escape the toxic cycles in his community. 

Content Warning: This book contains some sexual language, and that Alexie’s treatment of women in his personal life has become an issue in recent years. 

FYI - This book is directed more toward young adults.

Mr. Bellini has 1 copy to lend.

The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd; 2015; 400 pp.  

This is a fictionalized biographical account of Sarah Grimke and her life growing up on a plantation in Charleston, South Carolina, a setting in which slavery was considered a God-given right.  Her resolve to abolish slavery and earn women equal rights was well ahead of her time. 

 Mr. Bellini has 0 copies to lend.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger; 1951; 240 pp.

This iconic coming-of-age novel follows rebellious adolescent Holden Caulfield on his three-day adventure through New York City.

FYI - This book was very edgy for the 1950s but has lost that luster today; it could be challenging to understand the themes or symbolism without studying it in class.

Mr. Bellini has many copies to lend.

All the Pretty Horses by Cormack McCarthy; 1992; 300 pp.

16-year-old John Grady crosses the 

Mexican border in 1949 in search of 

adventure, encountering violence and 

corruption reminiscent of the American 

Wild West of the late 1800s.  

FYI - Some of the dialogue is in Spanish. 

Mr. Bellini has 0 copies to lend.

A Separate Peace by John Knowles; 1959; 200 pp.

A coming-of-age novel at an all-boys prep school during WWII, this story is about narrator Gene’s brutal betrayal of a popular friend that he grows to hate.

FYI - There are 0 female characters in this story.

Mr. Bellini has 5 copies to lend.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath; 1963; 244 pp. 

This is a first-person account of a young woman's struggle with depression, despite having a dream internship at a fashion magazine.

Content Warning: Be aware that the main character is suicidal for most of the novel.

Mr. Bellini has 0 copies left to lend.

The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov; 1972; 288 pp.    

Asimov is considered by many to be the 

king of American science fiction. This is hard sci-fi about two parallel universes that share an energy connection and problem, but it's actually pretty easy to read.

Mr. Bellini has 0 copies left to lend.