Book List

Books Studied in this Course:

  • A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah

    • “Parents need to know that A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier is the critically acclaimed memoir of Ishmael Beah, who was a child soldier during Sierra Leone's civil war. Orphaned at 12, Ishmael would walk through a war-ravaged countryside, often starving and always afraid, until at 13, he found refuge with government soldiers. Soldiers who would turn him into a killer. For the next three years, Ishmael would witness or take part in unimaginable acts of violence that are often graphically described in the book. Violent death is constant and pervasive, with countless men, women, children, and babies stabbed, shot, mutilated, or burned alive. One town he enters is described as having "air that smells of blood and burnt flesh." At 16, UNICEF workers gained his release and he was sent to a rehabilitation center for boy soldiers where he found a chance to rebuild his life. Beah would go on to finish his education in the United States and become UNICEF's Advocate for Children Affected by War. First published in 2007, A Long Way Gone was a New York Times best-seller. It has been translated into more than 40 languages and is sometimes assigned in school” (CommonSenseMedia.org).

    • This memoir was chosen to depict an aspect of the modern African experience in addition to serving as a work for non-fictional studies.

  • Macbeth by William Shakespeare

    • “One night on the heath, the brave and respected general Macbeth encounters three witches who foretell that he will become king of Scotland. At first skeptical, he’s urged on by the ruthless, single-minded ambitions of Lady Macbeth, who suffers none of her husband’s doubt. But seeing the prophecy through to the bloody end leads them both spiraling into paranoia, tyranny, madness, and murder.

This shocking tragedy - a violent caution to those seeking power for its own sake - is, to this day, one of Shakespeare’s most popular and influential masterpieces” (goodreads.com).

  • This play was chosen for its exploration of universal themes such as the dangers of absolute power and the consequences of guilt.

  • Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

    • Parents need to know that although this film -- an adaptation of graphic novelist Marjane Satrapi's critically acclaimed memoir about growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution -- is animated, it's aimed at adults. There are many references to the atrocities (mostly executions and bombings) of life before, during, and after the revolution. Several scenes involve secret parties during which secular Iranians drink and smoke; as a teenager living in Europe, Marjane also drinks, smokes, tries hash, and sleeps with two guys (at one point, feeling suicidal, she also takes lots of pills). If teens are interested, they'll learn a lot about the harsh realities of life in an oppressive culture. It's worth noting that there are two versions of the film: The original is in French with subtitles; the other is dubbed in English (commonsensemedia.org)

    • This graphic novel was chosen for students to experience a different type of genre exploring an Iranian teen’s experience in addition to being non-fiction.

  • A Time to Kill by John Grisham

    • “Before The Firm and The Pelican Brief made him a superstar, John Grisham wrote this riveting story of retribution and justice. In this searing courtroom drama, best-selling author John Grisham probes the savage depths of racial violence, as he delivers a compelling tale of uncertain justice in a small southern town, Clanton, Mississippi.

The life of a ten-year-old girl is shattered by two drunken and remorseless young men. The mostly white town reacts with shock and horror at the inhuman crime. That is, until her black father acquires an assault rifle and takes matters into his hands.

For ten days, as burning crosses and the crack of sniper fire spread through the streets of Clanton, the nation sits spellbound as young defense attorney Jake Brigance struggles to save his client's life, and then his own’ (goodreads.com).

  • This novel was chosen for our semester fictional text because it includes engaging content. It was also chosen for its recognizable author in the hopes of appealing to reluctant readers.


  • Night by Eli Wiesel

  • Born in the town of Sighet, Transylvania, Elie Wiesel was a teenager when he and his family were taken from their home in 1944 to Auschwitz concentration camp, and then to Buchenwald. Night is the terrifying record of Elie Wiesel's memories of the death of his family, the death of his own innocence, and his despair as a deeply observant Jew confronting the absolute evil of man. This new translation by his wife and most frequent translator, Marion Wiesel, corrects important details and presents the most accurate rendering in English of Elie Wiesel's testimony to what happened in the camps and of his unforgettable message that this horror must simply never be allowed to happen again.(goodreads.com).

  • We chose this memoir to represent one of the European experiences, the Holocaust, in addition to serving as a work for nonfiction studies.