Juniors
All rising English 11 Students are required to read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Then pick one more title from this list (or senior list).
All rising Honors 11 Students are required to read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and Unbroken by Lauren Hillenbrand. Then pick one more title from this list (or senior list).
Any students taking a STEM class are encouraged to select a book from the STEM list (Last category at end of senior list).
**You may pick books from reading lists that are higher than your grade list (ie. a sophomore may select a book from the senior list...just not vice versa).
**You may not select a book that you have already read.
Adventure
The Deerslayer by James Fenimore Cooper
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
"Outside of the Bible, Moby-Dick is one of the most challenging/convicting books I have ever read. On the surface it's the story of an obsessed captain chasing a 'Job's Whale' across the sea, but its true power rests in its numerous Biblical allusions and the difficult philosophical questions that it poses. Some think it is a book about chasing God, while others see it as a quest to find absolute Truth. Melville was a Truth seeker, and Moby-Dick was his attempt to push beyond our everyday experience to discover the meaning behind it all."
~Mr. Dragoo
Return of the Native by T. S. Eliot
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
Enrique's Journey by Sonia Nazario
Allegory & Christian Fiction
The Edge of Eternity by Randy Alcorn
The Ishbane Conspiracy by Randy Alcorn
Lord Foulgrin’s Letters by Randy Alcorn
Biography/Autobiography/Memoir
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin
The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman by Ernest Gaines
An American Childhood by Annie Dillard
All Things Bright and Beautiful by James Herriot
Becoming Odyssa by Jennifer Pharr Davis
Through the Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot
American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham
The Strong Man: John Mitchell and the Secrets of Watergate by James Rosen
Rebel Private: Front and Rear: Memoirs of a Confederate Soldier by William A. Fletcher
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
Profiles in Courage by John F. Kennedy
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave by Frederick Douglass
Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
“Unbroken is a story of a man going through seemingly impossible situations - an Olympic debut, a record-breaking stint adrift at sea, a prisoner of war during WWII, among other things - with a dogged determination. Although full of action and adventure, this story ultimately is about that same man’s redemption when he finds himself back at home attempting to live a normal life. This one of the best books I have ever read, and I think everyone should read it.”
~ Ms. Bufkin
Collections
The Signet Book of American Essays edited by M. Jerry Weiss and Helen S. Weiss
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
Drama
The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
Dystopia
Wool Trilogy by Hugh Howey (pick one book)
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (required for regular English 11)
“This book is wonderful in that it truly sucks you in and makes you think. Never has a book so short had such a big impact on me. Fahrenheit 451 is the suspenseful story a man who lives an empty life in the unspecified future, slowly coming to realize the errors of his society.If you enjoyed dystopians like The Hunger Games, Divergent, and The Giver, you won’t be able to put Fahrenheit 451 down.”
~ Taylor Nicole Rogers, Class of 2015
Fantasy
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain
Historical Fiction
All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren
Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper
The House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Mark of the Lion Series: (one of the following)
Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers
Echo in the Darkness by Francine Rivers
Sure as Dawn by Francine Rivers
“These are some of the best books I’ve ever read, period. If Nicholas Sparks is your cup of tea, Francine Rivers will be your new favorite author. The Mark of the Lion series begins with the story of a young Jewish girl who gets sold into slavery in the Roman Empire and tells the stories of those she encounters along the way. There is romance, deep internal conflict, and even a bit of suspense. I honestly say that these books changed my life, my walk with God, and my relationships with others.”
~ Taylor Nicole Rogers, Class of 2015
My Antonia by Willa Cather
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
“This story follows Lennie and George as they try to make a living working as ranch hands. This short book involves many cute, fuzzy animals, as well as fist fights and a shotgun.”
~ Lauren Silvious, Class of 2015
The Robe by Lloyd C. Douglas
“I went into this book pretty skeptical, but upon finishing I found it to become one of my favorite books. This book follows the story of the roman soldier that won Jesus’ robe in a game of lots at the foot of the cross. It contains so many powerful messages that makes for great practical application.”
~ Christen Barber, Class of 2015
This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald
“This beautifully written and profoundly symbolic novel tells the story of a young man named Amory Blaine who struggles to find himself amidst a face-paced environment. This tale of adolescence will undoubtedly offer you valuable insight about yourself and the world around you as you traverse the same path of Amory Blaine.”
~ Caitlin Kelley, Class of 2015
We the Living by Ayn Rand
Nonfiction
A Separate Battle: Women and the Civil War
Black like Me by John Howard Griffin
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time by Greg Montenson and David Oliver Relin
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann
"The true story about the richest group of people in the world during early 20th century America, their mysterious targeting and murder by those they trusted, and the birth of the modern FBI. This reads like a true crime novel, and will leave you with an understanding of a portion of the American story that is little known."
~ Ms. Bufkin
Romance
Their Eyes were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Science Fiction
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
Nightfall by Isaac Asimov & Robert Silverberg
Southern Literature
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner