AP Literature & Composition

Summer ASSIGNMENT

Students should read the welcome letter from Ms. Sauser, which can be found here: Welcome to AP Literature and Composition!

Part I: The first part of your summer reading assignment requires you to read one of the four texts below and fill out a Major Works Data Sheet. The Major Works Data Sheet must be handwritten. The only information that should come from online sources is for the "biographical information" and "historical information" sections; all other sections should be completed with your own ideas that stem from your reading. Additional guidelines can be found here.

Please bring the hand written, completed data sheet to class on the first day of school.

Part II: You will also write an introductory letter. Your letter will introduce yourself to Ms. Sauser and provide reflective ideas concerning the novel you selected for your summer read. Details for the letter are included in the above welcome letter link and a sample letter written by a former student is included here: Sample Introductory Letter With Literary Response.

Student introductory letters should be typed, printed, and brought to class on the first day of school. Please email Ms. Sauser over the summer if you have questions.

If you are new to the school or have any questions, please contact Ms. Sauser at amysauser@skuttcatholic.com.

HAPPY READING!

Summer Reading Selections: Please select ONE of the texts listed below.

The Grapes of Wrath

By: John Steinbeck (1939)

From Amazon: "Set during the hardships of the Great Depression, The Grapes of Wrath follows the Joad family on an epic, high-stakes road trip to California in search of survival, freedom, and a future. It is a powerful, gritty story of resilience and rebellion that challenges what it truly means to fight for your family and dignity when the whole world is stacked against you." (528 pages)

*Content warning: This novel contains brief references to promiscuity, sexuality, and does contain the presence of profanity.

Silas Marner

By: George Eliot (1861)

From Amazon: "Spurned by his community and betrayed by his best friend, a bitter, isolated weaver shuts out the world to hoard a growing pile of gold until his fortune is stolen and replaced by a mysterious, golden-haired orphan girl. This heartwarming and redemptive tale explores how unexpected love can heal a broken soul and completely transform a person's life when they least expect it." (151 pages)

*This book does not contain objectionable material.

Things Fall Apart

By: Chinua Achebe (1958)

From Amazon: "Chinua Achebe's powerful novel follows Okonkwo, a proud and respected warrior in Nigeria, as he struggles to maintain his culture's traditions in the face of British colonialism. It is a tragic look at how a single man's life and an entire society's identity begin to crumble when outside forces and internal conflicts collide." (224 pages)

*Content warning: This novel includes domestic violence, ritual killing, and suicide. These elements are not included for shock value, but to provide an authentic unsentimental portrait of a culture in transition.

Where the Crawdads Sing

By: Delia Owens (2018)

From Amazon: "This novel tells the story of Kya, a resourcesful girl abandoned by his family who raises herself in the quiet marshes of the North Carlina coast. When a local golden boy is found dead, the "Marsh Girl" becomes the prime suspect, forcing a collision between her isolated world and the judgmental townspeople who never accepted her." (400 pages)

*Content warning: This novel includes domestic violence, attempted sexual assault, brief sexual encounters, and racial slurs. This book is a study of human resilience and survival and the mature content is purposeful in establishing characterization.