Bang Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 So my son is going to be a sophomore and going into AP US History. Today he brought home the summer reading list, and he's to choose two of these to read.. He'd like to hear what the group recommends. The Federalist Papers, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison John Jay The US Constitution The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers - Paul Kennedy The Jungle - UPton Sinclair Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand The Red Badge of Courage - Stephen Crane The Feminine Mystique - Betty Friedan Autobiography of Malcolm X - Alex Haley The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck Silent Spring - Rachel Carson A Century of Dishonor - Helen Hunt Jackson Profiles in Courage - John F Kennedy Uncle Tom's Cabin - Harriet Beecher Stowe Up From Slavery - Booker t Washington The Influence of Sea Power - Alfred T Mahan Eisenhower - Stephan A Ambrose The New deal - Arthur Schlesinger The Mayflower Compact A Letter from Birmingham - Martin Luther King Jr Little Women- Louis May Alcott I know why the caged bird sings - Maya Anjelou My Antonio - Willa Cather Sister Carrie - Theodore Dreisser Nathaniel Hawthorne - Rappacini's Daughter A Farewell to Arms - Ernest Hemingway Their Eyes were watching God = Zora N Hurston Tender is the Night - F Scott Fitzgerald Washington Irving - The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Born on the Fourth of July - Ron Kovic Main Street - Lewis SInclair The Bluest Eye - Toni Morrison A Good Man is Hard To Find - Flannery O'Connor The Fall of the House of Usher - Edgar Allen Poe Walden - Heanry David Thoreau A Streetcar Named Desire - Tennesee Williams ~Bang Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Do Itch Big Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Autobiography of Malcom X Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sticksboi05 Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 A Letter from Birmingham - Martin Luther King Jr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjah Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 I'd say the Federalist Papers and US Constitution are best for a student to get to know in-depth before studying AP US History. Most of the others are important, but not as important as the Constitution. You might make an argument for Uncle Tom in place of the Federalist Papers, just to balance impact to the nation vs. time period across two different selected works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrypticVillain Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Can't go wrong with reading The U.S. Constitution, especially for an AP US History class. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bibby Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Uncle Tom's Cabin and the US constitution would be my picks. The US constitution should be atleast one of his picks for sure. Understanding of that and history class is much easier to understand. The Jungle would be a fun read though. I believe its about the meat packing industry and the horrible conditions that went on in those factories which made congress pass the Meat Inspection Act to give us the the Food and Drug Administration we know today. In a nut shell, I believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goingforburgundy Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 A Streetcar Named Desire - Tennesee Williams Personally I hated every one of those books. I feel most reading material for high schools are garbage and highly irrelevant to todays youth. I personally found them all unappealing and difficult to stay with them. Probably the main reason I have found it so difficult to read books now. I am, however, enjoying the new ESPN book that came out a couple weeks ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renaissance Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 I am currently reading A Farewell to Arms and it's a very easy read. That Catherine Barkley is kind of crazy though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostofSparta Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 My recommendations: The Federalist Papers, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison John Jay The US Constitution The Jungle - Upton Sinclair The Red Badge of Courage - Stephen Crane Autobiography of Malcolm X - Alex Haley The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck Profiles in Courage - John F Kennedy Uncle Tom's Cabin - Harriet Beecher Stowe Up From Slavery - Booker t Washington The Mayflower Compact A Letter from Birmingham - Martin Luther King Jr Their Eyes were watching God = Zora N Hurston Washington Irving - The Legend of Sleepy Hollow The Fall of the House of Usher - Edgar Allen Poe Just due to the fact that of those one the list I've read, I think these are the most likely for a 10th grade boy to tolerate enough to actually finish and not immediately jump to Sparknotes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebluefood Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 In my opinion, every American MUST read the Constitution sometime in their life and know it fairly well. So, the Constitution is a given. Streetcar is a great play, so he maybe well served to read that as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitman21ST Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 The Constitution is a given. Red Badge of Courage is a great read. I would offer up that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Brave Little Toaster Oven Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Autobiography of Malcom X **** Malcolm X. -------- Atlas Shrugged...that should come in handy for college if he does anything govt and politics or econ related The New Deal or the Red Badge of Courage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Do Itch Big Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 **** Malcolm X.-------- Atlas Shrugged...that should come in handy for college if he does anything govt and politics or econ related The New Deal or the Red Badge of Courage I thought it was an interesting read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sticksboi05 Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 I read the R.B.O.C. in like 4th grade, I think I remember liking it a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PleaseBlitz Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 The Jungle would be a fun read though. I believe its about the meat packing industry and the horrible conditions that went on in those factories which made congress pass the Meat Inspection Act to give us the the Food and Drug Administration we know today. In a nut shell, I believe. The Jungle is about the merits of socialism and the evils of capitalism. About 6 pages involve a guy falling into a meat grinder and being turned into sausage because capitalism made conditions suck. Those 6 pages overshadowed the rest of the point of the book, to Sinclairs chagrin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGoodBits Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Well he's got a whole summer...tell him to read them all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosher Ham Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Well he's got a whole summer...tell him to read them all That would be my answer as well. Audio books along with the actual book. By the end of summer he will be set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koala Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 **** Malcolm X. I take it you didnt read the whole book. Great book. Even if it wasnt 100% accurate. I wonder what ur blind hatred is about? Dont read Grapes of Wrath . So overrated. My Antonia --It was a good read, until you realize that it didnt really ahve a point. Walden is potentially life-changing, but I bit heavy if your son is not the thinking type. It has no plot or storyline whatsoever, its jsut the musings of a transcendatilist. Still, there are some gems in the there like: "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation", one of the greatest quotes of all time IMHO>. A farewell to arms is the only true literary masterpiece on the list, IMO. Hemingway>>>>>Steinbeck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
styx491 Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 A lot of good reads on this list, I recommend for class (in order): The US Constitution The Federalist Papers, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison John Jay Uncle Tom's Cabin - Harriet Beecher Stowe A Letter from Birmingham - Martin Luther King Jr The Jungle - Upton Sinclair Then (in no order): The Mayflower Compact I know why the caged bird sings - Maya Anjelou A Farewell to Arms - Ernest Hemingway Washington Irving - The Legend of Sleepy Hollow The Fall of the House of Usher - Edgar Allen Poe The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand The Red Badge of Courage - Stephen Crane Silent Spring - Rachel Carson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hockeysc23 Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Red Badge of Courage and Federalist Papers would be my recommendation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bibby Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 The Jungle is about the merits of socialism and the evils of capitalism. About 6 pages involve a guy falling into a meat grinder and being turned into sausage because capitalism made conditions suck. Those 6 pages overshadowed the rest of the point of the book, to Sinclairs chagrin. Oh okay. I just downloaded the book so I'm going to give it a read. I've never read it, but only heard about it in some of my history classes in college. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperSkinette Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 I highly recommend A Letter From Birmingham as well. I had to read that for my AP English class in high school, and we dissected it from a literary point of view. It's amazing. I know that it's for AP US History, but it obviously has historical as well as literary merit. I actually enjoyed reading it. I also read A Good Man Is Hard to Find--weird, but interesting. That was also for an English class. I'm kind of wondering why it's assigned for AP US, especially since stuff like that is definitely not covered on the AP exam. I know, I know, teachers shouldn't restrict themselves by teaching to the exam, but it's reaaaally far off from the standard AP US curriculum. But I dunno, maybe they've changed it in the 4 years since I've taken it. What does your son have to do after he reads? Write a paper? That would definitely have impacted my choice of readings if I had to choose for myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebluefood Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Am I the only one that couldn't stand the Jungle? It read like an over sized pamphlet for the Socialist Party. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lombardi's_kid_brother Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 A. Do not listen to GoingforBurgandy. B. The Federalist Papers are a must. I read them in high school, in three separate classes in college, and in law school. They are not an easy ready however. I would certainly not sit down and read them straight through. And I would probably not read all of them. You need to get some kind of guide and read them in order of importance along with the section of the Constitution they are referring too AND along with the proper Anti-Federalist Paper. It's not a particularly fun read, but very important. C. The Autobiography of Malcolm X is one of my favorite books. I re-read it every few years. It actually is a surprisingly fun (if crazy at times read). D. I love The Grapes of Wrath. Your mileage may vary. In all honesty, watch the movie first. It's a fantastic film. If your kid likes the movie, he can probably get into the book - which is very different in parts. E. Red Badge of Courage is good, but it can feel like a "school" book. It's a fairly quick read though. F. Profiles in Courage is maybe the most over-rated book in human history. And I say that as Kennedy lover. G. I find Walden boring. "On the Duty of Civil Disobedience" is necessary however. H. There's a huge cult around it, but I think Atlas Shrugged is the worst-written popular book in history. I. I am puzzled why Fitzgerald's fourth best novel is on this list. J. I love Ambrose but he may be a bit beyond a tenth grader. It depends on your kid. K. A Farewell to Arms should be treated as a "treat" not an assignment. I love Hemingway. L. I like Their Eyes Were Watching God more than The Bluest Eye, which I like more than any other Toni Morrison novel. M. I admitted to wife this year that I had not read "Little Women." She did not speak to me for a week. N. I'm not sure The Jungle translates at all to modern audiences. I found it very difficult to read. ---------- Post added June-8th-2011 at 09:43 PM ---------- By the way, I would teach AP history and require "A People's History of the United States" and "Lies My Teacher Told Me" and then I would be fired. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Do Itch Big Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 I thought The Jungle was dull as hell but that was when I was in highschool. Grapes of Wrath was ehh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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