Recommended Novels & Works of Non-Fiction
AP & US History - 2019/20 Parallel Reading Assignment Options
Parallel reading choices: Quarter One
1776 by David McCullough - American Revolution military strategy (NF)
The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd - Grimke Sisters, plantation daughters turned abolitionists
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe - Antebellum slavery (K)
Walden by Henry David Thoreau (NF) (A - ESCC) (99)
Ahab’s Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave by Frederick Douglass (K) (NF)
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell - South during the Antebellum, Civil War, & Reconstruction Eras
Beloved by Toni Morrison - Escaped slaves living in Ohio during late Antebellum period (A - ESCC)
Parallel reading choices: Quarter Two
The Virginian by Owen Wister - ranchers, late 1800s, Wyoming
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith - Gilded Age, Irish immigration
Orphan Train: A Novel by Christina Baker Kline - Gilded Age, Irish immigration
A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner - Gilded Age NYC & September 11, 2001 NYC parallel
Elizabeth Street by Laurie Fabiano - Gilded Age NYC, Little Italy, Mafia, from perspective of Italian female immigrant
Parallel reading choices: Quarter Three
Their Eyes were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston - racism in early 20th century Florida
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair - Meat-packing industry, Chicago, Progressive Era (K) (A - ESCC)
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - 1920s, New York (A - ESCC)
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway - 1920s, fishing
The Aviator's Wife: A Novel by Melanie Benjamin - 1920s - 1960s, Charles "Lucky Lindy" & Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Some Luck by Jane Smiley - chronicle of an Iowa farm family from the end of WWI, through the Roaring 20s, the Great Depression, and WWII
Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck - 1930s, Great Depression, Okies
In Harm's Way: the Sinking of the USS Indianapolis & the Extraordinary Story of its Survivors by Doug Stanton - WWII, Pacific theatre (NF)
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay - WWII, France, Holocaust (A - ESCC)
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows & Mary Ann Shaffer - WWII, London (A - ESCC)
Parallel reading choices: Quarter Four
On the Road by Jack Kerouac - 1940s, coming of age (A - ESCC)
Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger - 1950s, nonconformist
The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X, as told to Alex Haley - 1960s, civil rights (NF)
The Water is Wide by Pat Conroy - 1960s, Daufuski Island, South Carolina (NF)
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien - Vietnam War
AP & US Government - 2018/19 Parallel Reading Assignment Options
Assignment: two books over summer, one book per semester
Summer Reading (both are required):
We Have Always Lived in The Castle by Shirley Jackson (English) (A - YT)
1984 by George Orwell (Social Studies) (A - YT)
Quarter One:
Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson (NF)
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (A - ESCC) (99)
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot ethics, race, medicine (NF, A - ESCC)
Quarter Two:
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse (A - ESCC) (99)
All’s Fair in Love, War, & Running for President by Mary Matalin and James Carville (NF)
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (A - ESCC)
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
Quarter Three:
The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap by Paulette Mahurin
The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (99)
Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow (NF)
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Quarter Four:
The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood (A - ESCC)
The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan
Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut (A - ESCC)
Silent Spring by Rachel Carson (NF)
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (A - YT
Growing up Bin Laden by Omar Bin Laden, son, and Najwa Bin Laden, first wife (NF)
(K) indicates a work available for free via Kindle
(99) indicates a work available for $0.99 via Kindle
(NF) indicates a nonfiction work
(A) indicates an audio version available for free
(A - ESCC) indicates its free in OverDrive via ESCC - dual enrollment students
(A - YT) indicates its free via youtube
*All students are welcome to use audiobook versions of the texts, but in order to reap the maximum benefits of the summer reading, they should also access text versions and follow along in the text as they listen. Additionally, students might need to have access to text versions in order to complete class activities and writing assignments in the fall.
Parallel reading choices: Quarter One
1776 by David McCullough - American Revolution military strategy (NF)
The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd - Grimke Sisters, plantation daughters turned abolitionists
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe - Antebellum slavery (K)
Walden by Henry David Thoreau (NF) (A - ESCC) (99)
Ahab’s Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave by Frederick Douglass (K) (NF)
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell - South during the Antebellum, Civil War, & Reconstruction Eras
Beloved by Toni Morrison - Escaped slaves living in Ohio during late Antebellum period (A - ESCC)
Parallel reading choices: Quarter Two
The Virginian by Owen Wister - ranchers, late 1800s, Wyoming
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith - Gilded Age, Irish immigration
Orphan Train: A Novel by Christina Baker Kline - Gilded Age, Irish immigration
A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner - Gilded Age NYC & September 11, 2001 NYC parallel
Elizabeth Street by Laurie Fabiano - Gilded Age NYC, Little Italy, Mafia, from perspective of Italian female immigrant
Parallel reading choices: Quarter Three
Their Eyes were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston - racism in early 20th century Florida
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair - Meat-packing industry, Chicago, Progressive Era (K) (A - ESCC)
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - 1920s, New York (A - ESCC)
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway - 1920s, fishing
The Aviator's Wife: A Novel by Melanie Benjamin - 1920s - 1960s, Charles "Lucky Lindy" & Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Some Luck by Jane Smiley - chronicle of an Iowa farm family from the end of WWI, through the Roaring 20s, the Great Depression, and WWII
Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck - 1930s, Great Depression, Okies
In Harm's Way: the Sinking of the USS Indianapolis & the Extraordinary Story of its Survivors by Doug Stanton - WWII, Pacific theatre (NF)
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay - WWII, France, Holocaust (A - ESCC)
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows & Mary Ann Shaffer - WWII, London (A - ESCC)
Parallel reading choices: Quarter Four
On the Road by Jack Kerouac - 1940s, coming of age (A - ESCC)
Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger - 1950s, nonconformist
The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X, as told to Alex Haley - 1960s, civil rights (NF)
The Water is Wide by Pat Conroy - 1960s, Daufuski Island, South Carolina (NF)
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien - Vietnam War
AP & US Government - 2018/19 Parallel Reading Assignment Options
Assignment: two books over summer, one book per semester
Summer Reading (both are required):
We Have Always Lived in The Castle by Shirley Jackson (English) (A - YT)
1984 by George Orwell (Social Studies) (A - YT)
Quarter One:
Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson (NF)
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (A - ESCC) (99)
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot ethics, race, medicine (NF, A - ESCC)
Quarter Two:
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse (A - ESCC) (99)
All’s Fair in Love, War, & Running for President by Mary Matalin and James Carville (NF)
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (A - ESCC)
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
Quarter Three:
The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap by Paulette Mahurin
The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (99)
Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow (NF)
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Quarter Four:
The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood (A - ESCC)
The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan
Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut (A - ESCC)
Silent Spring by Rachel Carson (NF)
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (A - YT
Growing up Bin Laden by Omar Bin Laden, son, and Najwa Bin Laden, first wife (NF)
(K) indicates a work available for free via Kindle
(99) indicates a work available for $0.99 via Kindle
(NF) indicates a nonfiction work
(A) indicates an audio version available for free
(A - ESCC) indicates its free in OverDrive via ESCC - dual enrollment students
(A - YT) indicates its free via youtube
*All students are welcome to use audiobook versions of the texts, but in order to reap the maximum benefits of the summer reading, they should also access text versions and follow along in the text as they listen. Additionally, students might need to have access to text versions in order to complete class activities and writing assignments in the fall.
Recommended Films & TV series
AP & US History (*denotes R rating)
The Last of the Mohicans (1992): French & Indian War (starring Daniel Day Lewis)*
John Adams (2008): HBO series (Amazon Prime & Hulu), 7 episodes (starring Paul Giamatti & Laura Linney)*
The Patriot (2000): American Revolution (starring Mel Gibson)*
Glory (1989): 54th Massachusetts; all black regiment during Civil War (starring Matthew Broderick)*
Lincoln (2012): President Lincoln & the 13th Amendment (starring Daniel Day Lewis & Sally Field)
Gangs of New York (2002): lower east side Manhattan, gangs, during and post-Civil War (starring Leonardo DiCaprio & Cameron Diaz)*
Far & Away (1992): Gilded Age - Irish immigration (starring Tom Cruise & Nicole Kidman)
Hell on Wheels (2011 - ); TV series (AMC, Netflix) - building the railroads, the West
Tombstone (1993): the Old West (starring Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer)*
Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee (2007): Native American reservation system (Not Rated)
Lonesome Dove (1989), TV mini series: Cowboys (starring Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones, Diane Lane)
The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000): golf in the 1920s (starring Matt Damon & Will Smith)
Boardwalk Empire (HBO series): Atlantic City crime and corruption in the 1920s (starring Steve Buscemi)
The Godfather (1970s, trilogy): organized crime (starring Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, etc.)*
Public Enemies (2008): 1920s/30s - organized crime, John Dillinger (starring Johnny Depp)*
Cinderella Man (1998): boxing in the 1930s/Great Depression (starring Russell Crowe & Renee Zellweger)
Band of Brothers (2001), HBO mini series: US soldiers fighting in Europe during WWII (directed by Tom Hanks)*
Good Night & Good Luck (1996): 1950s & 2nd red scare (starring George Clooney, Laura Linney, etc.)
J. Edgar (2012): FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover and 50 years of anti-communism (starring Leonard Di Caprio)*
Remember the Titans (2000): Virginia high school football team deals with school integration in the 1960s (starring Denzel Washington)
All the Way (2016): LBJ assumes the presidency after JFK assassination - civil rights, Vietnam, political war (starring Bryan Cranston & Anthony Mackie)
All the President's Men (1976): Watergate (starring Dustin Hoffman & Robert Redford)
American Gangster (2007): 1970s New York drug empire (starring Denzel Washington)*
Charlie Wilson's War (2007): Texas congressman's covert dealings to aid Afghans from Soviet takeover in 1979 (starring Tom Hanks & Julia Roberts)*
Argo (2012): Iranian Hostage Crisis (starring Ben Affleck)*
AP & US Government (* denotes R rating)
The West Wing (1999 - 2006); TV Series - all 7 seasons available on Netflix - written by Aaron Sorkin; loosely based on the Clinton administration (starring Martin Sheen, Rob Lowe, Allison Janney, Bradley Whitfield, Richard Schiff, etc.)
Madam Secretary (2014 - ); TV Series - airs on CBS and available on Netflix - former CIA agent becomes Secretary of State (starring Tea Leoni, Tim Daly, etc.)
Feature Films Assignment Options:
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939): A naive man is appointed to fill a vacancy in the US Senate and his plans promptly collide with political corruption (starring Jimmy Stewart)
On the Waterfront (1954): unions and corruption (starring Marlon Brando)
The Manchurian Candidate (1962): A former POW is brainwashed as an unwitting assassin for an international Communist conspiracy (starring Frank Sinatra) - must watch this version
Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964): An insane general triggers a path to nuclear holocaust that a war room full of politicians and generals frantically try to stop
The Candidate (1972): a candidate for the U.S. Senate from California has no hope of winning, so he is willing to tweak the establishment (starring Robert Redford)
All the President's Men (1976): Washington Post reporters uncover the details of the Watergate scandal that leads to President Nixon's resignation (starring Robert Redford & Dustin Hoffman)
Norma Rae (1979): A young single mother and textile worker agree to help unionize a mill despite the problems and dangers involved (starring Sally Field)
The China Syndrome (1988): a nuclear disaster and political ineptitude (starring Jane Fonda & Frank Lemon)
Mississippi Burning (1988): Two FBI agents with different styles arrive in Mississippi to investigate the disappearance of some civil rights activists (starring Gene Hackman & Frances McDormand)*
The Milagro Beanfield War (1988): water rights and immigration (Robert Redford)*
Wag the Dog (1997): Shortly before an election, a spin-doctor and a Hollywood producer join efforts to fabricate a war in order to cover up a presidential sex scandal (starring Dustin Hoffman, Robert de Niro, Anne Heche)*
Primary Colors (1998): A man joins the political campaign of a smooth-operator candidate for president (starring John Travolta, Kathy Bates, Emma Thompson)*
Thirteen Days (2000): A dramatization of the Kennedy administration's struggle to contain the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962 (starring Kevin Costner, etc)
Syriana (2005): A politically-charged epic about the state of the oil industry in the hands of those personally involved and effected by it.(starring George Clooney, Matt Damon)*
Good Night; Good Luck (2005): Broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow looks to bring down Sen Joseph McCarthy (starring George Clooney, Patricia Clarkson)
Thank You for Smoking (2005): Satirical comedy follows the machinations of Big Tobacco's chief spokesman, Nick Naylor, who spins on behalf of cigarettes while trying to remain a role model for his son (Starring Aaron Eckhart)*
Charlie Wilson's War (2007): Texas congressman Charlie Wilson's covert dealings in Afghanistan in 1979 (starring Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Philip Seymour Hoffman)*
Frost/Nixon (2008): A dramatic retelling of the post-Watergate television interviews between British talk-show host David Frost and former president Richard Nixon (starring Frank Langella, Kevin Bacon)*
Milk (2008): The story of Harvey Milk and his struggles as an American gay activist who became California's first openly gay elected official (starring Sean Penn, Josh Brolin)*
Lincoln (2012): President Lincoln & the 13th Amendment (starring Daniel Day Lewis & Sally Field)
The Last of the Mohicans (1992): French & Indian War (starring Daniel Day Lewis)*
John Adams (2008): HBO series (Amazon Prime & Hulu), 7 episodes (starring Paul Giamatti & Laura Linney)*
The Patriot (2000): American Revolution (starring Mel Gibson)*
Glory (1989): 54th Massachusetts; all black regiment during Civil War (starring Matthew Broderick)*
Lincoln (2012): President Lincoln & the 13th Amendment (starring Daniel Day Lewis & Sally Field)
Gangs of New York (2002): lower east side Manhattan, gangs, during and post-Civil War (starring Leonardo DiCaprio & Cameron Diaz)*
Far & Away (1992): Gilded Age - Irish immigration (starring Tom Cruise & Nicole Kidman)
Hell on Wheels (2011 - ); TV series (AMC, Netflix) - building the railroads, the West
Tombstone (1993): the Old West (starring Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer)*
Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee (2007): Native American reservation system (Not Rated)
Lonesome Dove (1989), TV mini series: Cowboys (starring Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones, Diane Lane)
The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000): golf in the 1920s (starring Matt Damon & Will Smith)
Boardwalk Empire (HBO series): Atlantic City crime and corruption in the 1920s (starring Steve Buscemi)
The Godfather (1970s, trilogy): organized crime (starring Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, etc.)*
Public Enemies (2008): 1920s/30s - organized crime, John Dillinger (starring Johnny Depp)*
Cinderella Man (1998): boxing in the 1930s/Great Depression (starring Russell Crowe & Renee Zellweger)
Band of Brothers (2001), HBO mini series: US soldiers fighting in Europe during WWII (directed by Tom Hanks)*
Good Night & Good Luck (1996): 1950s & 2nd red scare (starring George Clooney, Laura Linney, etc.)
J. Edgar (2012): FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover and 50 years of anti-communism (starring Leonard Di Caprio)*
Remember the Titans (2000): Virginia high school football team deals with school integration in the 1960s (starring Denzel Washington)
All the Way (2016): LBJ assumes the presidency after JFK assassination - civil rights, Vietnam, political war (starring Bryan Cranston & Anthony Mackie)
All the President's Men (1976): Watergate (starring Dustin Hoffman & Robert Redford)
American Gangster (2007): 1970s New York drug empire (starring Denzel Washington)*
Charlie Wilson's War (2007): Texas congressman's covert dealings to aid Afghans from Soviet takeover in 1979 (starring Tom Hanks & Julia Roberts)*
Argo (2012): Iranian Hostage Crisis (starring Ben Affleck)*
AP & US Government (* denotes R rating)
The West Wing (1999 - 2006); TV Series - all 7 seasons available on Netflix - written by Aaron Sorkin; loosely based on the Clinton administration (starring Martin Sheen, Rob Lowe, Allison Janney, Bradley Whitfield, Richard Schiff, etc.)
Madam Secretary (2014 - ); TV Series - airs on CBS and available on Netflix - former CIA agent becomes Secretary of State (starring Tea Leoni, Tim Daly, etc.)
Feature Films Assignment Options:
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939): A naive man is appointed to fill a vacancy in the US Senate and his plans promptly collide with political corruption (starring Jimmy Stewart)
On the Waterfront (1954): unions and corruption (starring Marlon Brando)
The Manchurian Candidate (1962): A former POW is brainwashed as an unwitting assassin for an international Communist conspiracy (starring Frank Sinatra) - must watch this version
Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964): An insane general triggers a path to nuclear holocaust that a war room full of politicians and generals frantically try to stop
The Candidate (1972): a candidate for the U.S. Senate from California has no hope of winning, so he is willing to tweak the establishment (starring Robert Redford)
All the President's Men (1976): Washington Post reporters uncover the details of the Watergate scandal that leads to President Nixon's resignation (starring Robert Redford & Dustin Hoffman)
Norma Rae (1979): A young single mother and textile worker agree to help unionize a mill despite the problems and dangers involved (starring Sally Field)
The China Syndrome (1988): a nuclear disaster and political ineptitude (starring Jane Fonda & Frank Lemon)
Mississippi Burning (1988): Two FBI agents with different styles arrive in Mississippi to investigate the disappearance of some civil rights activists (starring Gene Hackman & Frances McDormand)*
The Milagro Beanfield War (1988): water rights and immigration (Robert Redford)*
Wag the Dog (1997): Shortly before an election, a spin-doctor and a Hollywood producer join efforts to fabricate a war in order to cover up a presidential sex scandal (starring Dustin Hoffman, Robert de Niro, Anne Heche)*
Primary Colors (1998): A man joins the political campaign of a smooth-operator candidate for president (starring John Travolta, Kathy Bates, Emma Thompson)*
Thirteen Days (2000): A dramatization of the Kennedy administration's struggle to contain the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962 (starring Kevin Costner, etc)
Syriana (2005): A politically-charged epic about the state of the oil industry in the hands of those personally involved and effected by it.(starring George Clooney, Matt Damon)*
Good Night; Good Luck (2005): Broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow looks to bring down Sen Joseph McCarthy (starring George Clooney, Patricia Clarkson)
Thank You for Smoking (2005): Satirical comedy follows the machinations of Big Tobacco's chief spokesman, Nick Naylor, who spins on behalf of cigarettes while trying to remain a role model for his son (Starring Aaron Eckhart)*
Charlie Wilson's War (2007): Texas congressman Charlie Wilson's covert dealings in Afghanistan in 1979 (starring Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Philip Seymour Hoffman)*
Frost/Nixon (2008): A dramatic retelling of the post-Watergate television interviews between British talk-show host David Frost and former president Richard Nixon (starring Frank Langella, Kevin Bacon)*
Milk (2008): The story of Harvey Milk and his struggles as an American gay activist who became California's first openly gay elected official (starring Sean Penn, Josh Brolin)*
Lincoln (2012): President Lincoln & the 13th Amendment (starring Daniel Day Lewis & Sally Field)