Literature
The House on Mango Street
by Sandra Cisneros
The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros, is a series of vignettes about a young girl named Esperanza. It follows the hardships of growing up in a Chicago barrio. Esperanza starts off as a very insecure person, but over the course of the novella, she grows into a confident young woman capable of taking care of herself. I feel that the overuse of symbolism really takes away from the book. It's hard to enjoy reading when you're spending 90% of the time trying to figure out who's talking or what something means. It's a very meaningful book, but it's not enjoyable. I suggest passing this book by and reading something that will actually hook you (like Holes).
Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood
by Benjamin Alire Saenz
The book Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood, by Benjamin Alire Saenz, is about a high schooler named Sammy going through major stages of depression. Sammy's girlfriend, Juliana, dies early on in the book, which is only the start of Sammy's problems. From friends going off to Vietnam (it takes place in the 60's) to family members getting injured, Sammy really has a bad time. This book made me teary-eyed a couple of times, and I felt the book was very meaningful. It became a little hard for me to read, due to the characters making fun of "gringos" on almost every single page, but I feel this book is a good read. I would definitely recommend giving it a consideration.
Antigone
by Sophocles
Antigone is an ancient Greek play written by Sophocles. It is about a young girl named Antigone who buries her brother, Polynieces. This is in direct violation to a law decreed by the king, Creon, who declared that Polynieces should not be buried because he betrayed his home country. Antigone gets sentenced to death, and when Creon realizes the foolishness of his actions, it is too late. I think this play is pretty well written, considering it is from ancient Greece. If you don't know the backstory, though, it can be difficult to understand. You should definately give this play a look.
My Sister's Keeper
by Jodi Picoult
My Sister's Keeper, by Jodi Picoult, follows the lives of a family and how they deal with their oldest daughter, Kate, who has lukemia. Anna, Kate's sister, has been an organ donor for Kate ever since she was born. If Kate looses anything important, Anna has to give part of her's to kate. Anna ends up suing her parents to the right to her own body because she is tired of the pain of having to donate organs. She gets an attourney named Campbell and the whole story ensues. I won't spoil anything because of plot twists, but I liked this book a lot. It is my favorite one that we have read in class so far, and it opened my eyes to issues I was previously unaware of.
Of Mice and Men
by John Steinbeck
Of Mice and Men is a classic book written by John Steinbeck. It tells the tale of two travelers, George and Lennie, looking for work in California during the Great Depression. They eventually end up at a farm where they get jobs. The two have to overcome discrimination of many types in the story, including discrimination of the elderly, skin color, gender, and even mental condition. As with a lot of classics, I found it a little hard to understand this book, and it tries so hard to be symbolic that I sometimes found myself bored. The ending is very sad, though, and I think it was a good read overall.
The Art of Racing in the Rain
by Garth Stein
The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein, is written from the point of view of a dog named Enzo. Enzo tells the ups and downs of his owner's life through his eyes, everything from Denny meeting his wife, to her passing, to the fight for custody of his daughter with his parents-in-law, and everything in between. Enzo's only wish, to be human. In the end, Denny ends up with custody of his daughter, Zoe, and he gets his dream job of testing cars in Italy for Ferrari because he maintained a kind and positive approach throughout all of the problems he faced. I enjoyed this book when it talked about Denny's life, but the chapters where Enzo compares life to racing bored me.
Romeo and Juliet
by William Shakespeare
The play, Romeo and Juliet, was written by William Shakespeare. It is the tale of forbidden love between young lovers, Romeo and Juliet, who are divided between two fighting families. The long-standing quarrel between the Capulets and the Montagues prevents Romeo and Juliet from being able to profess their love openly. Romeo and Juliet ends in tragedy. Because they cannot profess their love openly, fate intervenes and causes Romeo to kill himself, believing Juliet is dead. When Juliet discovers the death of her husband, she kills herself, wanting to be with her lover through eternity. Their deaths, however, bring to a final close the age-old quarrel between the Capulets and Montagues.
Dear Zoe
by Philip Beard
Dear Zoe, by Philip Beard, is about a girl named Tess who's sister died from being struck by a car on September 11, 2001. The story is written from the point of view of Tess, but it is supposed to be written as a lengthy letter to Zoe, probably to help Tess deal with the troubles she is going through. Tess ends up meeting a boy named Jimmy Freeze, who she ends up falling in love with and smoking pot with. Jimmy eventually ends up getting arrested. The problem with this book is that I could never really figure out the plot. I was always asking myself what the purpose of the book was because too much was happening.