ENGLISH 12
2019-2020 SUMMER READING ENRICHMENT
Download and print the English 12 Summer Reading Assignment.
All rising seniors are encouraged to read a memoir over the summer. The purpose of this reading enrichment is to assist you with the college application process and the college essay writing, on which we plan to focus in the first months of the school year. As you may have learned in previous years, the memoir is a subgenre of creative non-fiction that delves deep into a writer's personal experience and identity. Memoirs have the capacity to be funny, profound, moving, and cynical. Writers draw us into their life and experiences by a distinct voice, reflection, and narrative structure – important elements which you are expected to utilize in your college essay.
You are encouraged to select any memoir that appeals to your interests or pushes your worldview. Feel free to either a) purchase your own copy, b) borrow one from the public library, or c) borrow one from the school library. Please avoid memoirs that you have already read for classes taken.
We have compiled a short list of titles that you may enjoy reading:
- A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
- Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
- The Glass Castle by Jeannette Wall
- Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of Family and Culture in Crisis by J. D. Vance
- I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai
- In the House of the Interpreter by Ngugi Wa Thiong’o
- Leap of Faith by Noor Queen of Jordan
- The Liars’ Club by Mary Karr
- Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive by Stephanie Land
- The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghost by Maxine Hong Kingston
You should give yourself 4-6 hours to read, but don’t try to read the book in one sitting! We look forward to discussing your discoveries within these memoirs!
Have a great summer!
Mrs. Ashburn | Mrs. Satterfield | Mrs. Vasili |
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