Vincent traveled the same route for fifteen years. He wandered through the lives of the people his route from births to deaths. He was an observer as well as the deliverer of bad and good news. It happened around him. Then he captures them in a series of short stories.
Beware of Cat is interesting option for the 10th graders. It is one of the summer reading options. A quick read and straight forward. It is about people and families and neighborhoods. No secret messages or special mystical powers. Average people living regular lives.
I've now read four of the 10th grade books. All from male point of view. I have to think about that. Two are young males growing up. Two are through the eyes of mature (older) males. All good summer reading. I think we need to find some female authors for options for next summer's reading list. The 9th grade book is about a young male growing up. I guess we introduce women in the 11th and 12th grades.
If you have suggestions for books, send them along. The 11 and 12 grade reading lists are long. We do read a great deal of literature during the school year. The summer is not meant to be a major pain.
2 comments:
The Latehomecomer is from a woman's perspective. We--the 10th grade English Teachers--were looking this summer for non fiction from local authors and also books that were lighter and more uplifting in tone. We have received some criticism from students that our offerings are on the depressing side. If you look at the 10th grade reading list this year--The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, Catcher in the Rye, The Things They Carried, Of Mice and Men, Macbeth, Oedipus Rex, Their Eyes Were Watching God, and Our Town--one certainly has to accept that this criticism is valid. So too is your criticism on the paucity of female writers, but there are two. I'm kicking myself for not getting to The Blue Jay's Dance: a birth year by Louise Erdrich. Anybody read it? Any good?
Clarification. The fictional titles I referred to yesterday are the books the 10th graders will read during the academic year. The 10th grade summer reading list posted on the SW website is correct and what incoming 10th graders should choose from for credit on the summer reading assignment.
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