High School Book LIst - Federal Way Public Schools

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High School Supplementary Reading List
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Note from Underground Dostoyevsky, Fyodor Dostoyevsky‘s most revolutionary novel, Notes from Underground marks the dividing line
between 19th- and 20th- century fiction, and between the visions of self each century
embodied. One of the most remarkable characters in literature, the unnamed narrator is a
former official who has defiantly withdrawn into an underground existence. In full retreat from
society, he scrawls a passionate, obsessive, self-contradictory narrative that serves as a
devastating attack on social utopianism and an assertion of man‘s essentially irrational nature.
Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, whose Dostoevsky translations have become the
standard, give us a brilliantly faithful edition of this classic novel, conveying all the tragedy and
tormented comedy of the original. Note: This book may contain offensive material.
Occurrence At Owl Creek
Bridge, An
Bierce, Ambrose Tells the story of a man who may die for his transgressions during war time. There is a twist
that reveals the craft of storytelling so well done by Bierce.
Oedipus Rex Sophocles Probably Sophocles‘ most famous work, first performed about 429 B.C. Oedipus unknowingly
murders his father, Laius, and marries his own mother, Jocasta. Violence and sexual
references.
Of Mice and Men Steinbeck, John Novella by John Steinbeck, published in 1937. The tragic story, given poignancy by its
objective narrative, is about the complex bond between two migrant laborers. The book, which
was adapted by Steinbeck into a three-act play (produced 1937), earned him national renown.
The plot centers on George Milton and Lennie Small, itinerant ranch hands who dream of one
day owning a small farm. George acts as a father figure to Lennie, who is large and
simpleminded, calming him and helping to rein in his immense physical strength. Violence
and sexual references.
Old Man and the Sea, The Hemingway, Ernest The Old Man and the Sea is one of Hemingway's most enduring works. Told in language of
great simplicity and power, it is the story of an old Cuban fisherman, down on his luck, and his
supreme ordeal -- a relentless, agonizing battle with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream.
Here Hemingway recasts, in strikingly contemporary style, the classic theme of courage in the
face of defeat, of personal triumph won from loss. Written in 1952, this hugely successful
novella confirmed his power and presence in the literary world and played a large part in his
winning the 1954 Nobel Prize for Literature.
On the Beach Shute, Nevil On the Beach is set in Australia just after a nuclear war has devastated the northern
hemisphere, with radioactive fallout killing those who escaped the actual explosions. It
transpires that not only is everyone in the northern hemisphere dead, but that the air
circulation patterns have only slowed the arrival of fallout to the southern hemisphere.
Ostensibly about nuclear war, it is really an examination of how people live and what they do
with their lives when they have certain foreknowledge of their imminent mortality. Nevil
Shute‘s optimism is still present in a veiled form: he does not envision a violent breakdown in
society, his characters do not riot, but try their best to cope with the inevitable and muddle with
it—not ―muddle through,‖ as, in this case, this is impossible. The last chapters describe how
the characters, beset by advancing radiation sickness make their individual decisions about
when and how to end their lives.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo‘s
Nest
Kesey, Ken An inmate of a mental institution tries to find the freedom and independence denied him in the
outside world. Note: This book may contain offensive material.
One Hundred Great Essays Diyanni, Robert One hundred of the most exemplary and rewarding selections available in the English
language. The anthology combines classic essays of great instructional value together with
the most frequently anthologized essays of recent note by today‘s most highly regarded
writers. The selections exhibit a broad range of diversity in subject matter and authorship. All
essays have been selected for their utility as both models for writing and for their usefulness
as springboard for independent writing. An introductory section informs readers about the
qualities of the essay form and offers instruction on how to read essays critically and use the
writing process to develop their own essays. For those interested in learning about reading,
writing and critical thinking by studying examples of great writing.
Othello Shakespeare,
William
Towering tragedy tells the story of a Moorish general who earns the enmity of his ensign Iago.
Masterly portrait of an arch villain. Note: This play may contain offensive material.
Owl Moon Yolen, Jane Children‘s book. A girl and her father go owling on a moonlit winter night near the farm where
they live. Bundled tight in wool clothes, they trudge through snow "whiter than the milk in a
cereal bowl;" here and there, hidden in ink-blue shadows, a fox, raccoon, field mouse and deer
watch them pass. An air of expectancy builds as Pa imitates the Great Horned Owl's call once
without answer, then again. From out of the darkness "an echo/ came threading its way/
through the trees." Caldecott Medal winner.
High School 2011-12