9th grade reading options poll

[UffishThought]

I have to pick 3-5 books from this list, to cover in my regular 9th grade English class next year. Most of the books on the list I've never read, and though I'm going to try my best in the 2 months before school starts, I don't know that I can cover everything.

So--this is what I'm hoping for. I want both votes and specific advice. So please vote for up to 5 of the book options that you think are worth covering in class, and then if you have opinions about or even memories of any of the titles on the list (not just ones you voted for) I'd love to hear what you have to say. Did you like it or hate it? Did you find it simple or confusing? Was it squeaky clean or scarringly vulgar? Do you think 9th graders would be up to it?

[UffishThought]

Bonus: there are a few titles we don't have enough copies for the whole class, but we COULD replace one of the main titles with a literature circle--where the class splits into groups and each groups reads a different novel (usually with some unifying thread) and then they discuss in groups and then again as a class. I'd love any info you have on those books, too, and which ones you'd group into a lit circle and why you picked those ones. They are:

Journey of Ibn Fattouma
Black Hawk Down
Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: an African Childhood
Poisonwood Bible
Power of One
Purple Hibiscus
Tears of the Giraffe
We Wish to Inform You that Tomorrow We Will be Killed with Our Families: Stories of Rwanda
What is the What
Becoming Madame Mao
Fallen Angels
The Good Earth
Iron and Silk
Kitchen
Kitchen God's Wife
Memoirs of a Geisha
Raise the Red Lantern
Red Scarf Girl
To Live
Habibi
Light Years: A Novel
Palestine
Persepolis 1 & 2
Princess
Three Cups of Tea
Always Running
Bless Me Ultima
Dreaming in Cuban
Imagining Argentina
Motorcycle Diaries
Parrot in the Oven
Rule of the Bone
Zorro

[Whistler]

I voted for Catcher in the Rye and Siddhartha, because I think you could have interesting discussions of Buddhism with them (I guess I'm a compare and contrast kind of person).

I've read In the Time of Butterflies, I think. It's about a bunch of women who participate in the resistance in the DR against Trujillo? We read it in my Dominican-American literature class in grad school. Your kids might like it because it has kind of a dystopian feel, while still being about historical events. You could discuss the ethics of embellishing historical narratives and pros/cons of dictators and bloody revolutions.

Have you read No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency? It's an easy, charming read. I'm a little surprised to see it on the reading list. It does have a woman protagonist, and she's not just some young angsty thing. It's set in Botswana, I think? I remember when I read it that they drank roiboos and I was like "hey I love that tea."

Life of Pi - honestly the most interesting thing to discuss on this one is the ending and truth in narrative and how sometimes a clever fiction has more impact than some bloody terribly truth. You might be able to tie it in with In the Time of Butterflies in the theme of "fiction makes truth more real/interesting" or something like that.

[Genuine Article]

No. 1 Ladies seems like it could pair nicely with I Know Why the caged Bird Sings.

[Emiliana]

MONSTER. I love this book. It's about a teenage boy who's on trial for murder, and portions of it are written as a screenplay. Walter Dean Myers consciously writes stories that appeal to young black males, but I think this would appeal to other audiences as well, and white kids need a better understanding of black kids anyway. (Not sure what kind of racial makeup your school has.)

Catcher in the Rye is a good coming-of-age story. Lots of cussing, a little bit of sexuality, but nothing outrageous. Angsty kids will relate to it.

Life of Pi is probably too philosophically complex for regular freshman, although I liked it a lot myself.

I know nothing about Enrique's Journey, but if it's got a good Hispanic protagonist, you should use it.

[UffishThought]

(Not sure what kind of racial makeup your school has.)

It's a fairly high socioeconomic area, so probably rich white kids. Plusses and minuses, there. I'm guessing they'll be able to handle a little more than most regular English 9 kids because their parents and teachers have pushed them, but they won't be superheroes.

And the way they organize the English classes is by geography, actually. 9th grade is "global" which apparently means "anywhere that's not Europe or America." Most of the books on the list are organized into 4 categories--Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and South America. Anyway, there should be a few with Hispanic protagonists.

[UffishThought]

Ugh, you all like Catcher in the Rye? I've started it twice now and haven't been able to finish. The first time because I was younger and had less tolerance for swearing, the second time because the main character is so angsty I wanted to slap him.

Then again, I couldn't get through Emma because I thought she was immature and horrible, but I liked it when I was finally forced to read it for a class.

Maybe if I find it as a book on tape I'll at least be able to power through.

[vorpal blade]

The only book in your lists that I've read was Catcher in the Rye. I was forced to read this book in High School (back in the early 1960's), and consider it the worst book I've ever read. Worst pointless story, worst written.

I did see the movie The Life of Pi. It was interesting, but I thought too caught up with itself.

I have two daughters who recently graduated from BYU with a major in English. I'll see if they have any suggestions for you.

[mic0]

On the one hand, I understand the significance of "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings," and I recognize its literary merit, and the author was an amazing woman who did many great things in her life. On the other hand, I was in 10th grade when we had to read it, and I didn't like it at all. I think I was too young and naive. I wish it had been presented with better context of its significance, because I just didn't "get it." Just a thought. (Also, it is possible it *was* presented in context and I was just too wrapped up in myself to notice.)

[Portia]

My mom passionately hated Catcher in the Rye. Surprisingly to me, I never did read it.

[The Moo]

The only one of those I've actually read and not put on my I'll read this someday list, is Catcher in the Rye. I found it horrendously painful. I don't know if it was the stream of consciousness thing, or just the character's stream of consciousness, but by the end I not only understood why he was suicidal, I was hoping he'd succeed so that the book would finally, painfully end.

[The Moo]

On the other hand, a nephew who was living with me at the time read both Kite Runner and Life of Pi as a sophomore and loved them both....

[Imogen]

I find Catcher in the Rye obnoxious. Your students sound like the kids I went to school with, and reading that book made their behavior UNBEARABLE for an entire quarter. I think teachers hesitate to expose students to literature outside their experience, so I would encourage you to do one of the Black works you listed and discuss how things have changed and how they've remained the same.

Also, Persepolis is AMAZING to read, but I worry that your audience may not "get it," you know? I loved it, but my family lives in and lived through the revolution so it had personal resonance.

[Portia]

I find Catcher in the Rye obnoxious. Your students sound like the kids I went to school with, and reading that book made their behavior UNBEARABLE for an entire quarter. I think teachers hesitate to expose students to literature outside their experience, so I would encourage you to do one of the Black works you listed and discuss how things have changed and how they've remained the same.

Also, Persepolis is AMAZING to read, but I worry that your audience may not "get it," you know? I loved it, but my family lives in and lived through the revolution so it had personal resonance.

I was a junior or senior when I read a memoir of the Shah's wife. I was obsessed. But then my best friend's parents had left Iran and been banned from returning because they are Baha'i.

[Shrinky Dink]

I read Kite Runner on my own time during High School. I really appreciated the different perspective on life, especially since I know I will never know what it is like to live in the circumstances and world that Amir and Hassan lived in. In this sense, I am extremely blessed.

I also enjoyed Poisonwood Bible. It made me question our own methods of politics. This one was interesting because it gave a different perspective on my life and my world. Who is to say that we are doing things the right way or even the best way?

[Yarjka]

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is extremely good. High quality writing from a black female author, seems pretty important to expose high school kids to that, so it gets my vote. It deals with important issues of race and sexual abuse, and while not everyone will enjoy reading it, they will not be able to easily dismiss it. You could also assign each student to study one of her well-known poems (maybe memorize one for extra credit).

Catcher in the Rye got my vote, because if you don't read that book in 9th grade, I really don't know if it's worth reading it at all. That's the perfect age to read the book, and then read it again at 30 to reanalyze your reaction to it. It's a good book for an English class, because as you can see by the comments here, it gets a lot of strong reactions. There will be plenty of students who identify with it and plenty of students who think it's the stupidest thing ever - this makes for fabulous discussion (if you can control it).

I think Life of Pi is simply too long and too dense, it will take up a significant amount of time and many students will just opt to watch the movie instead (I haven't seen the movie yet, so I don't know how closely it follows the book). Siddhartha is the much better choice. It is less complex in its narrative so you can focus on the message and ideas.

I like the idea of having a book that deals with modern warfare, such as Black Hawk Down. I really liked the book, but I read it after seeing the movie which will always shade one's reading a bit. The movie is old enough now that most high school kids probably haven't seen it, but they would most likely watch it instead of reading the book. It is a good book though (and a good movie for that matter).

I love "Master Harold" ... and the Boys, but I only read it recently. Apartheid never really got covered in my education (or maybe I just ignored it), so I think it might be a good choice for that reason. The students will likely not have much of an understanding of apartheid though, so you'll have to be prepared to bring quite a bit of historical context for them.