Reading
AP English Language and Composition Reading List
GENERAL NONFICTION
Ambrose, Stephen. Undaunted Courage. Follows the Lewis and Clark expedition from Thomas Jefferson‘s hope of finding a waterway to the Pacific, through the heart- stopping moments of the actual trip, to Lewis‘s lonely demise on the Natchez Trace. For readers who love detailed history.
Barry, John M. The Great Influenza. A detailed description of the scourge of the "Spanish flu" of 1918 with interesting elements of the practice of medicine and medical school in those days. Especially appealing for students who are science oriented.
Rising Tide. An account of the flood of the Mississippi River in 1927. Elements are remarkably similar to the Katrina disaster. Students whose bent is engineering will find the fight of man vs. nature interesting. Connects well to American history, politics.
Capote, Truman. In Cold Blood. Truman Capote reconstructs the 1959 murder of a Kansas far family and the investigation that led to the capture, trial, and execution of the killers…the story of the lives and deaths of these six people, the victims and the murderers. Ground breaking journalism that reads like fiction.
Collins, Larry and Dominique Lapierre. Is Paris Burning: How Paris Miraculously Escaped Adolf Hitler‘s Sentence of Death in August, 1944. The dramatic story of the liberation of Paris…exciting, emotionally charged history, impeccably researched and written. 2
Foer, Franklin. How Soccer Explains the World. Soccer is much more than a game, or even a way of life. It is a perfect window into the cross-currents of today‘s world, with all its joys and…sorrows…a wide-ranging work of reportage…a surprising tour through the world of soccer, shining a spotlight on the clash of civilizations, the international economy, and just about everything in between…an utterly original book that makes sense of our troubled times.
Gladwell, Malcolm. Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference.
GENERAL NONFICTION
Ambrose, Stephen. Undaunted Courage. Follows the Lewis and Clark expedition from Thomas Jefferson‘s hope of finding a waterway to the Pacific, through the heart- stopping moments of the actual trip, to Lewis‘s lonely demise on the Natchez Trace. For readers who love detailed history.
Barry, John M. The Great Influenza. A detailed description of the scourge of the "Spanish flu" of 1918 with interesting elements of the practice of medicine and medical school in those days. Especially appealing for students who are science oriented.
Rising Tide. An account of the flood of the Mississippi River in 1927. Elements are remarkably similar to the Katrina disaster. Students whose bent is engineering will find the fight of man vs. nature interesting. Connects well to American history, politics.
Capote, Truman. In Cold Blood. Truman Capote reconstructs the 1959 murder of a Kansas far family and the investigation that led to the capture, trial, and execution of the killers…the story of the lives and deaths of these six people, the victims and the murderers. Ground breaking journalism that reads like fiction.
Collins, Larry and Dominique Lapierre. Is Paris Burning: How Paris Miraculously Escaped Adolf Hitler‘s Sentence of Death in August, 1944. The dramatic story of the liberation of Paris…exciting, emotionally charged history, impeccably researched and written. 2
Foer, Franklin. How Soccer Explains the World. Soccer is much more than a game, or even a way of life. It is a perfect window into the cross-currents of today‘s world, with all its joys and…sorrows…a wide-ranging work of reportage…a surprising tour through the world of soccer, shining a spotlight on the clash of civilizations, the international economy, and just about everything in between…an utterly original book that makes sense of our troubled times.
Gladwell, Malcolm. Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference.