The ocean is a crazy scary place. Did you know that hammerheads cross the Atlantic in packs hundreds strong and do so at depths of over six thousand feet, where water is permanently black and just a fraction of a degree above freezing? I, too, was unaware. —Mr. Viser
An uplifting break from all the negativity and pessimism of the day! —Mr. Viser
[Editor’s note: this review is sarcastic.]
An amazing story of survival and intrigue in the oppressive environment of North Korea. —Mr. Goodrich
This is a tricky, complex, deeply satisfying story. I only kind of liked it the first time I read it, but after reading it a second time I began to understand the complex way everything fit together. Reading this novel is probably the most fun way to understand what life is like in North Korea for regular citizens, and how life there connects to the world beyond. If you’re ready for a challenge, this book is really good, and really tricky. Be warned. —Mr. Kempe
How much do you know about anything that happened in the entire western hemisphere before Columbus landed in “the New World,” only five hundred years ago?
This book explores the pre-Columbian cultures of the Americas. Not only did this book completely change my perception of what life was like here before European contact, it did so through a fun-to-read journalistic style. —Mr. Viser
Beautiful short story collection by Jhumpa Lahiri. Focuses on the experience of Indians living in America. If you’ve been on the India trip, I think you’ll find an especially meaningful connection to this book. —Mr. Viser
Gladwell has made me turn pages more than any other author. All of his stuff is fascinating and you should read it all. This one focuses on how little details sometimes make all the difference. Interesting, informative, motivating. —Mr. Viser
This book goes through every single part of Jordan’s life and career. And I mean every single part. If you are interested in Jordan, basketball, or basketball shoes, there’s no more informative book out there. —Mr. Viser
Detailed biography of Jimi Hendrix. If you like his music or the classic rock era of the sixties and seventies in general, you’ll eat this book up. I feel like I personally know Jimi Hendrix after reading it. —Mr. Viser
One of my all-time favorite books. This short (!!) novel is about a boarding school student from New York who runs away from school and spends one night out in the city. The whole plot covers less than a day but reveals the complexity and inner struggle of the narrator. I bet most students could find some common sentiments. —Mr. Viser
There’s a reason about one-third of YA novels get labelled something like “a modern-day Catcher in the Rye.” This is definitely a book everybody should read at some point, and while it does feel a bit dated (written in the 1950s) there’s so much about it that still feels fresh and vital. (Can you also not stand the phonies surrounding you?) This is a book that many, many people felt was inappropriate for kids to read when it first came out, and now it’s inarguably a classic, not only of Young Adult lit but of American literature as well. —Mr. Kempe
My favorite book ever: I read it for the first time the summer before 9th grade, then in college, then twice more. Read it now, read it in five years, then read it in ten years. And in another ten years. Each time, it will speak to you — and your life experiences will bring out different themes that you had not noticed in it the same way before. —Ms. Kiland
This book has it all. Funny, interesting, informative. It is the author’s account of his experience hiking the Appalachian Trail. He injects well-researched facts about the history, geology, and legends of the trail into his personal experience. As a student attending an outdoorsy school, I know most of you would enjoy learning more about one of the most renowned outdoor expeditions on the planet. Bryson’s writing itself will have you laughing and turning pages. He writes like he’s sitting in the room with you and just telling you a story. —Mr. Viser
Holy cow. This book is so disturbing it will make you look away from the pages. However, it has added depth and understanding to one of the most iconic events of the Civil Rights Movement. In fact, the author argues that Till’s lynching is what started the Movement as we study it today. Personally, I enjoyed reading this book because it made me feel like I was back in college. It was written by one of my old professors and is exactly that type of thing we would study and discuss in my Southern Studies major. If you are interested in learning more about the Jim Crow south or perhaps dedicating yourself to this field of study in college, you will be way ahead of the game if you read this book. Academic and exhaustively researched. Brain food. —Mr. Viser
Most of the ESL kids have read this in class this year, so you would have plenty of people to discuss it with. It’s a collection of interconnected short stories that take place in modern and near-modern Russia. Not a bad time in US history to start learning about the Russian people and what life is like for them, is it? Artistically, the stories intertwine in a beautiful and creative way. Discovering and dissecting this was a pleasure by itself. —Mr. Viser
Mr. Viser says:
Memoir about the author’s upbringing. Offers a unique and often disturbing narrative on what it was like for Mary growing up. Could be useful as a young woman to compare Karr’s experiences with what life has been like for you.
Amazon says:
Karr’s comic childhood in an east Texas oil town brings us characters as darkly hilarious as any of J. D. Salinger’s—a hard-drinking daddy, a sister who can talk down the sheriff at twelve, and an oft-married mother whose accumulated secrets threaten to destroy them all.
This book is great. Memoir by the author on his upbringing. Offers a unique perspective on what other boys go through as they get older and experience adolescence. Could be useful for a young man to compare Wolff’s experiences with what life has been like for you. —Mr. Viser
This book simply hypnotized me, to this day I cannot describe the feeling. There is something magical about this story, it connects to you at your soul. In the beginning of the book, I just kept wondering what is this story about? What is going on? …and as I read this shepherd’s story at some point I realized it was my story, and everyone’s story. —Mr. Schaefer
One of my favorites. About a Spanish shepherd who goes on a journey across the Sahara in search of self discovery. The book describes his adventures along the way and ties them all together with a twist at the end. It’s been translated into almost 100 languages and is well known throughout the world. —Mr. Viser
CCS SUMMER READING 