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Achebe, Chinua
Things Fall Apart
Portrays the collision of African and European cultures against the backdrop of Nigerian tribal society.

Adams, Douglas
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
You’ll never read funnier science fiction.

Aesop Fables
Small stories demonstrating the plain virtues of common sense, moderation, and worldly wisdom.

Angelou, Maya
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
The poet’s early life and her encounters with Southern racism and violence.

Atwood, Margaret
The Handmaid’s Tale
A bleak future when women are held for breeding purposes.

Austen, Jane
Pride and Prejudice
Satirical look at English society of the 19th century.
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Baldwin, James
Another Country
Interconnected lives of eight people amid the sordid and the sublime in New York City.

Beowulf
Anglo-Saxon epic which dramatically portrays the triumph of good over evil.

Bible - Old Testament - Genesis
The creation story from the Judeo-Christian tradition.

Bradbury, Ray
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Evil grips a small mid-Western town when a "dark carnival" arrives one October midnight.

Bronte, Charlotte
Jane Eyre
Story of a woman’s need for love and independence.

Buck, Pearl
The Good Earth
Chinese peasant Wang Lung’s good fortune goes bad, and his new-found wealth does not bring him contentment.
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Carroll, Lewis
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Alice encounters fantastic characters in this blend of childish fun, subtlety, and sophistication.

Carson, Rachel
The Sea Around Us
The biology, chemistry, geography, and history of earth’s oceans.

Cather, Willa
My Antonia
Jim Burden’s visit to his prairie home rekindles memories of immigrant Antonia, the beloved companion of his youth.

Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de
Don Quixote
Errant knight Don Quixote roams the world in the company of his wise fool Sancho Panza.

Chaucer, Geoffrey
The Canterbury Tales
Traveling pilgrims entertain themselves with this classic collection of stories full of emotion, gaiety, and wit.

Chevalier, Tracy
Girl with a Pearl Earring
Serving girl Griet becomes both assistant and model for the 17th century painter Vermeer.

Christie, Agatha
Murder of Roger Ackroyd
Red herrings abound in this case of murder in a cozy English village, but the redoutable Hercule Poirot prevails.

Cisneros, Sandra
The House on Mango Street
Eloquent vignettes describe the growing years of Esperanza Cordero in the Hispanic quarter of Chicago.

Clarke, Arthur C.
Childhood’s End
Science fiction classic portraying a golden time when the Overlords temporarily end ignorance, disease, and poverty on earth.

Cleaver, Eldridge
Soul on Ice
Autobiographical essays viewing the 1960’s and the civil rights movement from a unique perspective.

cummings, e. e.
Poetry
Often non-traditional in form, cummings’ poetry explores traditional values of love, spontaneity, and individuality.

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Dante Alighieri
The Divine Comedy
A guided tour of Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven.

Defoe, Daniel
Robinson Crusoe
The shipwrecked Crusoe applies great energy and ingenuity to making a life for himself alone on an island.

Dickens, Charles
Great Expectations
A tale of mystery and disappointment as low-born Pip aspires to become a gentleman.

Dickinson, Emily
Poetry
The gifted poet scrutinizes life with all its joys and sorrows.

Donne, John
Poetry
An Anglican priest, Donne wrote both love poems and religious poetry.

Dostoyevksy, Fyodor
Crime and Punishment
After murdering a pawn broker, the intellectual Raskolnikov is hunted down.

Doyle, Arthur Conan
Sherlock Holmes Tales
Legendary fictional character whose extensive knowledge and deductive powers allowed him to solve numerous mysteries.

Dumas, Alexandre
The Count of Monte Cristo
Unjustly imprisoned for 14 years, Edmund Dantes exacts vengeance upon those responsible.
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Eliot, T(homas) S(tearns)
Poetry
Trailblazer who explored modern Western values in his verse.

Ellison, Ralph
The Invisible Man
The plight of a nameless African-American man in American society.
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Faulkner, William
The Sound and the Fury
The decay and final destruction of the once aristocratic Compson family of Mississippi.

Fielding, Henry
Tom Jones
Set in 17th century England, the comic history of the life of a foundling child.

Fitzgerald, F. Scott
The Great Gatsby
A newcomer to New York City, Nick is introduced to the frantic lifestyle of the wealthy, as typified by Jay Gatsby.

Frank, Anne
The Diary of a Young Girl
Anne’s diary of the months when she and her family are hidden from the Nazis.

Frost, Robert
Poetry
Frost’s poetry exemplifies the simple and moral voice of rural New England life.

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Gann, Ernest
Fate is the Hunter
Autobiography of a pilot in World War II.

Gergen, David
Eyewitness to Power
Exploration of the nature and use of power by an insider to five recent presidents.

Golding, William
The Lord of the Flies
English boys descend into primitive violence when abandoned on an island.
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Hansberry, Lorraine
A Raisin in the Sun
The African-American Younger family is determined to leave the South Chicago ghetto and find a better life.

Hawking, Stephen W.
A Brief History of Time
Deep science made intelligible.

Hawthorne, Nathaniel
The Scarlet Letter
Set in colonial Boston, this novel explores the psychological effects of sin and guilt.

Heat Moon, William Least
Blue Highways
On a road map, freeways are red and back roads are blue. The author meanders across the country on blue highways.

Heller, Joseph
Catch-22
In this comically bitter anti-war novel, Yossarian is either crazy or sane, but either way he can’t leave the battlefield.

Hemingway, Ernest
The Old Man and the Sea
Two day battle of Cuban fisherman Santiago to land a giant marlin.

Herbert, Frank
Dune
The father of 15-year-old Paul Atreides is murdered after becoming Duke of the desert planet Arrakis.

Hersey, John
Hiroshima
Six people who survive the atomic bomb describe that event.

Hinton, S. E.
The Outsiders
Conflict between rival gangs leads to an accidental death.

Homer
Iliad
Epic poem set in the last year of the Trojan War, when the Greek hero Achilles leaves the battlefield in anger.

Houston, Jeanne Wakatsuki
Farewell to Manzanar
Moving account of a Japanese-American family’s experiences in a California internment camp during World War II.

Hughes, Langston
Poetry
Vivid depictions of the struggles and joys of African-Americans.

Huxley, Aldous
Brave New World
A nightmarish future in which science and technology have eliminated what it means to be human.
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Irving, Washington
Rip Van Winkle
When he awakens after a 20-year nap, Rip discovers that the world of the American Revolutionary period has changed.

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Jimenez, Francisco
Breaking Through
A child of migrant workers, Francisco finds success through hard work, caring educators, and strong family.
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Kaysen, Suzanna
Girl – Interrupted
Narrative of the author’s two years in a psychiatric hospital known for unorthodox treatments.

Keats, John
Poetry
English Romantic poet noted for the sustained feeling and imagery of his odes.

Kingsolver, Barbara
High Tide in Tucson
Essays on life in contemporary America by a noted novelist and biologist.

Kingston, Maxine Hong
Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts
An intense and disturbing account of growing up female and Chinese-American.

Kipling, Rudyard
Just So Stories
Stories portraying the wit and wisdom of animals.
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Lansing, Alfred
Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage
Triumphant story of courage and faith in the face of enormous obstacles.

Lee, Gus
China Boy
Rousing tale of a Chinese boy growing up on the streets of San Francisco.

Lee, Harper
To Kill a Mockingbird
Scout and Jem have their faith in human decency restored in this novel of prejudice and hypocrisy.

Lewis, C(live) S(taples)
Chronicles of Narnia
Four British school children enter the magical kingdom of Narnia through a cupboard.

London, Jack
The Call of the Wild
Buck is stolen from his comfortable home and sold into the hard life of a sled dog in the Arctic.

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McKinley, Robin
The Blue Sword
Orphaned girl Harry Crewe is kidnapped by the King of the Hillfolk and taken deep into the desert where she is trained in the arts of war.

McPhee, John
The Control of Nature
Essays on the environment.

Melville, Herman
Moby-Dick, or The Whale
Classic adventure of man against nature, as Captain Ahab seeks vengeance against the white whale.

Miller, Arthur
The Crucible
Play exploring the Salem witch trials of 1692.

Mishima, Yukio
Spring Snow
Tale of star-crossed lovers in early 20th century Japan.

Mitchell, Margaret
Gone with the Wind
Romance in the Old South against a backdrop of the Civil War.

Momaday, N. Scott
House Made of Dawn
Abel returns from battle and cannot find a place for himself either on his tribal reservation or in the outside world.

Morrison, Toni
The Bluest Eye
An African-American girl perceives that only the pale-skinned and blue-eyed are beautiful.
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Na, An
A Step from Heaven
Jewel-like moments, carefully strung together, portray the painful yet ultimately triumphant acculturation process of Young Ju and her family, who immigrated from Korea.
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Orwell, George
Animal Farm
Animals take over the operation of a farm, but the leaders succumb to the same need for power that doomed the original human owners.

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Paton, Alan
Cry, the Beloved Country
The breakdown of tribal identity among black South Africans, and a plea for understanding and compassion.

Paulsen, Gary
The Beet Fields
Gritty autobiographical novel of a 16-year-old boy who runs away and spends a summer working in the North Dakota beet fields.

Poe, Edgar Allan
Poetry and Short Stories
Masterful tales of horror and memorable works of poetry.

Pullman, Philip
The Golden Compass
Set in the cold and beautiful North, Lyra is drawn into a terrible struggle born of Gobblers and stolen children.
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Remarque, Erich Maria
All Quiet on the Western Front
Through the eyes of young Paul, the reader sees the brutality of trench warfare.

Renault, Mary
The King Must Die
Recreates the Greek myth of Theseus and his battle with the Minotaur.

Roberts, Kenneth
Northwest Passage
Major Robert Rogers attempts to be first to cross the American continent from Atlantic to Pacific.

Rodriguez, Richard
Hunger of Memory
A minority student begins his education in Sacramento knowing only 50 words of English and concludes his university studies in the British Museum.

Rollins, Henry
Get in the Van: On the Road with Black Flag
Journal of a road trip with THE 80’s punk band, Black Flag.

Rowling, J(oanne) K(athleen)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
The adventure begins as Harry learns that he is a powerful wizard and starts his education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

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Sachar, Louis
Holes
In lieu of jail, Stanley Yelnats lands at Camp Green Lake, where he must dig a hole every day in the hot sun.

Saint-Exupery, Antoine de
The Little Prince
A fable, a legend, a tale, a myth, a dream, or a philosophy of life?

Salinger, J(erome) D(avid)
The Catcher in the Rye
Holden’s experiences as he wanders alone in New York City confirm his belief that everything is phony.

Saroyan, William
The Human Comedy
In the San Joaquin Valley during World War Two, second generation immigrant Homer Macauley wants to be the fastest telegraph messenger in the West, which brings him face to face with raw human emotion as he delivers messages of death, love, and money.

Schick, Theodore, Jr.
How to Think about Weird Things: Critical Thinking for a New Age
A system for analyzing claims and making rational, reasonable, and logical choices about actions, values, and ethics.

Scott, Walter
Ivanhoe
Romantic adventure of the Age of English Chivalry.

Shakespeare, William
Romeo and Juliet
Star-crossed lovers in 14th century Italy.

Shaw, George Bernard
Saint Joan
Study of faith and conscience in the life of Joan of Arc.

Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft
Frankenstein
Classic horror tale in which Dr. Frankenstein creates an evil monster, raising moral issues of man’s mastery of science and nature.

Silverstein, Shel
Where the Sidewalk Ends
Funny and touching poetry about the best and the worst in people.

Smith, Betty
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Francie Nolan and her family experience joys and sorrows in early 20th century New York.

Soto, Gary
A Fire in My Hands
Poetry about growing up Mexican-American in the San Joaquin Valley.

Steinbeck, John
Cannery Row
Vivid portrayal of an intriguing cast of characters living in California during the Great Depression.

Stevenson, Robert Louis
Treasure Island
Menaced by pirate leader Long John Silver, Jim Hawkins and his companions search for treasure.

Stowe, Harriet Beecher
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Stirring depiction of the suffering of slaves prior to the Civil War.

Swift, Jonathan
Gulliver’s Travels
Both an adventure and a satire of 18th century English society.
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Tan, Amy
The Joy Luck Club
Culture clash between traditional Chinese mothers and their Chinese-American daughters.

Thoreau, Henry David
Walden, or Life in the Woods
Journal of the simple details of a life spent alone at Walden Pond.

Tolkien, J(ohn) R(onald) R(euel)
The Lord of the Rings
High fantasy of reluctant hero Frodo who must keep a magic ring from falling into the hands of the Dark Lord.

Twain, Mark
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Rafting down the Mississippi River, Huck and Jim have many adventures which serve to illustrate the foibles of human nature.
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White, E(lwyn) B(rooks)
Charlotte’s Web
A beautiful and unexpected friendship between a lonely pig and a large grey spider,

White, T(erence) H(anbury)
The Once and Future King
Modern retelling of the Arthurian legend, written with warmth and humor.

Wilder, Thornton
Our Town
Drama portraying everyday life in Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire, and conveying the wonder of the smallest details of human existence.

Wright, Richard
Black Boy
Painful autobiography of Wright’s childhood and young manhood spent in poverty and violence.
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X, Malcolm
Autobiography
African-American leader of the 1950’s and 1960’s who transformed himself from petty criminal to defender of civil rights. ________________________

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