It is our understanding that many local high schools have stopped assigning mandatory summer reading. This can be viewed in two ways: it is either bad news because students aren’t going to read, or it is great news in that students now have additional free time to read interesting, relevant books of their choice. We choose to look through the second lens.
This summer, ritualize reading. Do it daily. Read at least three books this summer. If you are looking for a place to start, take a look at the Varsity College Prep recommended summer reading list:
Glyph, by Percival Everett
If you are looking for a funny and fast paced novel, read Glyph. The story is told through the prodigy mind of Little Ralph, a baby boy who refuses to speak. Little Ralph’s intellectual narration and humorous observations will keep you engaged as he recounts a series of kidnappings and a quirky cast of kidnappers. This book is under the radar, but definitely worth digging up on Amazon.com!
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, by David Eggers
With a title like that, how can it not be amazing? David Eggers, in his first novel (it may officially be a memoir), recounts the passing of his parents and his subsequent parenting of Toph, his kid brother. This book is filled with keen observations, humor, and wonderfully descriptive language. Don’t be discouraged if you feel lost while reading the introduction–you can skip it, but make sure to read it after finishing the book! It’s amazing. This book makes me want to be a writer.
The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson
Shirley Jackson has a knack for luring readers into a short story and then making them uncomfortable. So much so that officials in South Africa banned the story for which this collection is named; Jackson responded that they, at least, understood it. Brooding and at times incomprehensible, this collection of Jackson’s short stories are best enjoyed one at a time, with a day or two to recover afterward. If you like movies that create a complex dark mood, give Shirley Jackson a try.
Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell
In Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell attempts to breakdown the science behind the ultra successful. This is an easy read, but will hopefully get you thinking. Through a series of vignettes, Gladwell deconstructs the successful journeys of elite hockey players, Bill Gates, The Beatles, and multiple others. These pages hold many lessons (the rule of 10,000 hours is a personal favorite) that high school students should take to heart. If you like Outliers, check out some of Gladwell’s other books: The Tipping Point, Blink, or What the Dog Saw.
The Short Stories of F Scott Fitzgerald, Compiled by Matthew J Bruccoli
If you have trouble finishing books, this is a great one to have around this summer. Bruccoli has assembled a constantly engaging and developing collection of F Scott Fitzgerald short stories. These stories are fantastically easy to read (as my roommate observed, “they’re like candy”), and are filled with anti-heroes, wealth, travel, depression, love, poverty, bravery, and excitement. And best of all, you will find yourself thinking about the characters that Fitzgerald creates days later, wondering if you might end up like any of them.
There are many Fitzgerald short story anthologies out there, and most of them are not any good. Get this one.
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, by Thomas Kuhn
This little book packs a powerful punch. A work of non-fiction that first appeared in the early 1960’s, Kuhn rewrites the history of science, rejecting the idea that scientific knowledge is a layering of knowledge that eventually leads to breakthroughs. Kuhn instead argues that scientific periods each have a set of assumptions (a “paradigm”) that eventually breaks down. He coins the term “paradigm shift” to describe the process of re-evaluating assumptions and forming a new viewpoint.
Though Kuhn talks only of science, readers can’t help but see parallels of their own lives to the process of assumption, breakdown, and re-examination of the starting assumptions. A fascinating book for the scientific- or philosophically-minded reader.
The Newspaper
This is the summer reading that everyone should be doing no matter what. Set a realistic goal and stick to it – try for 2 articles per week, or if that is too easy try for one a day. Read opinion articles or cover stories (the calendar section and the sports page don’t count). Get in the habit of looking up words that you don’t know and talk with your parents about some of the stories that you read. This is incredibly important to succeeding on the SAT or ACT exam, in college, and in the working world. Check in on varsitycollegeprep.com regularly for links to interesting articles this summer.
Good luck this summer and feel free to post recommendations on other books that you think should be added to the list!
