2013 Summer Reading To: All Proctor Students From: “Charlie” Durell, Summer Reading Coordinator Re: Summer Reading Summer reading is for everyone! The selections that you will find in the attached list should meet the interests of all: adventure, mysteries, science fiction, humor, new novels, and classics. Faculty sponsors have chosen diverse subjects so that you have real choice and can enjoy your summer reading project. Each project sponsor offers a different reading component, and a specific system to validate the successful completion of the project. While summer reading is a requirement, it is also meant to be an opportunity for you to expand your literary interests and skills. After you have reviewed the reading list, please e-mail me at charlie@proctornet.com giving me the two sponsored groups you would most like to read. Although you will read only one selected sponsor’s project, you must give me two groups. Occasionally, first choice groups are filled. List your choices using the SPONSOR’S NAME (not the books) and notify me as soon as possible. When I receive your e-mail, I will notify you of the one selection for which you will be responsible. Please note that you are responsible for completing the requirements of your project. This means that you should keep the reading list, so that you have no confusion as to the expectations of your project. In September, there will be a time when all summer reading groups will meet. Sponsors will evaluate your completion of the project on a pass/fail basis. The pass/fail grade is entered on your academic transcript. Students may listen to books on tape if the tape is unabridged and the student reads along with the tape. NOTE: Students who are or will be enrolled in Advanced Placement (AP) course work in the fall may have additional required reading for the AP course. Please check with the course instructor once your schedule is firm to learn the expectations of your AP course. AP course required reading is separate from the Summer Reading Program. Summer reading is an opportunity to expand your appreciation of selected literature throughout the summer vacation period. We hope you enjoy the selections offered.

Fall 2013 Off-Campus Summer Reading FOR STUDENTS GOING TO SPAIN IN THE FALL SPONSOR: Mikaela Bolduc and Ryan Graumman SELECTION: Zorro by Isabel Allende AND One Chapter from The United States of Europe by T.R. Reid DESCRIPTION: All Fall Spanish participants will be contacted via email with your

Summer Reading requirements before you leave for the summer. FOR STUDENTS GOING ON OCEAN CLASSROOM SPONSOR: David Pilla SELECTION: In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick The Ocean Classroom Seamanship Manual DESCRIPTION: These selections specifically relate to the work with which we will be involved during the term. In the Heart of the Sea is the account of the whale ship Essex and the series of events that gave rise to the Moby Dick legend. Additionally, the Ocean Classroom Seamanship Manual is a mandatory reference for all student crew taking part in the Ocean Classroom Fall 2013 voyage. METHOD OF EVALUATION: Students must a have two-page synopsis of In the Heart of the Sea completed upon arrival at Proctor for the start of Ocean Classroom. This constitutes the student's first Maritime Literature grade for the term. You are not tested on the Manual but will use its information during the term. Contact Dave Pilla with questions (603-735-6255). FOR STUDENTS GOING TO COSTA RICA SPONSOR: Brooks Bicknell SELECTION: The Ticos: Culture and Social Change in Costa Rica by Mavis Hiltunen

Biesanz, Richard Biesanz, and Karen Zubris Biesanz AND Costa Rica - Culture Smart!: A Quick Guide to Customs and Etiquette by

Jane Kotnik DESCRIPTION: The Ticos: Culture and Social Change in Costa Rica--This is a very informative book that should give you a good foundation in Costa Rican history and politics and the types of challenges Costa Rica is now facing in the 21st century. Culture Smart!--This book will help you navigate the norms of Costa Rican culture and help you avoid those cultural mishaps. METHOD OF EVALUATION: Read The Ticos and write a substantial paragraph that summarizes each of the twelve chapters within the book. Submit these to Brooks Bicknell as an attached file prior to the September departure date. (brooks_bicknell@proctornet.com). Culture Smart!--More of a reference book. Read it and enjoy!

2013 SUMMER READING LIST

SPONSOR: Scott Allenby SELECTION: Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business

by Charles Duhigg http://www.amazon.com/The-Power-Habit-What Business/dp/1400069289/ref=pd_sim_b_30 AND How Children Succeed by Paul Tough http://www.amazon.com/How-Children-Succeed-Curiosity-Character/dp/0547564651/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1366757079&sr=8-2&keywords=top+books+on+poverty

DESCRIPTION: Both The Power of Habit and How Children Succeed investigate how some children, individuals, and businesses find success. In The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg explores why we do what we do as both individuals and businesses, looking at both those successful habits and those that are detrimental.

In How Children Succeed, Paul Tough discusses the traits he believes are most influential in determining children's success both in school and beyond. As Tough, "traces the links between childhood stress and life success, he uncovers the surprising ways in which parents do, and do not, prepare their children for adulthood." If you want to explore your own traits and their predictors of success as described in these two books, this is the selection for you. METHOD OF EVALUATION: Participants will write a 2-3 page, five-paragraph essay analyzing what you believe to be the most profound overarching statement these two books make, using specific evidence to support your claim and relating those arguments directly to your own experiences. Also, be prepared to discuss both selections in depth when we meet in the fall. SPONSOR: Jane Barban SELECTION: The Dangerous Otto Katz: The Many Lives of A Soviet Spy

by Jonathan Miles DESCRIPTION: From the flyleaf: "In a captivating detective story, Miles goes in search of the real Otto Katz - a brilliant, daring charmer, a double-dealer with an unquestionable taste for the finer things in life who nonetheless served one of history's darkest masters - Joseph Stalin. Using recently released FBI, M15 and Czech files, Miles has recreated an action-packed story of the life - or lives- of one of the world's most intriguing, influential and successful spies." METHOD OF EVALUATION: When we meet in the fall, readers will take a quiz and we’ll discuss the book. SPONSOR: Jon Beard SELECTION: The Life of Pi by Yann Martel AND Adrift: Seventy-six Days Lost at Sea by Steven Callahan DESCRIPTION: Sixteen-year-old Pi Patel is the only person to survive after a ship sinks during a terrible storm at sea. He struggles to survive aboard a lifeboat with a full-grown Bengal Tiger. Adrift is a memoir about surviving aboard an inflatable raft for 76 days in the Atlantic Ocean. METHOD OF EVALUATION: Readers will take a quiz covering both books when we meet in the fall. NOTE: While participants are allowed to watch the Pi movie, you must also read the book. There are some important differences between the two.

SPONSOR: Brooks Bicknell SELECTION: The First World Flight: The Odyssey of Billy Mitchell by Spencer Wright DESCRIPTION: Most of the world called him brilliant, courageous, resourceful, and prophetic. The U.S. President and War Department called him arrogant, divisive, insubordinate and unstoppable. His enemies broke him in rank, exiled him, court- marshaled him, tried to jail him, commit him to an asylum, and even kill him, but they couldn't silence his outspoken criticism of the War Department and its "treasonable administration." Starting from primitive kites of Langley, and the Wright Brothers, this is the incredible, adventurous, little-known story of the outspoken Billy Mitchell, and the key role he played in U.S. Aviation culminating in in his largely uncredited and unheralded flight around the world in 1924, three years before Lindbergh flew to Paris. Check this site for more information: http: I I www.firstworldflight.com METHOD OF EVALUATION: When we meet in September, readers will take a 10- question, multiple-choice quiz. SPONSOR: Karin Clough SELECTION: The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson DESCRIPTION: Many of us know very little about North Korea. It may be one of the most mysterious places on earth. Adam Johnson uses his own imagination to reveal a nuanced picture of what life for North Koreans may be like. This novel just won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. The New York Times says, "In making his hero, and the nightmare he lives through, come so thoroughly alive, Mr. Johnson has written a daring and remarkable novel, a novel that not only opens a frightening window on the mysterious kingdom of North Korea, but one that also excavates the very meaning of love and sacrifice." METHOD OF EVALUATION: Participants will write a 1-2 page response paper to the novel. When we meet in September, bring your paper and be prepared to share your writing about the novel, join in a discussion, and take a quick reading quiz. SPONSOR: Erik Cole-Johnson SELECTION: This is How You Lose Her AND Drown by Junot Diaz DESCRIPTION: In This is How You Lose Her, "Dîaz continues to keep company with his alter ego, Yunior, a Dominican turned New Jerseyan, in his second short story collection. Drown (1996), his first, introduced Yunior and established Dîaz as a writer of promise. His first novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (2007), won the Pulitzer Prize and galvanized a world of new readers. Dîaz’s standout fiction remains pinpoint, sinuous, gutsy, and imaginative. Yunior kicks things off by stating, “I’m not a bad guy.” The women in his life would caustically disagree. We see Yunior as a boy new to America and his long-absent father’s temper, a teenager and college student forever infatuated and forever cheating, and a lonely adult confronted by aggressive racism. Each taut tale of unrequited and betrayed love and family crises is electric with passionate observations and off-the-charts emotional and social intelligence. Dîaz’s involving, diverse characters include Yunior’s combative brother Rafa, Magda the coldhearted, Nilda the young man-magnet, and a sexy older woman. Fast paced, unflinching, complexly funny, street-talking tough, perfectly made, and deeply sensitive, Dîaz’s gripping stories unveil lives shadowed by prejudice and poverty and bereft of reliable love and trust. These are precarious, unappreciated, precious lives in which intimacy is a lost art, masculinity a parody, and kindness, reason, and hope struggle to survive like seedlings in a war zone."(Booklist) Drown continues the story: "Born and raised in Santo Domingo, Diaz uses the

contrast between his island homeland and life in New York City and New Jersey as a fulcrum for his trenchant tales. His young male narrators are teetering into precarious adolescence. For these sons of harsh or absent fathers and bone-weary, stoic mothers, life is an unrelenting hustle. In Santo Domingo, they are sent to stay with relatives when the food runs out at home; in the States, shoplifting and drugdealing supply material necessities and a bit of a thrill in an otherwise exhausting and frustrating existence. There is little affection, sex is destructive, conversation strained, and even the brilliant beauty of a sunset is tainted, its colors the product of pollutants. " METHOD OF EVALUATION: Readers will write me an email (erik_cole-johnson@proctornet.com) after reading each collection with impressions, what you liked and didn't, comments on the style used, etc. The synopsis should be at least a page after each book. We'll have a brief quiz on the books when we meet in the fall. SPONSOR: “Charlie” Durell SELECTION: Casino Royale and Moonraker both by Ian Fleming DESCRIPTION: Even after 50 years, I still love James Bond movies and hope you do too! I’ve selected two of my favorite books by Ian Fleming for your reading pleasure. METHOD OF EVALUATION: Readers will read each book and then watch the Hollywood-created movies. As you watch the movies, make notes about differences between the movie and the book. I’d like you to find at least three (3) major differences between Fleming’s books and the movies made from his book. We’ll compare notes and discuss the books when we meet in the fall. SPONSOR: Alex Estin SELECTION : One Shot plus any other book written by Lee Child DESCRIPTION: The Jack Reacher books are addicting. “Jack Reacher is a former U.S. Army Military Police major. Since leaving the army, the authorities have not been able to locate him, although his name crops up mysteriously from time to time in connection with investigations into murders, terrorism, and other breaches of the law.”

This book was made into a movie as well. I want you to compare the book with the movie. Let me know how the book and the movie are different. Do you think the characters in the movie match the ones from the book? METHOD OF EVALUATION: Readers will either send me a summary of your comparisons c/o Alex Estin, PO Box 500, Andover, NH 03216 during the summer or turn it in when we meet in the Fall. SPONSOR: Valerie Ferris SELECTION: Life After Life by Kate Atkinson DESCRIPTION: "What if you could live again and again, until you got it right?

On a cold and snowy night in 1910, Ursula Todd is born to an English banker and his wife. She dies before she can draw her first breath. On that same cold and snowy night, Ursula Todd is born again, lets out a lusty wail, and embarks upon a life that will be, to say the least, unusual. As Ursula grows, she also dies, repeatedly, in a variety of ways, as the young century marches on towards its second cataclysmic world war. Does Ursula's apparently infinite number of lives give her the power to save the world from its inevitable destiny? And if she can -- will she? Darkly comic, startlingly poignant, and utterly original -- this is Kate Atkinson at her absolute best."(Amazon) METHOD OF EVALUATION: Two options for passing this Summer Reading when we meet in September: Option 1 - After reading this book, write a 2 to 2 ½ page paper reflecting your life. If you

could do things differently, what would you change and what kind of a difference would this have made in your life. (This paper should be brought with you in September; do not handwrite it and please use Arial 12 font and single-spaced.) Option 2 - The artistic option would be to show in a drawing, painting, collage or other medium a representation of what your life is now, and if you could do things over again, what it would look like or what kind of difference the change(s) would make. Be prepared to present and discuss your work with the group.

If you choose the paper, be prepared to come to our meeting ready to hand it in. If you choose the artistic option, your creation must be presented and you will need to speak about your work. We will be also discuss the book and your reactions to it. You will be graded on the amount of effort you put into your project. SPONSOR: David Fleming SELECTION: Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand DESCRIPTION: Objectivism. It's a philosophy and was a movement in our American history. The idea is that "man" can do anything and basically the government needs to stay out of the way. Some may call it Capitalism. Ayn Rand was a political and social thinker/writer. Her books were ahead of their time really and as history seems to repeat itself, her views resurface on occasion when "we" feel government encroaches on our personal lives. From what I've read, her works were not well received when first published but have stood the test of time. I personally agree. She, her books, and her ideas echo in our 21st century, especially within themes of government, collectivism and socialism. Atlas Shrugged is a novel, period. With that said, I think you'll fall in love with the characters and identify with their zeal to become more than your basic citizen. If you think about it, if government didn't stand in your way, what could you become in life? Does government help us become citizens or do we mold government in our image(s) through time, conflict and ideas?

Enjoy the read. It's a hard one I think. Do you have the courage to take it on? We shall see. METHOD OF EVALUATION: Readers will take a quiz when we meet in the fall. SPONSOR: Jen Fleming SELECTION: Heist Society by Ally Carter DESCRIPTION: From Good Reads: "When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her on a trip to the Louvre…to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria…to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own—scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately, leaving “the life” for a normal life proves harder than she’d expected." Anyone who was ever addicted to the TV series “Alias” will love reading about this "Sydney Bristol" in training! METHOD OF EVALUATION: There will be a short quiz and discussion on this novel when we meet in the fall. SPONSOR: Jen Fletcher SELECTION: Just Listen and The Truth About Forever both by Sarah Dessen METHOD OF DESCRIPTION: (Book descriptions from Amazon.com)

Just Listen - "When Annabel, the youngest of three beautiful sisters, has a bitter falling out with her best friend—the popular and exciting Sophie—she suddenly finds herself isolated and friendless, but then she meets Owen—a loner, passionate about music and his weekly radio show, and always determined to tell the truth. And when they

develop a friendship, Annabel is not only introduced to new music but is encouraged to listen to her own inner voice. With Owen’s help, can Annabel find the courage to speak out about what exactly happened the night her friendship with Sophie came to a screeching halt?" The Truth About Forever - "Macy's summer stretches before her, carefully planned and outlined. She will spend her days sitting at the library information desk. She will spend her evenings studying for the SATs. Spare time will be used to help her obsessive mother prepare for the big opening of the townhouse section of her luxury development. But Macy's plans don't anticipate a surprising and chaotic job with Wish Catering, a motley crew of new friends, or…Wes. Tattooed, artistic, anything-but-expected Wes. He doesn't fit Macy's life at all—so why does she feel so comfortable with him? So…happy? What is it about him that makes her let down her guard and finally talk about how much she misses her father, who died before her eyes the year before?" METHOD OF EVALUATION: Please write a book review for both books and be ready to share your review with others in our summer reading group when we meet in September. Each book review should be written in complete sentences, and your review should include a minimum of 4 paragraphs. Please adhere to the rubric below to help you compose your reviews:

Book Review Rubric 1. Book’s title, author, genre and publication information are all included____ (1 pt) 2. The plot includes character names and details about setting and conflict.____(2 pts) 3. At least TWO quotes from the book are evident.____(2 pts) 4. Analysis of author’s writing style is included.____(2 pts) 5. Connections to other books, movies, current events, etc. are included.____(1 pt) 6. The book is clearly rated and includes a critical explanation of the rating as well as the target audience.____(3 pts) 7. The review is written fluently.____(2 pts) 8. The review is free of mechanical errors.____(2 pts)

9. Student participated in group discussion and shared specific examples from his/her book review and novels.____(5 pts)

SPONSOR: Brenda Godwin SELECTION: Ted Williams: The Biography of an American Hero (2005) by Leigh

Montville DESCRIPTION: He was The Kid, The Splendid Splinter, Teddy Ballgame; one of the greatest figures of his generation and, arguably, the greatest baseball hitter of all time. But what made Ted Williams a legend – and a lightning rod for controversy in life and in death? What motivated him to interrupt his Hall of Fame career twice to serve his country as a fighter pilot; to embrace his fans while tangling with the media; to retreat from the limelight whenever possible into his solitary love of fishing; and to become the most famous man ever to have his body cryogenically frozen after his death? New York Times bestselling author Leigh Montville, who wrote the celebrated Sports Illustrated obituary of Ted Williams, now delivers an intimate, riveting account of this extraordinary life. (Amazon.com) METHOD OF EVALUATION: Readers will take a 25-question quiz followed by a discussion in when we meet in September. SPONSOR: Phil Goodnow SELECTION: The Third Bullet: A Bob Lee Swagger Novel by Stephen Hunter DESCRIPTION: "Bob Lee Swagger is back in a thriller fifty years in the making . . . It’s not even a clue. It’s a whisper, a trace, a ghost echo, drifting down through the decades

via chance connections so fragile that they would disintegrate in the puff of a breath. But it’s enough to get legendary former Marine sniper Bob Lee Swagger interested in the events of November 22, 1963, and the third bullet that so decisively ended the life of John F. Kennedy and set the stage for one of the most enduring controversies of our time. Swagger begins his slow night stalk through a much-traveled landscape. But he’s asking questions that few have asked before: Why did the third bullet explode? Why did Lee Harvey Oswald, about to become the most hunted man on earth, risk it all by returning to his rooming house to secure a pistol he easily could have brought with him? How could a conspiracy that went unpenetrated for fifty years have been thrown together in the two and a half days between the announcement of the president’s route and the assassination itself? As Bob investigates, another voice enters the narrative: knowing, ironic, almost familiar, that of a gifted, Yale-educated veteran of the CIA Plans Division. Hugh Meachum has secrets and the means and the will to keep them buried. When weighed against his own legacy, Swagger’s life is an insignificant expense—but to blunt the threat, he’ll first have to ambush the sniper. As each man hunts the other across today’s globe and through the thickets of history, The Third Bullet builds to an explosive climax that will finally prove what Bob Lee Swagger has always known: it’s never too late for justice." (Amazon.com) METHOD OF EVALUATION: When we meet in September, students will turn in a word-processed a 1000-word (3-4 page double spaced) plot summary, and be prepared to discuss the plot in a 30-minute discussion.

SPONSOR: Kelly Griffin SELECTION: Second Glance by Jodi Picoult PLUS

A short essay written by the same author will be also be sent to readers who select this group

DESCRIPTION: Sometimes I wonder...can a ghost find you, if she wants to?" An intricate tale of love, haunting memories, and renewal, Second Glance begins in current­day Vermont, where an old man puts a piece of land up for sale and unintentionally raises a protest from the local Abenaki Indian tribe, who insist it's a burial ground. When odd, supernatural events plague the town of Comtosook, a ghost hunter is hired by the developer to help convince the residents that there's nothing spiritual about the property. METHOD OF EVALUATION: In September, readers will take a short quiz followed by a discussion about the novel and additional material. SPONSOR: Sue Houston SELECTION: Read any two books by Nevada Barr DESCRIPTION: Solving murder mysteries—if you love nature, the outdoors, and a great mystery, these books are for you! I recommend you start with some of the earlier books such as Track of the Cat or Ill Wind or A superior Death or Blind Descent or Firestorm. It is likely these books will hook you and you will want to read them all! They are full of suspense, very well written and enjoyable to read. You cannot put them down! METHOD OF EVALUATION: Readers will write a one page, single-spaced, typed summary of the each book’s plot to be turned in when we meet in September. SPONSOR: Adam Jones SELECTION: All Natural: A Skeptic's Quest to Discover If the Natural Approach to Diet,

Childbirth, Healing, and the Environment Really Keeps Us Healthier and

Happier by Nathanael Johnson DESCRIPTION: In this age of climate change, killer germs, and obesity, it's easy to feel as if we've fallen out of synch with the global ecosystem. This ecological anxiety has polarized a new generation of Americans: many are drawn to natural solutions and organic lifestyles, while others rally around high-tech development and industrial efficiencies. Award-winning journalist Nathanael Johnson argues that both views, when taken to extremes, can be harmful, even deadly. Johnson, raised in the crunchy-granola epicenter of Nevada City, California, lovingly and rigorously scrutinizes his family's all-natural mindset, a quest that brings him into the worlds of an outlaw midwife, radical doctors, renegade farmers and one hermit forester. Johnson teases fact from faith and offers a rousing and original vision for a middle ground between natural and technological solutions that will assuage frustrated environmentalists, perplexed parents, and confused consumers alike. METHOD OF EVALUATION: Readers will take a quiz and we’ll have a discussion when we meet in the fall. SPONSOR: Lynne Kenney SELECTION: Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that can’t stop talking by Susan Cain

DESCRIPTION: Lean In as described on Amazon: Thirty years after women became 50 percent of the college graduates in the United States, men still hold the vast majority of leadership positions in government and industry. This means that women’s voices are still not heard equally in the decisions that most affect our lives. In Lean In, Sheryl Sandberg examines why women’s progress in achieving leadership roles has stalled, explains the root causes, and offers compelling, commonsense solutions that can empower women to achieve their full potential. Sandberg is the chief operating officer of Facebook and is ranked on Fortune’s list of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Business and as one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in the World.

Quiet as described in the book’s introduction: At least one-third of the people we know are introverts. They are the ones who prefer listening to speaking, reading to partying; who innovate and create but dislike self-promotion; who favor working on their own over brainstorming in teams. Although they are often labeled "quiet," it is to introverts that we owe many of the great contributions to society-from van Gogh’s sunflowers to the invention of the personal computer. Quiet shows how dramatically we undervalue introverts, and how much we lose in doing so. METHOD OF EVALUATION: Please summarize each chapter of each book in a sentence or two. Write an essay to hand in during our meeting in September comparing the books or write an essay on one of the books agreeing or disagreeing with one of the author’s arguments. Remember to use quotes from the books as evidence to support your opinions. SPONSOR: Michele Koenig SELECTION: Little Princes by Conor Grennan DESCRIPTION: "In search of adventure, twenty-nine-year-old Conor Grennen embarked on a yearlong journey around the globe, beginning with a three-month stint volunteering at an orphanage in civil war-torn Nepal. But a shocking truth would forever change his life: these rambunctious, resilient children were not orphans at all but had been taken from their families by child traffickers who falsely promised to keep them safe from war before abandoning them in the teeming chaos of Kathmandu. For Conor, what started as a footloose ramble became a dangerous, dedicated mission to unite youngsters he had grown to love with the parents they had been stolen from - a breathtaking adventure, as

Conor risked everything in the treacherous Nepalese mountains to bring the children home." METHOD OF EVALUATION: When we meet in September, readers will take a quiz and we will discuss the book. SPONSOR: Mike Koenig SELECTION: Who's on Worst? The Lousiest Players, Biggest Cheaters, Saddest Goats and

Other Antiheroes in Baseball History by Filip Bondy AND The Echoing Green: The Untold Story of Bobby Thomson, Ralph Branca and the Shot Heard Round the World by Joshua Prager

DESCRIPTION: Who’s on Worst: Professional baseball has been played in this country for well over a century, so there must be thousands of memorable stories associated with the game. Author Filip Bondy has collected several dozen of those stories, each one involving players, managers, or owners who exemplified mediocrity, bad behavior, or sheer stupidity, and in doing so, left a lasting legacy to the game. The Echoing Green: An historical event as momentous as the Thomson home run should be chronicled in a book of equal distinction. The Echoing Green by Joshua Prager is more than a story of a baseball game and the players who participated; it is a wonderful work of history that happens to chronicle the 1951 National League pennant race between the Dodgers and the Giants. It reminds readers that sports are more than games played by men and women. The athletes are individuals with personal lives, families and dreams. Their successes and failures affect many, and leave an impact that can still be recalled decades after the event. METHOD OF EVALUATION: A 250-500 word essay is required for each book relating a personal experience to specific situation discussed in the book. Students will be required to share their essay response with the group in the fall. All essays must be typed and will be collected for review. SPONSOR: Nina Kozain SELECTION: Stones from the River by Ursula Hegl DESCRIPTION: Stones from the River is a daring, dramatic and complex novel of life in Germany. It is set in Burgdorf, a small fictional German town, between 1915 and 1951. The protagonist is Trudi Montag, a Zwerg -- the German word for dwarf woman. As a dwarf she is set apart, the outsider whose physical "otherness" has a corollary in her refusal to be a part of Burgdorf's silent complicity during and after World War II. Trudi establishes her status and power, not through beauty, marriage, or motherhood, but rather as the town's librarian and relentless collector of stories. Through Trudi's unblinking eyes, we witness the growing impact of Nazism on the ordinary townsfolk of Burgdorf as they are thrust on to a larger moral stage and forced to make choices that will forever mark their lives. (Amazon) METHOD OF EVALUATION: Evaluation will be a 3-page paper about one of the following topics : the power of storytelling in the novel, the meaning of the title, Stones in the River, or the overarching theme of the novel, backing up your assertions with examples from the text. Come prepared to share your paper with the group during our discussion; papers will be collected for your grade. SPONSOR: Michael Littman SELECTION: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens DESCRIPTION: Pip, a poor orphan being raised by a cruel sister, does not have much in the way of great expectations—until he is inexplicably elevated to wealth by an

anonymous benefactor. Full of unforgettable characters—including a terrifying convict named Magwitch, the eccentric Miss Havisham, and her beautiful but manipulative niece, Estella, Great Expectations is a tale of intrigue, unattainable love, and all of the happiness money can’t buy. “Great Expectations has the most wonderful and most perfectly worked-out plot for a novel in the English language,” according to John Irving, and J. Hillis Miller declares, “Great Expectations is the most unified and concentrated expression of Dickens’s abiding sense of the world, and Pip might be called the archetypal Dickens hero.” METHOD OF EVALUATION: Write eight journal entries as you read the book. It is your choice when you stop along the way to respond to the characters, events, and suspense of what you think will happen next. These journal entries can be emailed (mikel@proctornet.com) to me throughout the summer or collected and brought to our meeting when we meet in September. SPONSOR: Annie MacKenzie SELECTION: A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin DESCRIPTION: "Here is the first volume in George R. R. Martin’s magnificent cycle of novels that includes A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords. As a whole, this series comprises a genuine masterpiece of modern fantasy, bringing together the best the genre has to offer. Magic, mystery, intrigue, romance, and adventure fill these pages and transport us to a world unlike any we have ever experienced. Already hailed as a classic, George R. R. Martin’s stunning series is destined to stand as one of the great achievements of imaginative fiction."(Quoted from Bantam Books) METHOD OF EVALUATION: Please be prepared to take a short answer quiz and engage in discussion about the book when we meet in the fall. Enjoy! SPONSOR: Matt MacKenzie SELECTION: A Dance of Dragons by George R.R. Martin (5th Volume of Series) DESCRIPTION: "The future of the Seven Kingdoms hangs in the balance. In the east, Daenerys, last scion of House Targaryen, her dragons grown to terrifying maturity, rules as queen of a city built on dust and death, beset by enemies. Now that her whereabouts are known many are seeking Daenerys and her dragons. Among them the dwarf, Tyrion Lannister, who has escaped King’s Landing with a price on his head, wrongfully condemned to death for the murder of his nephew, King Joffrey. But not before killing his hated father, Lord Tywin. To the north lies the great Wall of ice and stone – a structure only as strong as those guarding it. Eddard Stark's bastard son Jon Snow has been elected the 998th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, but he has enemies both in the Watch and beyond the Wall, where the wildling armies are massing for an assault. On all sides bitter conflicts are reigniting, played out by a grand cast of outlaws and priests, soldiers and skin changers, nobles and slaves. The tides of destiny will inevitably lead to the greatest dance of all…"(Barnes and Noble Overview) METHOD OF EVALUATION: Readers will take a short quiz and we’ll discuss the books when we meet in the fall.

SPONSOR: Gregor Makechnie SELECTION: Confessions of an Economic Hitman by John Perkins

A Billion Bootstraps: Microcredit, Barefoot Banking, AND The Business Solution for Ending Poverty by Phillip Smith and Eric Thurman

DESCRIPTION: In Confessions of an Economic Hitman, Perkins describes his experience during the 1970s working as “an ‘economic hit man’ for 10 years, helping U.S. intelligence agencies and multinationals cajole and blackmail foreign leaders into serving U.S. foreign

policy. . . his economic projections cooked the books Enron-style to convince foreign governments to accept billions of dollars of loans from the World Bank and other institutions to build dams, airports, electric grids, and other infrastructure he knew they couldn't afford. The loans were given on condition that construction and engineering contracts went to U.S. companies. . . Confessions of an Economic Hit Man is an extraordinary and gripping tale of intrigue and dark machinations. (Amazon.com Review) In contrast, A Billion Bootstraps “unearths the roots of the microcredit revolution, revealing how the pioneering work of people such as Dr. Muhammad Yunus-winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize-is giving hope to billions. Philanthropist and self-made millionaire Phil Smith and microcredit expert and consultant Eric Thurman provide a riveting narrative that explores how these small loans, arranged by ‘barefoot bankers,’ enable impoverished people to start small businesses, support their families, and improve local economies. By paying back their loans instead of simply accepting handouts, men and women around the world are continually giving others the same opportunity to change their futures. (Book Description) METHOD OF EVALUATION: Participants will engage in ongoing dialogue via a group wiki site beginning during the months of July and August. SPONSOR: Melanie Maness SELECTION: The Walking Dead: Compendium One by Robert Kirkman

With illustrations by Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn, & Tony Moore DESCRIPTION: FOR MATURE READERS ONLY! Introducing the first eight volumes of the fan-favorite, New York Times Best Seller series collected into one massive graphic novel! Collects The Walking Dead #1-48. This is the perfect read for any fan of the Emmy Award-winning television series on AMC: over one thousand pages chronicling the beginning of Robert Kirkman's Eisner Award-winning continuing story of survival horror - from Rick Grimes waking up alone in a hospital, to him and his family seeking solace on Hershel's farm, and the controversial introduction of Woodbury despot: The Governor. In a world ruled by the dead, we are finally forced to start living. METHOD OF EVALUATION: After completing your reading, please illustrate a synopsis of the tale.

Expectations of your drawing: 1. In color 2. At least ten panels of events 3. A brief description of your vision on the back (10 sentence minimum)

You will present your graphic novel poster summary when we meet in September. SPONSOR: Ted Mastin SELECTION: Cape Cod by William Martin DESCRIPTION: This is a great read even if you do not love history or Cape Cod! From the Publisher’s Weekly editorial: In a sweeping historical saga packed with history and incident, Martin (Back Bay) follows two intertwined yet bitterly antagonistic families from their Pilgrim origins to the present day. On board the Mayflower, sanctimonious church elder Ezra Bigelow and whaler Jack Hilyard, who defies the Pilgrims' rules of piety and obedience, take an immediate and intense dislike to each other. An observant mariner on board ship keeps a detailed log and chronicles a shocking incident that would bring shame and dishonor upon the Bigelow family if it were made known. The log is lost, but its trail gleams like a golden thread through the narrative, and, as the ever-wealthier Bigelows and the rakish Hilyards clash bitterly over the years (particularly over a prime piece of Cape Cod shoreline called Jack's Island that is continually changing hands), the log emerges briefly now and then to inspire blackmail and unease. After Martin's less than

reverent look at our Pilgrim forefathers, he packs the narrative with abundant adultery, several massacres, pirating, slave trading and rum-running. In the current generation, Geoff Hilyard is trying to save his part of Jack's Island from avaricious Bigelow developers. To stave off financial ruin, he is searching for the elusive Mayflower log, now an enormously valuable historical document. Martin gives Michener a run for his money with this rousing tale. METHOD OF EVALUATION: Readers will write a chapter summary for one chapter from each 200 page section of the book; include one chapter summary from pages: 1-200, 201-400, 401-600, and 601-the end of the book. Each summary must be word-processed and contain the chapter number, chapter title, name all major characters and not be shorter than 100 words each. All summaries should be e-mailed to me no later than August 15th. Discussion of the book will take place at our meeting in September. SPONSOR: Alan McIntyre - GROUP #1 SELECTION: A Clash of Kings - Song of Fire and Ice series Book 2, (Game of Thrones

Series) by George R. R. Martin DESCRIPTION: "George R. R. Martin, a writer of unsurpassed vision, power, and imagination, has created a landmark of fantasy fiction. In his widely acclaimed A Game of Thrones, he introduced us to an extraordinary world of wonder, intrigue, and adventure. Now, in the eagerly awaited second volume in this epic saga, he once again proves himself a master myth-maker, setting a standard against which all other fantasy novels will be measured for years to come...

As a prophecy of doom cuts across the sky--a comet the color of blood and flame--six factions struggle for control of a divided land. Eddard's son Robb has declared himself King in the North. In the south, Joffrey, the heir apparent, rules in name only, victim of the scheming courtiers who teem over King's Landing. Robert's two brothers each seek their own dominion, while a disfavored house turns once more to conquest. And a continent away, an exiled queen, the Mother of Dragons, risks everything to lead her precious brood across a hard hot desert to win back the crown that is rightfully hers." (Excerpt from www.worldswithoutend.com) METHOD OF EVALUATION: Winter is coming! Our assessment for this summer reading will be quiz in which readers will have to assemble a correct timeline sequence of events, as well as correct associations between houses, wolves and relations. Warning! The popular HBO series "Game of Thrones" has some very significant differences in character development and events from the novels. So beware for the "Night is dark and full of terrors!" and "A Lannister always pays his debts!" SPONSOR: Alan McIntyre – GROUP #2 SELECTION: A Feast for Crows - Song of Fire and Ice series Book 4, (Game of Thrones

Series) by George R. R. Martin DESCRIPTION: "Few books have captivated the imagination and won the devotion and praise of readers and critics everywhere as has George R. R. Martin's monumental epic cycle of high fantasy. Now, in A Feast for Crows, Martin delivers the long-awaited fourth book of his landmark series, as a kingdom torn asunder finds itself at last on the brink of peace... only to be launched on an even more terrifying course of destruction." (Excerpt from www.worldswithoutend.com) METHOD OF EVALUATION: “The night is dark and full of terrors!” Winter is coming! “A Lannister always pays his debts!” The assessment for this summer reading will be a quiz in which readers will have to assemble a correct timeline sequence of events. In addition, readers will take part in a greater trivia contest that incorporates the history, maps and characters of the "Game of Thrones" series.

SPONSOR: Marie Montivirdi SELECTION: Armageddon’s Children by Terry Brooks AND

Pure by Julianna Baggot DESCRIPTION: If you enjoyed reading The Hunger Games, these books are for you!

Armageddon’s Children - “Logan Tom is doomed to remember the past and determined to rescue the future. Far behind him lies a boyhood cut violently short by his family’s slaughter, when the forces of madness and hate swept our world after decadent excesses led to civilization’s downfall. Somewhere ahead of him rests the only chance to beat back the minions of evil that are systematically killing and enslaving the last remnants of humanity.” (Amazon)

Pure - “Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during The Before. In her sleeping cabinet behind the rubble of an old barbershop where she lives with her grandfather, she thinks about what is lost--how the world went from amusement parks, movie theaters, birthday parties, fathers and mothers…to ash and dust, scars, permanent burns, and fused, damaged bodies. And now, at an age when everyone is required to turn themselves over to the militia to either be trained as a soldier or, if they are too damaged and weak, to be used as live targets, Pressia can no longer pretend to be small. Pressia is on the run.” (Amazon) METHOD OF EVALUATION: Readers will answer this question: How are the characters depicted in the story? For two of the main characters in each of the books, mentally picture the characters in your book. What specific locations and places come to your mind? Choose one such location for two of the main characters and create a detailed illustration - whether in the form of a single portrait or a multi-frame comic strip - that depicts the essential personality of the characters you choose. Include dialogue (speech bubbles) or captions to provide more insight into who your characters are. Explain the choice of the location you place your character in with a paragraph to accompany your depiction. All illustrations are due when we meet in the fall. SPONSOR: Tom Morgan SELECTION: Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens DESCRIPTION: Charles Dickens's last complete novel, Our Mutual Friend encompasses the great themes of his earlier works: the pretensions of the nouveaux riches, the ingenuousness of the aspiring poor, and the unfailing power of wealth to corrupt all who crave it. With its flavorful cast of characters and numerous subplots, Our Mutual Friend is one of Dickens's most complex and satisfying novels. METHOD OF EVALUATION: Readers will take a quiz when we meet in the fall, followed by a discussion of the book. SPONSOR: Josh Norris SELECTION: A Storm of Swords - Song of Fire and Ice series Book 3 - (Game of

Thrones Series) by George R. R. Martin DESCRIPTION: "Of the five contenders for power, one is dead, another in disfavor, and still the wars rage as violently as ever, as alliances are made and broken. Joffrey, of House Lannister, sits on the Iron Throne, the uneasy ruler of the land of the Seven Kingdoms. His most bitter rival, Lord Stannis, stands defeated and disgraced, the victim of the jealous sorceress who holds him in her evil thrall. But young Robb, of House Stark, still rules the North from the fortress of Riverrun. Robb plots against his despised Lannister enemies, even as they hold his sister hostage at King's Landing, the seat of the Iron Throne.

Meanwhile, making her way across a blood-drenched continent is the exiled queen, Daenerys, mistress of the only three dragons still left in the world...." (Excerpt from www.worldswithoutend.com) METHOD OF EVALUATION: When we meet in the fall, readers will take a quiz in which you’ll have to know specific characters, events and relationships with sword, wolf and blood. SPONSOR: Patty Pond SELECTION: My Life in France by Julia Child and Alex Prud’Homme AND Julie and Julia by Julie Powell DESCRIPTION: Do you love cooking, love France, have a sense of humor? Have you ever heard of Julia Child? Well, these two books have her in common. Here are some comments about each book: My Life in France - Julia Child single-handedly created a new approach to American cuisine with her cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking and her television show The French Chef, but as she reveals in this bestselling memoir, she was not always a master chef. Indeed, when she first arrived in France in 1948 with her husband, Paul, who was to work for the USIS, she spoke no French and knew nothing about the country itself. But as she dove into French culture, buying food at local markets and taking classes at the Cordon Bleu, her life changed forever with her newfound passion for cooking and teaching.

Julie and Julia - Nearing 30 and trapped in a dead-end secretarial job, Julie Powell resolved to reclaim her life by cooking, in the span of a single year, every one of the 524 recipes in Julia Child's legendary Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Her unexpected reward: not just a newfound respect for calves' livers and aspic, but a new life--lived with gusto. This is a hysterical book! METHOD OF EVALUATION: After reading the two books, each student must do the following: Rent at least one episode of “The French Chef”. This is easily available on Netflix. Watch that episode and write a one-page review that ties in elements of Julia Child you learned from My Life in France with that episode. Also, you must find one recipe from Mastering the Art of French Cooking and prepare it. Then using Julie Powell’s somewhat irreverent style, write a review of your own experience. Please be sure speak specifically about that recipe. We will meet in September to discuss your experience, and I will collect your writing. SPONSOR: Judy Preston SELECTION: Every Day by David Levithan AND Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan FOR MATURE READERS ONLY! DESCRIPTION: Every Day: This is the story of sixteen-year-old A who wakes up in a different body every day. (From page 1): Day 5994 I wake up. Immediately I have to figure out who I am. It's not just the body---opening my eyes and discovering whether the skin on my arm is light or dark, whether my hair is long or short, whether I'm fat or thin, boy or girl, scarred or smooth. The body is the easiest thing to adjust to, if you're used to waking up in a new one each morning. It's the life, the contest of the body that can be hard to grasp. Every day I am someone else. I am myself---I know I am myself---but I am also someone else. It has always been like this.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson: From the back cover: One cold night, in a most unlikely comer of Chicago, Will Grayson crosses paths with...Will Grayson. Two teens with the same name, running in two very different circles, suddenly find their lives going in new

and unexpected directions, and culminating in epic turns-of-heart and the most fabulous musical ever to grace the high school stage...this collaborative novel features a double helping of heart and humor. METHOD OF EVALUATION: Readers will take a quiz and we’ll have a discussion when we meet in the fall. SPONSOR: Ben Rulli SELECTION: Patton: A Genius for War by Carlo D’Este DESCRIPTION: Carlo D'Este's biography of General Patton is a thorough account of the life and times of one of history's greatest military leaders. The book begins with his ancestors and takes you on a journey through the rise of Patton. There is no doubt that the reader will learn about Patton's life principles as well as his unique leadership style. Patton: A Genius for War is a full-fledged portrait of an extraordinary American that reveals the complex and contradictory personality that lay behind the swashbuckling and brash facade. According to Publishers Weekly, the result is "a major biography of a major American military figure.

"This massive work is biography at its very best. Literate and meaty, incisive and alanced, detailed without being pedantic, Mr. D'Este's Patton takes its rightful place as the definitive biography of this American warrior."--Calvin L. Christman, Dallas Morning News METHOD OF EVALUATION: In September, we will meet as a group and discuss leadership, life principles, and General Patton. SPONSOR: Joan Saunders SELECTION: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Brian

Mealer AND Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder DESCRIPTION: William Kamkwamba was born in Malawi, a country where magic ruled and modern science was mystery. It was also a land withered by drought and hunger. But William had read about windmills, and he dreamed of building one that would bring to his small village a set of luxuries that only 2 percent of Malawians could enjoy: electricity and running water. His neighbors called him “missal”—crazy—but William refused to let go of his dreams. With a small pile of once-forgotten science textbooks; some scrap metal, tractor parts, and bicycle halves; and an armory of curiosity and determination, he embarked on a daring plan to forge an unlikely contraption and small miracle that would change the lives around him.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is a remarkable true story about human inventiveness and its power to overcome crippling adversity. It will inspire anyone who doubts the power of one individual's ability to change his community and better the lives of those around him. At the center of Mountains Beyond Mountains stands Paul Farmer. Doctor, Harvard professor, renowned infectious-disease specialist, anthropologist, the recipient of a MacArthur “genius” grant, world-class Robin Hood, Farmer was brought up in a bus and on a boat, and in medical school found his life's calling: to diagnose and cure infectious diseases and to bring the lifesaving tools of modern medicine to those who need them most. This magnificent book shows how radical change can be fostered in situations that seem insurmountable, and it also shows how a meaningful life can be created, as Farmer—brilliant, charismatic, charming, both a leader in international health and a doctor who finds time to make house calls in Boston and the mountains of Haiti—blasts through convention to get results. Mountains Beyond Mountains takes us from Harvard to Haiti, Peru, Cuba, and Russia as Farmer changes minds and practices through his dedication to the philosophy that "the only real nation is humanity" - a philosophy that is embodied in

the small public charity he founded, Partners In Health. He enlists the help of the Gates Foundation, George Soros, the U.N.'s World Health Organization, and others in his quest to cure the world. At the heart of this book is the example of a life based on hope, and on an understanding of the truth of the Haitian proverb “Beyond mountains there are mountains”: as you solve one problem, another problem presents itself, and so you go on and try to solve that one too. METHOD OF EVALUATION: 1. When we meet in September, readers will have created a visual project to share that illustrates the major issues and challenges of the characters. A collage (done well), pencil sketch or color drawing (NO Computer generated drawings) are acceptable. 2. In our group session in September, students will write about 1 historical/artistic/cultural issue or event in the story that they have researched (a note card on the topic will be allowed). Examples might include: hunger, Malawian culture, Haitian proverbs, or the World Health Organization. Topics for your essay will be emailed and/or mailed to students in June.

SPONSOR: Peter Southworth SELECTION: The Bartender’s Tale by Ivan Doig AND Black Swan Green by David Mitchell DESCRIPTION: Two great books from fantastic authors about boys growing up!

The Bartender’s Tale - Adapted from Amazon: Tom Harry [runs] a venerable bar called The Medicine Lodge, the chief watering hole and last refuge of a town in northern Montana. Tom also has a son named Rusty, an “accident between the sheets” whose mother deserted them both years ago. The pair makes an odd kind of family, with the bar their true home, but they manage just fine until the summer of 1960, that is, when Rusty turns twelve. Change arrives with gale force, in the person of Proxy, a taxi dancer Tom knew back when, and her beatnik daughter, Francine. Is Francine, as Proxy claims, the unsuspected legacy of her and Tom’s past? Without a doubt she is an unsettling gust of the future, upending every certainty in Rusty’s life and generating a mist of passion and pretense…. Rusty struggles to decipher the oddities of adult behavior and the mysteries that build toward a reckoning.

Black Swan Green: Thirteen chapters provide a monthly snapshot of Jason Taylor's life in small-town England from January 1982 to January 1983. Whether the 13-year-old narrator is battling his stammer or trying to navigate the social hierarchy of his schoolmates or watching the slow disintegration of his parents' marriage, he relates his story in a voice that is achingly true to life. METHOD OF EVALUATION: Students will write three one-paragraph, personal reactions for the first third, second third, and end of each book to submit. We’ll have an engaging discussion of the books when our group gathers in the fall. SPONSOR: Terry Stoecker SELECTION: Ahab's Wife also called The Star-gazer: A Novel by Sena Jeter Naslund DESCRIPTION: From the opening line—"Captain Ahab was neither my first husband nor my last"—you will know that you are in the hands of a master storyteller and in the company of a fascinating woman hero. Inspired by a brief passage in Moby-Dick, Sena Jeter Naslund has created an enthralling and compellingly readable saga, spanning a rich, eventful, and dramatic life. At once a family drama, a romantic adventure, and a portrait of a real and loving marriage, Ahab's Wife gives new perspective on the American experience. METHOD OF EVALUATION: Readers will complete 10 journal entries responding to 10 of the 16 following questions AND 5 of the 10 journal entries must include visual imagery of your choosing--draw, paint, collage, etc.

1. Ahab's Wife takes place in the early nineteenth century. In what ways is Una's story a product of the times in which she lives? In what ways are her experiences timeless? ## 2. Early on in Una's life, her mother instructs her, "Accept the world, Una. It is what it is" (p. 29). Does she? ## 3. In many ways, Ahab's Wife is a spiritual journey. What are the forces that guide Una? What is her notion of her place in the universe and how does it evolve over the course of her lifetime? 4. Una writes, "Let me assure you and tell you that I know you, even something of your pain and joy, for you are much like me. The contract of writing and reading requires that we know each other. Did you know that I try on your mask from time to time? I become a reader, too" (p. 148). Several times throughout this book, Una addresses the reader directly. What is the effect of this interchange? How do you participate and become a character in this novel? ##5. Discuss Una's relationship to the sea.## 6. At the most painful time in her life, when she has lost her child and her mother, Una befriends Susan. Why is this relationship so important to Una? What is it that Susan teaches her? Compare and contrast their friendship to Una's friendship with Margaret Fuller. 7. How do you react to Una's cannibalism? Was she justified in doing what she does to survive? Is Giles more culpable because he himself makes the decision and executes the other shipmates? Or is he the most courageous of all because he takes it on himself to make a terrible decision and save those he loved? ##8. Throughout Ahab's Wife, Una makes reference to the works of great writers such as William Shakespeare, John Keats, and Homer. What is the effect of drawing on all these other books? How does it enhance, deepen, and expand Ahab's Wife? ##9. How does Una reconcile "the inevitable animal within" (p. 256) with her spiritual aspirations? 10. Why do you think that three out of Una's four loves (Giles, Kit, and Ahab (go mad? Is this merely coincidence? 11. Throughout her life, Una explores the art of sewing. Although Maria Mitchell considers sewing to be an act and a skill that confines rather than liberates women, at one point Una supports herself with a needle and thread. Discuss the numerous ways in which images of mending, binding, and sewing inform the telling of this novel. 12. When Una is looking for icebergs on Ahab's ship, she returns his trust "with silence on the subject of a white whale and all his massive innocence" (p. 280). Has she betrayed Ahab? Why does she see the whale as innocent? After Ahab loses his leg and then his life, do you think she continues to see Moby-Dick as innocent? 13. "Beware the treachery of words, Mrs. Sparrow. They mean one thing to one person and the opposite to another" (p. 297), Ahab tells Una. Why do you think Una finally finds her vocation to be working with words? 14. "Wondering what Margaret Fuller would say to such a distinction between spiritual and moral matters, I asked the judge if he thought there was a difference" (p. 383). Do you think there is a difference? 15. Una's narrative plunges back in time, leaps ahead, and loops over itself again. Different sections are told through other characters' perspectives and through their letters. How does the narrative structure itself enact some of Una's beliefs about the world? 16. The alternate title of this book is The Star-Gazer. Why do you think Ms. Naslund chose to have an alternate title at all? What meanings does it hold?

SPONSOR: Anne Swayze SELECTION: Where the Rivers Change Direction by Mark Spragg AND

A River Runs Through It by Norman MacLean DESCRIPTION: Where the Rivers Change Direction: Wyoming, land of wind and dust, loneliness, uninterrupted vistas stretching 20 miles in every direction, hard drinking men and fighting women, forms the backdrop to Spragg's brave and beautiful coming of age memoir. This is a book about living and dying, about growing up on the high Yellowstone Plateau and working for the state's oldest dude ranch. This is a story about the depths of a person's soul, decision-making in the toughest of times, and growing up. This autobiography is a voice from the western heartland complete with tradition and self-examination. A River Runs Through It: Go back to the rivers, to the land. Be haunted by 'the waters'. The stories are set in small Western towns that are surrounded by trout streams, mountains, and land. Interwoven are tales of flyfishing, fighting Western forest fires, playing cribbage by the light of a campfire, being a husband, father and son. And, finally, stories that talk about life absent of cities, technology, or demands. A meandering story of life in its fullest. METHOD OF EVALUATION: Write two short stories set with a Western theme. Take your reader on an adventure, introduce us to a moment, bring us into a conflict, and invite us to learn more about the characters that speak to the Western way. Teach us to 'ride the range, fish in the rivers, rope the calf, care for the herd, hunt for food' - create, develop and deliver your story. Three pages for each story; Word-processed. Sent by August 28 to Anne E. Swayze, P.O. Box 177, Andover, NH 03216. We will discuss the books when we meet in September. SPONSOR: Mark Tremblay SELECTION: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde AND

A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams DESCRIPTION: The Picture of Dorian Gray and A Streetcar Named Desire are works that use the theme of desire, pleasure and obsession in different ways. Read the two descriptions from Amazon and choose this topic if you want to explore these themes in two classic works of literature.

The Picture of Dorian Gray is a celebrated novel that traces the moral degeneration of a handsome young Londoner from an innocent fop into a cruel and reckless pursuer of pleasure and, ultimately, a murderer. As Dorian Gray sinks into depravity, his body retains perfect youth and vigor while his recently painted portrait reflects the ravages of crime and sensuality.

A Streetcar Named Desire It is a very short list of 20th-century American plays that continue to have the same power and impact as when they first appeared—57 years after its Broadway premiere, Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire is one of those plays. The story famously recounts how the faded and promiscuous Blanche DuBois is pushed over the edge by her sexy and brutal brother-in-law, Stanley Kowalski. METHOD OF EVALUATION: Readers will write a one-page response comparing the similarities and differences of the states of obsession present in each of the works. We will discuss these differences when we meet in the fall. SPONSOR: Shauna Turnbull SELECTION: A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving DESCRIPTION: John Irving's popular novel opens with these words: “I am doomed to remember a boy with a wrecked voice-not because of his voice, or because he was the smallest person I ever knew, or even because he was the instrument of my mother's death,

but because he is the reason I believe in God; I am a Christian because of Owen Meany.” Cindra Wilson from Salon had this to say about it: "Owen Meany is simply a great and luminous character, a man whom you wish you knew and hung out with, and the novel is driven by the merits of his palpable soul. This is a book about the interconnectedness of things and the importance of seemingly meaningless details and the yielding nature of true friendship, and how everything plays a part in recognizing a larger force and ultimate plan...Like life, nothing in this book makes any particular sense until later in the book when it all falls gracefully together into a whole that means more than the sum of its parts.” METHOD OF EVALUATION: Readers will write blog entries during the reading of the book. We will then review and discuss the blog and the book when we meet in September. SPONSOR: Sarah Will SELECTION: Lee Child and Sue Grafton novels DESCRIPTION: Lee Child and Sue Grafton are two of the best mystery/detective/ crime writers. They've each written a bunch of books, and readers should choose two. Lee Child's books involve Jack Reacher in such titles as Killing Floor, Tripwire, Die Trying, and One Shot. Sue Grafton's books involve Kinsey Millhone and such titles as A is for Alibi, S is for Silence, and V is for Vengeance. I've read them all and you may pick any combination you wish. METHOD OF EVALUATION: Readers will email me (sarah@proctornet.com) with a paragraph or so of their reactions to each book. Students may email me at any point in the summer. We’ll discuss the books when we meet in the September. SPONSOR: Ross Young SELECTION: A Soldier's Story by Omar N. Bradley DESCRIPTION: D-Day, the Battle of the Bulge, the liberation of Paris, the relentless drive through Germany toward Allied victory--Omar Bradley, the "GI General," was there for every major engagement in the European theater. A Soldier's Story is the behind-the­ scenes eyewitness account of the war that shaped our century: the tremendous manpower at work, the unprecedented stakes, the snafus that almost led to defeat, the larger-than-life personalities and brilliant generals (Patton, Eisenhower, Montgomery) who masterminded it all. One of the two books on which the movie Patton was based, A Soldier's Story is a compelling and vivid memoir from the greatest military tactician of our time. METHOD OF EVALUATION: When we meet in September, readers will participate in a discussion and be evaluated through an in-class essay.