The Gist A boy growing up in South

The Gist: A boy growing up in South Africa during the buildup to World War II fights bullies and Nazis. He learns to draw on inner reserves of strength through boxing. I Would Describe This Book As… narratively satisfying, masculine, inspiring Special Notes: This book was read as part of AP Literature at my own high school… until it was banned for slight sexuality. So I read it on my own and loved it.

The Gist: America becomes a theocracy after an unspecified environmental accident renders the majority of the population sterile. Women are basically slaves. I Would Describe This Book As… terrifying, prescient, relevant Special Notes: This book is not the same as the TV series (although both are great!). The pace is a little slower and the plot isn’t quite as juicy. Obviously, there are instances of sexual violence.

The Gist: A young black woman in the Jim Crow South suffers abuse at the hands of her father and then her husband. Over the course of her lifetime, she is able to find beauty and meaning in spite of her difficult circumstances. I Would Describe This Book As… beautiful, sob-inducing, LGBT-representative Special Notes: Lots of violence throughout this book. There is a FANTASTIC film version which you should watch as an accompaniment.

The Gist: A English village circa the 1600’s suffers an outbreak of the plague, and the community is tested in various ways. I Would Describe This Book As… interesting, clever, fast-paced Special Notes: Some descriptions of death and illness that might be a little gross.

The Gist: A bright young woman navigates the strict mores of courtship and marriage in early 1800’s rural England. I Would Describe This Book As… romantic, witty, ending happily Special Notes: It might take you 30 -or-so pages to get used to Austen’s prose style (which would be excellent preparation for the AP exam), but pretty soon, you should start to enjoy her humor. Many of the criticisms she makes of her own society are still relevant to our world today.

The Gist: A Chinese-American family in the middle of the 20 th century suffers a mysterious tragedy, and the characters attempt to discover what happened and make sense of their relationships. I Would Describe This Book As… mysterious, race-conscious, family portrait Special Notes: I cried a lot as I was reading this book. If you’re looking for a happy ending, look elsewhere.

The Gist: Two Jewish cousins – one American, one Czech – enter the comic book industry just as it begins to heat up in WWII-era New York City. There is just a touch of fantasy in the form of the golem myth. I Would Describe This Book As… interesting, LGBT-representative, intellectual Special Notes: This is one of the denser, more challenging options, but I think it can be deeply rewarding.

The Gist: A crime within a Native American community has long-reaching consequences. I Would Describe This Book As… mysterious, disturbing, thoughtful Special Notes: The crime is a rape, which draws attention to the under-reported epidemic of violence against Native American women. Erdrich is honest and sensitive in dealing with this issue.

The Gist: A contemporary Jewish-American man travels to the Ukraine to learn about what happened to his grandfather during the Holocaust. I Would Describe This Book As… experimental, surprisingly funny, historical Special Notes: The style of this book is a little unconventional; the main character has the same name as the author himself, although this is a work of fiction.