Summer Reading

Summer Reading 2010

Summer Reading 2010

1.    Fr. Paul

The Quiet Game by Greg Isles

�     Paperback: 592 pages

�     ISBN-10: 0451180429

�     ISBN-13: 978-0451180421

Although it takes place in Natchez, Miss., and is flavored with the violence and seamy undertones of a Southern Gothic, this fourth thriller by Iles (Spandau Phoenix) owes just as much to a familiar parallel universe where wealthy male lawyers double as tragic heroes, women are invariably smart and attractive, and trials are by definition "high profile." After his wife's death, Penn Cage, a former Houston prosecutor and a bestselling suspense novelist, retreats to his parents' home in Natchez with his grieving young daughter. The healing process is interrupted when Cage learns that someone is blackmailing his father, a saintly family doctor who once made a lethal mistake. In tracing the source of his father's moral dilemma, Cage stumbles upon a trail of lies surrounding the unsolved murder of a black man in 1968. He determines to reopen the case, even though his antebellum hometown is smoldering with racial tension. With the assistance of Caitlin Masters, the attractive, smart and ambitious publisher of the local newspaper, Cage gradually uncovers an intricate conspiracy that reaches up to the highest levels of the FBI. Forced to confront powerful Judge Leo Marston, who nearly destroyed his father in pursuing an unrelated, unfounded malpractice accusation decades before, Cage must also face Marston's daughter, Livy, his old high school sweetheart, who tries to persuade Cage to let sleeping dogs lie. It is difficult at times to sympathize with Cage, who proselytizes about truth, justice and obligation, yet destroys evidence to protect his father and fails to properly shield his loved ones as he single-mindedly pursues the case. This ably crafted, richly atmospheric legal thriller is engrossing,

A Prisoner of Birth by Jeffrey Archer

�     Mass Market Paperback: 624 pages

�     ISBN-10: 0312944098

�     ISBN-13: 978-0312944094

Bestseller Archer (Kane and Abel) pays homage to Dumas's The Count of Monte Cristo in this delicious updating of the adventure classic. Four upper-crust friends from Cambridge University known as the Musketeers conspire to frame Danny Cartwright, an illiterate London East Ender, for the murder of Danny's oldest friend and brother-in-law to be, Bernie Wilson. The outcome of the intriguing trial, which pits a relatively novice defense lawyer against a skilled prosecutor, is a 22-year sentence for Danny. In maximum-security Belmarsh prison, Danny is lucky enough to share a cell with Sir Nicholas Moncrieff, the book's Abb� Faria figure, who teaches him to read and write. In a trick familiar to those who know their Dumas, Danny escapes by impersonating Moncrieff and hatches an intricate scheme to punish the Musketeers and clear his name. While Archer doesn't explore the cost to Danny's soul his revenge exacts, the author's firsthand knowledge of prison life and legal maneuvers helps make this a thoroughly enjoyable entertainment.

Assignment: Read the books listed above. Meet with me before school begins (August 27, 2010) and we will discuss the books. The meeting will be about 10 minutes long. Our discussion will focus on the writing style of the authors.

2.    Mr. Tamagni

Samurai

SHOGUN by James Clavell ISBN 0-440-17800-2

The 47Ronin by John Allyn ISBN 0-8048-0196-7

Enter the world of the Samurai in medieval Japan where Shoguns ruled the Empire and Samurai were a law unto themselves.

Shogun Tells of a stranded seagoing pilot of a Dutch warship that is stranded in the little known islands of Japan in the late 1500�s. The story embarks on many exciting adventures and thrilling insights to the daily life of the feudal Samurai.

The 47 Ronin- A true story about revenge and assassination in 18th Century Japan

1. Do a character analysis on two major characters for each book.

> Develop the characters� personality, role in the book, and impact on the story.

The analysis should be 2 pages each and should be well developed and thought out within the context of each book.

> Prepare to discuss your choices at the reading seminar in September

2. Do a one page compare and contrast essay that compares the similarities

and differences between the two books.

> Cite several pertinent examples of each

3.    Mr. Grealis:

Theme: The Works of Douglas Adams

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
Life, the Universe, and Everything
So Long, and Thanks For All the Fish
Mostly Harmless

The students will read the science fiction comedy series written by Douglas Adams and, through the understanding of satire and the sci-fi tradition, be able to draw parallels between the books and real life situations. The books will be accompanied by a paper due at the beginning of school, as well as a discussion with the group.

4.    Mrs. McHugh

Theme: Biographies of Naturalists/Environmentalists.

The great naturalists described, experimented, collected and gave us the means to order and understand the natural world. These efforts are futile if we fail to conserve nature and ensure its future survival. Read biographies of great men like David Bower (the founder of the Sierra Club), Clarence Petty (Adirondack preservationist) and John Muir (the founder of our National Park system). Each has made enormous contributions to preserving the environment.   Then, switch gears and read �The Green Book�, which details many popular celebrities� environmental efforts and discusses small, daily changes that, in the aggregate, can significantly impact the vitality of our planet. Like these famous people (historical and current), YOU can make a difference!!!!

Assignment:

�         Create a time line of the lives of Bower, Petty, and Muir. Be creative! Illustrate each man�s environmental milestones.

�         Pick one of the naturalists (Bower, Petty, or Muir) and build a model (diorama, model magic, statue) depicting him in the setting he sought to preserve.

�         Submit a "Proposal for Change" in which you offer concrete suggestions and implementation strategies aimed at protecting the environment in either you local community or at the Prep. (This proposal will be submitted to Fr Paul and to the Prep�s environmental club). Students will meet for a round table discussion on the books and share ways to make their individual proposals a reality.

Books:

1) A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson



       2.) Extraordinary Adirondack Journey of Clarence Petty: Wilderness Guide, Pilot, and Conservationist by Christopher Angus, Anne Labastille (Foreword by)



       3.) Son of the Wilderness: The Life of John Muir by Linnie Marsh Wolfe, Steven J. Holmes

4.) The Green Book: The Everyday Guide to Saving the Planet One Simple Step at a Time by Elizabeth Rogers, Thomas M. Kostigen, William McDonough (Foreword by), Cameron Diaz

5.    Mrs. Newnam

American Musicians

1.    Cash: The Autobiography by Johnny Cash

2.    Paul Simon: The Definitive Biography by Laura Jackson

3.    To a Young Jazz Musicians: Letters from the Road by Wynson Marsalis

4.    The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship and the Power of the Redemptive Power of Musicby Steve Lopez

5.    Louis Armstrong�s New Orleans by Thomas Brothers

6.    Mr. William Hambrecht

History Department

American history will always begin with the founding of our nation in the 18^th Century. This summer reading selection is designed to enhance students� knowledge of several of the most important figures in the Revolutionary generation. The focus will be on Benjamin Franklin (The First American) and Samuel Adams (Father of the American Revolution) who were second only to George Washington in importance. While the primary focus will be these two men, we will also examine their relationship with other founders through Joseph Ellis� book Founding Brothers.

Approximately 1147 Pages

Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson   ISBN: 0-684-80761-0

Samuel Adams: Father of the American Revolution by Mark Puls       ISBN: 978-1-4039-7582-9

Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation by Joseph J. Ellis ISBN: 0-375-40544-5

7. Mr. Boody

            The War on Terror

Assessment: Students will be required to write a paper that is composed of information learned through the reading of these works of non-fiction. Requirements to be discussed at a later date.

Books:

The Siege of Mecca: The Forgotten Uprising in Islam's Holiest Shrine and the Birth of al-Qaeda (Hardcover) 301 pages / Doubleday (September 18, 2007) / ISBN-10: 0385519257 / ISBN-13: 978-0385519250
Trofimov, a Wall Street Journal writer and observer of the Muslim world (Faith at War), tackles an incident unreported in the West: the violent takeover of Islam's holiest shrine by Muslim fundamentalists in 1979. Carrying out his investigations in one of the world's most closed societies, Trofimov has crafted a compelling historical narrative, blending messianic theology with righteous violence, and the Saudi state's sclerotic corruption with the complicity of the official religious institutions. Trofimov aptly points out endemic regional problems with enduring repercussions for fighting terror, but is hampered by his sensationalist style (The world was twelve months away from the tumultuous events that would cover the mosque's marble courtyard with blood, spilled guts and severed limbs). In 1979, the Saudi intelligence services apparently had no accurate blueprints of the Grand Mosque, and knew nothing of the underground labyrinth where many of the militants took shelter; they eventually received plans to the site from Osama bin Laden's older brother. Ringleader Juhayman and his followers have inspired al-Qaeda and countless other Islamic revivalist movements to ever greater acts of violence, even though they were mesmerized by their limited understanding of an obscurantist theology and were convinced that that one of their unassuming members was the Messiah. Casual readers will be well served by this introduction to Muslim fundamentalist terrorism.

The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 (paperback) 576 pages / Vintage (August 21, 2007) / ISBN-10: 1400030846 / ISBN-13: 978-1400030842

Wright, a New Yorker writer, brings exhaustive research and delightful prose to one of the best books yet on the history of terrorism. He begins with the observation that, despite an impressive record of terror and assassination, post�WWarII, Islamic militants failed to establish theocracies in any Arab country. Many helped Afghanistan resist the Russian invasion of 1979 before their unemployed warriors stepped up efforts at home. Al-Qaeda, formed in Afghanistan in 1988 and led by Osama bin Laden, pursued a different agenda, blaming America for Islam's problems. Less wealthy than believed, bin Laden's talents lay in organization and PR, Wright asserts. Ten years later, bin Laden blew up U.S. embassies in Africa and the destroyer Cole, opening the floodgates of money and recruits. Wright's step-by-step description of these attacks reveals that planning terror is a sloppy business, leaving a trail of clues that, in the case of 9/11, raised many suspicions among individuals in the FBI, CIA and NSA. Wright shows that 9/11 could have been prevented if those agencies had worked together. As a fugitive, bin Ladin's days as a terror mastermind may be past, but his success has spawned swarms of imitators. This is an important, gripping and profoundly disheartening book.

Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 (Mass Market Paperback) 464 pages / Little, Brown and Company; Reprint edition (May 1, 2009) / ISBN-10: 0316044695 / ISBN-13: 978-0316044691

Four US Navy SEALS departed one clear night in early July 2005 for the mountainous Afghanistan-Pakistan border for a reconnaissance mission. Their task was to document the activity of an al Qaeda leader rumored to be very close to Bin Laden with a small army in a Taliban stronghold. Five days later, only one of those Navy SEALS made it out alive.
This is the story of the only survivor of Operation Redwing, SEAL fire team leader Marcus Luttrell, and the extraordinary firefight that led to the largest loss of life in American Navy SEAL history. His squadmates fought valiantly beside him until he was the only one left alive, blasted by an RPG into a place where his pursuers could not find him. Over the next four days, terribly injured and presumed dead, Luttrell crawled for miles through the mountains and was taken in by sympathetic villagers who risked their lives to keep him safe from surrounding Taliban warriors. A born and raised Texan, Marcus Luttrell takes us from the rigors of SEAL training, where he and his fellow SEALs discovered what it took to join the most elite of the American special forces, to a fight in the desolate hills of Afghanistan for which they never could have been prepared. His account of his squadmates' heroism and mutual support renders an experience that is both heartrending and life-affirming. In this rich chronicle of courage and sacrifice, honor and patriotism, Marcus Luttrell delivers a powerful narrative of modern war.

8.    Ms. Wittman

Theme of Summer Readings: Epic Fantasy

Summer Reading Selections: 1,537 pages

SERIES: The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan

1. Book I: The Eye of the World (832 pages)

2. Book II: The Great Hunt (705 pages)

____________________________________________________________

THE WHEEL OF TIME SERIES:

This epic fantasy series brings to life �the most fully realized fantasy world ever created, [possibly] surpassing even Tolkien�s vision . . .What appeared to be a classic hero-sets-off-on-a-quest book became so much more. More than just good vs. evil, this book more closely represents what our real society is like---twisting both good and evil for the selfish good or the good of others and so on. And the best part of it is---you can never underestimate or overestimate any one character, whether hero or villain. All this with a touch of satire that makes this [series] one of the very best ever written.�   ~Frank Herrera

The Eye of the World:

The peaceful villagers of Emond's Field pay little heed to rumors of war in the western lands until a savage attack by troll-like minions of the Dark One forces three young men to confront a destiny which has its origins in the time known as The Breaking of the World. This richly detailed fantasy presents a fully realized, complex adventure which will appeal to fans of classic quests.

The Great Hunt:

Chosen by fate to become the Dragon Reborn--savior and destroyer of his world--young Rand al'Thor attempts to outrun his destiny by joining in a mad search for the lost Horn of Valere. Continuing the story begun in The Eye of the World, Jordan creates a lush, sprawling tapestry of a novel in the tradition of Tolkien and Eddings.

9.    Mr. Burke � English Department

Theme: The Spirit of Athletics

When Pride Still Mattered by David Mariness

ISBN# 10:0684870185

ISBN# 13:978-0684870182

My Losing Season by Pat Conroy

ISBN# 10:0099468328

ISBN# 13:978-009468325

Miracle at St. Anthony�s by Adrian Wojnarowski

ISBN# 10:1592401864