2008-10-06T11:37:00.000-07:00

Book list:

Fiction:
The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar
This Side of Brightness by Colum McCann
Joe College by Tom Perrotta
The Ciderhouse Rules by John Irving
Cinderella Man
Water for Elephants
The Bean Trees
The Great Gatsby, 1925, Fitzgerald
The Grapes of Wrath, 1938, Steinbeck
Ironweed, 1983, Kennedy
The Natural, 1952, Malamud

Non-fiction:
Devil in the White City by Eric Larson
This Boy's Life, 1989, Wolff
Nickel and Dimed, Ehrenreich
Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand
Without a Net by Michelle Kennedy
In Praise of Famous Men, Agee
The High Price of Materialism, 2002, Kasser
The World is Flat, 2005, Friedman
Class Matters, 2005, Keller

Book discussion

2008-10-05T09:29:00.002-07:00

Following the Independent Reading calendar, you are to post at least four individual responses to your book, and your reading group is to post at least three group responses--one following each group discussion during class time.

For your work in terms of reading and processing this book to be considered excellent (A level work) your posts will not only fully respond to the assigned prompts, but they will be be full, thoughtful, and reflective and you will exceed the minimum requirements.

You should take turns posting the group summaries, and each group response must include the name of each group member.

Each entry will automatically be posted under your name, but you should, additionally, entitle each entry "individual entry #1," "group entry #2," etc.

Blog prompts:
Each post should, at a minimum:
1. Summarize the book so far;

2. Discuss whether or not (and the extent to which) the book is meeting your expectations. (The first individual post and the first group post should discuss what your expectations are and why you chose book.);

3. Reflect on how the theme (or a theme) of the book is "work," "class," a related theme, or a combination of these; and

4. Analyze the quality of the book. (Is it any good? Why or why not?) In this section you should discuss whether or not:
· you enjoy the book (Is it a "good read?")
· the book is of interest to you (Is it a page turner? Does it engage you on another other level?)
· the book is of social or cultural value (Is it an important or noteworthy book?)
· the book has artistic or literary merit (Is it a great book? Will it stand the test of time?)

Work & Class 2008

Book discussion