Post Book Reviews

Post here your recommendations for good reads. Currently, I'm rereading Camus' "The Stranger", an absurd murder story, and Kent Haruf's "Plainsong", good for a good roadtrip through America's greatest prairie. I'll let you know what I think of them later.

Welcome to COVA AP summer reading blog!

Welcome, AP student! You're here because you've signed up for one of two AP English courses at COVA. I'm Mrs. Sheely and I'll be teaching AP LIT ENG510 this fall. I thought we could get to know one another a little by blogging before the course begins. We'll read some essays and novels and discuss them here. This will keep our minds sharp and ready for our challenging AP course in the fall.

1. Read a couple of essays together.
Our first suggested reading is a short compare/contrast analysis of two essayists who write about gender roles. Please read the essays provided in links, and view the bio spot about S. R. Sanders, then post your responses and questions in this blog. Notice the speakers in these essays, their use of voice, organization, rhetoric and style. Please tell your thoughts and respond to the ideas expressed by others here in the blog.
"The Men We Carry in Our Minds" (Scott Russell Sanders)
http://course1.winona.edu/hshi/eng111/documents/Sanders.pdf
http://www.slideshare.net/aidenyeh/the-men-we-carry-in-our-minds
"I Want a Wife" (Judy Brady)
http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/everythingsanargument4e/content/cat_020/Brady_I_Want_a_Wife.pdf

2.Rigorously Read Novels
In order to increase your reading and interpretive skills, you should read at least two novels during the summer. As you read, think critically about the writer and his/her work. Post your “Why…?” questions to our blog. Share your insights and respond to others’ questions and continue this dialogue to enrich your (and our) understanding of literature.
To get started: Make a list of about 5 important interpretive discussion questions or discussion topics about the book and answer each question in a paragraph of 1/3 to ½ page each (single-spaced, typed).
Examples: Why does the character . . . ?
How does this event (or character, setting, etc) change the course of the book or change the author’s life, etc.?
Explain the quotation: “…”
Caution: Do not include any literal questions. Literal questions generally begin with “Who, what, when, where.” The questions you select or the topics you address will most likely begin with the words “Why, how, explain, describe, compare and contrast, analyze,” etc.
Please note that the questions which you ask are just as important as how you respond to the question of topic. Questions should reflect your active reading and understanding of the entire literary work as well as the overall them of the book.
Also, because you are asking and answering interpretative questions, there might be several possible correct answers or no specific answer. Your interpretations are fine so long as you support your answers with specific examples from the book.

Lastly, write your review.
Write a one-paragraph critique of the book. What did you like and why? What did you dislike and why? Did the book change you or change your way of thinking? Explain. Critique the author’s writing style. When possible, give specific examples to support your statements.
Finding A Good Read: What are other AP students reading this summer?
Wondering what to read this summer? Start with an author or book you have enjoyed in the past. Look through the list of titles suggested by the AP College Board. Check out suggestions from http://www.whatshouldireadnext.com/
Or, Choose from this list of AP teachers’ faves:
Fast Food Nation (Eric Schlosser)
Black Boy (Richard Wright)
The Joy Luck Club (Amy Tan)
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (Carson McCullers)
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (Mark Twain)
A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
The Stranger (Albert Camus)
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time (Greg Mortenson)

3.Are you writing this summer?
If you’d like help with writing an expository essay you might be working on, for any purpose, post it as an attachment to our blog, where we can give you writing feedback. Please tell your thoughts and respond to the ideas expressed by others here in the blog.

If you would like to meet face to face at a Denver coffee shop, please let us know and we will arrange a little AP chat spot.
If you have any trouble posting to the blog or accessing the reading materials, please let me know by emailing directly to csheely@covcs.org.

Mrs. Sheely

Thoughts/Questions on “A Prayer for Owen Meany”, by John Irving

Faith and Doubt are big themes in this novel. Pastor Merrill has true faith, yet his life is flawed. John seems to live a charmed life, yet is filled with doubt. What is the message in this juxtaposition?

Why is John’s mother’s dressmaker’s dummy an important symbol? What does that have to say about the Vietnam War?

Why doesn’t the book show us more about Hester? Does this character connect to Hawthorne’s Hester Prynne?

Why doesn’t John’s mother pay attention to the foul ball? What’s the narrator trying to tell us with this important event?

Why does the book describe certain places in such detail (the attic closet, the restroom at the end of the book)? Does the description warn the readers, or just bore them, like it did for me?

What’s up with the armadillo? Why is that object comforting to the boys? What could it symbolize?