Summer Reading 2020 Bentley Upper School: Summer Reading 2020

WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE
ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW'S 10 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
A NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FINALIST

★ "Like the works of Ursula K. LeGuin, inside this lyrically written, suspenseful tale is a deeply humane thematic core."—Kirkus Reviews, starred Review
"Readers will feel fully immersed in this new reality. A great choice for lovers of postapocalyptic story lines." –School Library Journal

A remarkable story of two women, their loves, their secrets, and two world wars [in which] the beauty of Scotland, the tragedy of war, the longings of the heart, and the struggles of a family torn apart by disloyalty are brilliantly drawn. "Publishers Weekly" (starred review)

Poetic, lyrical, insightful, magical!

“The death of innocence seen through the eyes of Gabriel, our beguiling 11-year-old narrator, is at the heart of this gorgeous first novel… Faye eloquently speaks to the untenable choices, among love of country, family, or survival, that victims in conflict zones are forced to make." -- Library Journal

"Orange's debut is an ambitious meditation on identity and its broken alternatives, on myth filtered through the lens of time and poverty and urban life. Its many short chapters are told through a loosely connected group of Native Americans living in Oakland, Calif., as they travel to a powwow. They are all, as in Chaucer, pilgrims on their way to a shrine, or, as in Faulkner's ''As I Lay Dying,'' an extended family crossing the landscape. The novel is their picaresque journey, allowing for moments of pure soaring beauty to hit against the most mundane, for a sense of timelessness to be placed right beside a cleareyed version of the here and now.” -- New York Times

magical realism with a touch of quiet beauty all while dealing with real issues of immigration.

Short but INTENSE and addresses issues of race and racial profiling from a teen's perspective.

This powerful first novel by Angie Thomas brings to life Black Lives Matter issues and it illuminates the importance and difficulties of speaking out
when personally confronted by some of these issues. Although presented as a YA book, it is a must read for everyone given our current social climate.

shocking and inspiring

An addictive sage of a Korean family in Japan.

A beautifully told story of the lives of some of the residents of a small Oregon coastal town. It was my introduction to Brian Doyle and he is now one of my favorite authors. His use of language is so poetical. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!1

A very important and insightful book about the nature of human civilization. Especially important to read now when our "tribes" are becoming fewer and fewer...

For you budding scientists (and for everyone else too!) - this is for you. It is not only a celebration of one person's lifelong curiosity, but also introduces the reader to a totally different way of looking at the world through the eyes of a geobiologist.

A wonderful novel that makes you believe in the power of love and how love for each member of a community can heal all.

Historical fiction

This story opened my eyes to another American's life experience that I could not have ever pictured or understood before on my own.

If you're interested in race in America--which you should be--this is a must-read.

My favorite novel of all time!

5 book series

This experimental first novel combines history and ghost-ery to meditate on the poignancy of death, particularly the death of a child. It's a different kind of storytelling that relies on the multiple voices of multiple spirits stuck in a sort of Buddhist purgatory.

This book is a fantastic local story that deals with what it means to be a Native American in the current era and the hardships they face in our own communities. Not an easy read, but worth it!
Also recommended by Ms. Bogas and Dr. Chang (and others!!)

This is a fantastic modern day sci-fi book that takes place in our own backyard. If you enjoy mystery, conspiracy theories, tech, cabinets of curiosities, and nerdy heists, this is the book for you.

This was one of my favorite books that I read during middle school and I think that it has something for everyone about immigration, race, and finding yourself as a young teenager.

This book is an interesting investigation of what it is like to be a student in high school and also struggling with your immigration status. Very relevant and well written.

If you enjoyed Adichie's "Danger of a Single Story" TEDTalk or her short story "The Thing Around Your Neck" in tenth grade, this is an awesome way to enter her full length novel work. A remarkable story about moral responsibility, the end of colonialism, ethnic allegiances, class, and race, told through the lens of three characters experiencing Nigeria's struggle for independence in the 1960s.

A fantastic and interesting view on racism and the class systems in place during slavery. Also a great look into the purity of childhood. It follows the story of an Irish immigrant orphan who is forced into the life of indentured servitude after the deaths of her parents and must face the harsh reality of inhabiting the limbo that falls between slavery and freedom.