The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros In the first semester we read The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. This book is about a girl named Esperanza who grows up in this neighborhood on Mango Street. Throughout the book you watch her grow from being an immature young girl to a strong independent woman. She learns to not rely on men to sustain her life and to trust herself to become the successful person she wants to be. This was a wonderful book that had a lot of detail and great depth in the plot. I would recommend to everyone as a must read.
Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood by Benjamin Alire Saenz In the first semester we read Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood by Alire Saenz. This book is about a teenage boy who grows up in a small barrio in Hollywood, New Mexico. He faces many challenges in his life that make him the man he is at the end of the book. This is a powerful piece of literature because it shows how strong a person can be even though they have gone through so many negative experiences in their life. I extremely enjoyed this book. It inspired me to continue to work hard on every aspect of my life.
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
In the first semester we read My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. This book is about a girl who was born solely for the purpose of sustaining her sister's life as she battled leukemia. As a teenager, she no longer wants to be responsible for her sister and has to make a decision that tears her family apart. Her parents do not understand why she has made this decision and try desperately to stop her. I learned from this book that life is full of tough decisions and its is impossible to anticipate what will be thrown at you next. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone.
Antigone by Sophocles
In the first semester we read the play Antigone by Sophocles. This tragic play is about a woman who is unjustly sentenced to death for burying her brother against the king's word. During the play, Antigone stands by her belief that she did the right thing and is willing to receive her punishment. The king, however, starts to realize that he has made the wrong decision by punishing her. As Antigone is sent to her death, the king decides to change his mind to not kill her but he is too late. We read this play in class so we could have an understanding on how to write a tragic play as that would be our assignment for the Greek Tragedy Play Project project.
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
In the second semester, we started off by reading Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. This book is a tale of two men who are traveling and looking for work during the Great Depression. While the Great Depression has turned many Americans lives upside down, George and Lennie, the two main characters, never lose hope of the American dream and hope to live a simple yet fulfilling life on land of their own where they get to control their futures. However, that dream is interrupted when they find work on a large farm. Lennie, a strong, less than smart man, causes trouble on this farm. He causes a problem so big that it will change the lives of George and Lennie forever, and it is not change for the best.
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein is a fantastic book told in the perspective of a dog named Enzo. Enzo is the dog of Denny whose dream is to become a professional race car driver, and he is well on his way to making his dream a reality. However, when his wife dies of cancer, he is faced with large problem, a lawsuit from his parent in-laws for custody over his daughter. This is a thrilling tale of perseverance and love between a man and his dog which is brilliantly narrated by the voice of Enzo. A must read for anyone.
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare is a classic play of love and tragedy. Two star crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet, fall in love under bad circumstances. Juliet is the daughter of the Capulets and Romeo is the son of the Montagues The Capulets and the Montagues are both sworn enemies and are at a constant battle with each other. Because of this, when Romeo and Juliet plan to marry, they must do so in secret. After the marriage, Rome gets in a fight with Tybalt, Juliet's beloved cousin, and slays him. The prince banishes Romeo from Verona, where they live, which brakes Juliet's heart. Juliet comes up with a plan to drink a sleeping potion which will make her appear dead and, before she is put in a grave, have Romeo come to her and proclaim their marriage to the public in hopes of removing the banishment sentence against Romeo. The problem with this plan is that Romeo does not hear word of this plan, but does hear that Juliet has died. He rushes to see her dead body and kill himself by her side, as there is no more point to living for him. After he is dead, Juliet wakes up and kills herself at the site of her dead husband. When the Capulets and Montagues find out about this, they both proclaim a truce after seeing the bloodshed that their feud has caused and that is how the play ends.
Dear Zoe by Philip Beard
Dear Zoe by Philip Beard is a book about a teenage girl, Tess, who is writing to her dead sister, Zoe about her life after her death, The book is mainly about how Tess copes with her sister's death and the pain it has caused her. I personally did not care for this book and thought that there was no climax or twist to the story that I was not expecting. This was the last book that we read in our 9th grade.