World Literature Independent Reading Options

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini This mother-daughter story, a follow up to Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, spans 50 years and the relationship between Mariam and Laila, two Afghan women. Mariam struggles with the stigma of her illegitimate birth and abuse by her husband. Laila, who enjoyed a privileged upbringing, meets Mariam when she is forced to marry Mariam’s husband.

Always Running by Luis J. Rodriguez This memoir recounts the experiences of a young Chicano gang member in East Los Angeles. Rodriguez became a member at age 12 and witnessed the violence and desperation of gang life. Through education and the power of writing, he found a way out.

An Ordinary Man by Paul Rusesabagina This autobiography was the inspiration for the film Hotel Rwanda. During the 1994 Rwandan genocide, hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina turned the luxury hotel where he worked into a refugee center for 1,200 Tutsi and moderate Hutu refugees, protecting the people using diplomacy and deception.

Brighton Beach Memoirs by Neil Simon In this semi- autobiographical play, Neil Simon tells the coming of age story of a Polish- American teenager living in Brooklyn in the 1930s. Eugene Morris Jerome deals with puberty, family, and the search for identity.

Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez This novella, written in a psuedo-journalistic reconstruction, tells the story of the murder of Santiago Nasar by the Vicario brothers. The story is told in a non-linear order and features an anonymous narrator.

First They Killed My Father by Loung Ung Loung Ung grew up in a prosperous and politically powerful family in Cambodia. Then, Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge army took over the capital city. Her family separated, Loung ended up a child soldier in a work camp for orphan children.

Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas A memoir of a young girl who moved from Iran to America, as told by her. Her parents moved from Iran to California in search of a better life. The story follows Firoozeh and her extended family as she moves through the cultural transition and deals with anti-Iranian Americans.

Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane The author’s autobiographical story of growing up in a poverty-stricken black family in South Africa, and his escape from life in apartheid South Africa [extreme racism and racial oppression] through education and sports.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel Tells the story of a young man named Pi who grew up in India. A smart young man interested in world religions, his parents move their family to Canada. As the family is sailing to Canada, tragedy strikes.

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi A graphic novel set in 1980s Iran, this tells a story of political and religious turmoil and how it affects a young girl and her family. Marjane’s outspoken nature causes her some problems in a world where women are supposed to follow the rules.

Maus by Art Spiegelman Graphic novel that retells the story of the Holocaust with all characters represented as animals.

The Freedom Writers Diary by Erin Gruwell The true story of a teacher and her high school students in Long Beach, California – an area of high poverty and crime. The story recounts the struggles that the students, and the teacher, face and how they overcame adversity.

The Hiding Place Corrie ten Boom Corrie ten Boom and her family became leaders in the Dutch Underground, hiding Jewish people in their home in a specially built room and aiding their escape from the Nazis. For their help, all but Corrie found death in a concentration camp. The Hiding Place is their story.

The Stranger Albert Camus Through the story of an ordinary man unwittingly drawn into a senseless murder on an Algerian beach, Camus explored what he termed "the nakedness of man faced with the absurd."

Western Wind David Mason In this text, two well respected poets bring their love of the craft of poetry into a book that teaches as well as inspires. The text also includes exercises, chapter summaries, games, diagrams, and illustrations.

Yell-Oh Girls! Vickie Nam In this groundbreaking collection of personal writings, young Asian American girls come together for the first time and engage in a dynamic conversation about the unique challenges they face in their lives. These essays, poems, and stories tackle such complex issues as dual identities, culture clashes, family matters, body image, and the need to find one's voice.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance RobertPirsig A narration of a summer motorcycle trip undertaken by a father and his son, the book becomes a personal and philosophical odyssey into fundamental questions of how to live. The narrator's relationship with his son leads to a powerful self-reckoning; the craft of motorcycle maintenance leads to an austerely beautiful process for reconciling science, religion, and humanism. Resonant with the confusions of existence, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is a touching and transcendent book of life.

Zlata’s Diary: A Child’s Life in Wartime Sarajevo Zlata Flipovic Zlata’s Diary begins as the day-to-day record of the life of a typical eleven-year- old girl, preoccupied by piano lessons and birthday parties. But as war engulfs Sarajevo, Zlata Filipovic becomes a witness to food shortages, the deaths of friends, and more unthinkable tragedies. Yet she remains courageous and observant. The result is a book that has the power to move and instruct readers a world away.