Pulitzer Prize Free Choice Novel Options AP Literature Ms. Chapman Bellaire High School

2017 Pulitzer Prize Winner for Fiction The Underground Railroad, by Colson Whitehead Focuses on a teenage runaway slave named Cora Imagines an alternate history of the United States in which the Underground Railroad was a literal railroad The story is told from a number of different protagonists’ perspectives I would describe this book as: violent, socially-conscious, funny (at times), easy to read (as in, it is told in a straightforward way that is not as demanding in terms of cognitive effort).

2016 Pulitzer Prize Winner for Fiction The Sympathizer, by Viet Thanh Nguyen Deals with the aftermath of the Vietnam War and its legacy on Vietnamese Americans This is the one book that I have not finished (I’m in the middle of it right now), but thus far I would describe it as: contemplative, ironic, disaffected.

2015 Pulitzer Prize Winner for Fiction All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr Tells the story of the French and German sides of World War II from the perspectives of two children I would describe this book as: sensitive, suspenseful, dramatic.

2014 Pulitzer Prize Winner for Fiction The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt The novel takes its title from the name of a (famous) work of art A coming-of-age story about a boy who accidentally acquires a very famous painting that everyone else assumes has been destroyed Similar to Catcher in the Rye in subject matter and tone I would describe this book as: clever, intellectual, plot-driven.

2013 Pulitzer Prize Winner for Fiction The Orphan Master’s Son, by Adam Johnson Novel about what it’s like to live in North Korea today Based on interviews with North Koreans who have escaped Imagines life and conflicts among the North Korean elite I would describe this book as: illuminating, slower-paced, occasionally funny.

2011 Pulitzer Prize Winner for Fiction A Visit from the Goon Squad, by Jennifer Egan A collection of interwoven short stories (secondary characters in some stories then go on to be protagonists in others) Focused on the music industry I would describe this book as: edgy, funny, humane, post-modern.

2009 Pulitzer Prize Winner for Fiction Olive Kittredge, by Elizabeth Strout A collection of interwoven short stories set in a small town in Maine, focusing on one main character (Olive) Driven by the community I would describe this book as: gossipy, therapeutic, sensitive.

2008 Pulitzer Prize Winner for Fiction The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, by Junot Diaz Follows a misfit Dominican-American boy whose affection for nerd culture alienates him from his peers. Chapters are told from some alternating perspectives, but the book as a whole follows a single narrative. I would describe this book as: high-energy, explicit, trendy, socially-conscious.