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Author Message   Thumper Rating: N/A Votes: 0 (Vote!) Posted on Monday, June 16, 2003 - 06:37 pm:        Hello All, Periodically, I post The Well-Read College Freshman reading list. The list comes from the African-American Student's Guide to College. When I reviewed this guide years ago, I became enchanted with this list, primarily because I had already graduated from college and hadn't read half the books on the list. It would have made a difference in my college career if I had read these books BEFORE I started college. Every summer or so, I re-post the list for high school students in hope that they will take the hint, print the list, and read the books; thereby, sharpening their English skills. Since I first read the list, I have now read all but 5 titles. Let's see how you all stack up. *smile* 1.) 1984 - George Orwell 2.) Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain 3.) Animal Farm - George Orwell 4.) The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born - Kwei Armah 5.) Beloved - Toni Morrison 6.) Black Boy - Richard Wright 7.) Brave New World - Aldous Huxley 8.) Cane - Jean Toomer 9.) China Men - Maxine Hong Kingston 10.) The Color Purple - Alice Walker 11.) Cry The Beloved Country - Alan Paton 12.) Fathers and Sons - Ivan Turgenev 13.) Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck 14.) The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald 15.) Hamlet - William Shakespeare 16.) Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad 17.) Invisible Man - Ralph Ellison 18.) Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte 19.) A Midsummer Night's Dream - William Shakespeare 20.) Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass - Frederick Douglass 21.) Native Son - Richard Wright 22.) A Raisin In The Sun - Lorraine Hansberry 23.) Song of Solomon - Toni Morrison 24.) The Stranger - Albert Camus 25.) The Autobiography of Malcolm X - Malcolm X (w/ Alex Haley) 26.) Their Eyes Were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston 27.) Things Fall Apart - Chinua Achebe 28.) To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee 29.) Walden - Henry David Thoreau 30.) Why We Must Not Wait - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It's a hell of a list, isn't it? *smile* Challenging, thought provoking, and you are going to love it. Happy Reading!!   yasmin Rating: N/A Votes: 0 (Vote!) Posted on Monday, June 16, 2003 - 09:28 pm:        WOW...okay I've read 24 out of 30 and the ones I haven't read I have no desire to read...okay maybe one of them (the stranger by albert camus)...but I'm proud to say I've read all of the books listed above that were written by AA authors.   Thumper Rating: N/A Votes: 0 (Vote!) Posted on Monday, June 16, 2003 - 10:21 pm:        Hello All, Yasmin: You know I have to ask, what are the books that are on the list that you don't want to read? What book(s) do you believe should be on the list, but isn't? I'm not simply referring to books by AA authors, but all authors so that students can get a better all-around prospective. Anyone else, if you have some additions to the list, let's hear it. Maybe we can build a permanent page for these books.   Snake Girl Rating: N/A Votes: 0 (Vote!) Posted on Monday, June 16, 2003 - 11:13 pm:        I don't see how a university list could be without James Baldwin. Nothing would prepare you for English language or the complexities of human life any better than Baldwin. I would want my sons to be required to read "Mama Day" by Gloria Naylor as well. And "BLACK BOY" by Richard Wright.   yasmin Rating: N/A Votes: 0 (Vote!) Posted on Monday, June 16, 2003 - 11:36 pm:        LOL...okay Thumper the books that I don't want to read (primarily because my days of having to read ANY book(s) are so far behind me...ie high school/college required reading) are: 4.) The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born - Kwei Armah 9.) China Men - Maxine Hong Kingston 12.) Fathers and Sons - Ivan Turgenev 16.) Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad 29.) Walden - Henry David Thoreau These books would probably all make for great discussions but given that I'm 40something there are other books that I would prefer to read for leisurely purposes that are equally as stimulating (shoot I would go back and re-read Paradise by Toni Morrison before I picked up any of the books above). Books that I would add...oh my...well first my all time favorite when I was growing up I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou!