It's my first time teaching a Lit course for a high school and they're letting me choose the books (3 or 4). Of course, it depends on the school and the level of the students, but in general, could I get away with the books on this list? (In terms of complexity, subject matter, and getting my students' interest.) My preference is for the first 3 or 4.
Beloved - Toni Morrison
The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
Pale Fire - Vladmir Nabokov
The Day of the Locust - Nathanael West
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man - James Joyce
(if not Pale Fire) Lolita - Navokov
Invisible Man - Ralph Ellison
Ragtime - EL Doctorow
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime - Mark Hadon
I also welcome your suggestions. I wanted to choose some alternatives to the usual (Gatsby, Of Mice and Men, etc).