Suggestions Please *

[FashionisTika]

I was given an assignment to read any book for my 9th grade English class and I really have no idea what to choose. Please post any suggestions or just e-mail me @ [email protected]
Please help asap! :D

[ajoe]

These were the books I read when I was in 9th grade:
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
- The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
- Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Here are the classics I'd recommend:
- 1984 or anything else by George Orwell
- anything by John Steinbeck
- Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte --> yes, I actually like it
- Dracula by Bram Stoker --> currently reading it and am loving it

Newer "classics":
- Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
- Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie

NOT recommended unless you're a masochist:
- anything by Joseph Conrad and Henry James (just an opinion)

[Jack_Aubrey]

All of those listed above are great, I whole heartedly support any one of those. I also recommend-to contribute my share a little- that you read something by James Joyce. Dubliners perhaps or even Ulysses.

[mono]

I recommend the book that opened my eyes to literature, if you haven't read it already for school: The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. The work seems relatively short too - roughly 200 pages. Good luck.

[FashionisTika]

Thanks for all of your suggestions!
I'll check em' all out. :D

[katealaurel]

Hmm.. when I was in 9th grade..

-Our Town; Thornton Wilder
-The Pearl; John Steinbeck
-Animal Farm; George Orwell
..among others which aren't coming to mind at the moment..

Other suggestions..

-Jane Eyre; Charlotter Bronte- possibly my favorite book. It's definitely worth reading for fun, even if you don't have homework.
-Catcher in the Rye; J.D. Salinger- seconded! ;-)
-The Bridge of San Luis Rey; Thornton Wilder (I.. think.. too tired to go check the bookshelf)


I know there are more books I want to recommend, but for some reason they're escaping at the moment.

-K

[Shea]

- Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt



Eww, eww, eww! Oh no, please Ajoe! I loved all your suggestions except this one! My Grandmother grew up Ireland during WWII and the Ireland he described is definately not the Ireland she remembers. I didn't like the book either. She was raised there by her grandparents and even though her grandfather was a drunk and a womanizer, things still weren't nearly as bad as McCourt describes. I think my favorite story she has is about the lady who at times could barely afford tea, yet whenever she would go out, she would leave the door open and the kettle boiling for anyone passing to just help themselves. She has also told me that the people in Limrick will not welcome McCourt at all because of the way he portrayed Ireland.

Sorry, one last point. After my Grandmother was married, they had neighbors on one side who had 15 children. They usually went without shoes and always ate anything on their plates. When they all grew up they always sent money and visited their parents as often as possible. It got to the point where the parents never had to worry about money anymore, everything was paid for by the children.

SPOILER SPOILER

Which is a lot more than I can say for selfish Mr. McCourt!

[ajoe]

*shrugs* I'm ignorant about the true condition of Ireland, so sue me. Well, I remember eventually I grew to hate McCourt the character, but I also remember the book made me laugh, and I like books that make me laugh. :angel:

[Sniper15]

I hate to tell you but if you have to consult strangers on the internet because you can't pick out a book to read for an assignment you have bigger problems than picking out a book. Quite sad.

[mono]

Sniper15, perhaps you have forgotten that online-literature.com is known as "The Literature Network," meaning that most people in the forums enjoy, and often know a lot about, literature. Put it this way, Sniper15, if your car needed mechanic work, would you see a mechanic even if he/she were a stranger? Or would you ask someone you knew who may not have the same qualifications?