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Advanced Placement United States History—
Summer Reading Assignment
In order to be prepared for the history course you have chosen to take during the 2019/2020 school year, you will be required to complete the following assignment over the summer. During the second week of FINALS in June, stop by the library and sign out a copy of the AP US History textbook. After Finals end, the books will be available to sign out in the main office.
1. Read the text through Chapter 16. Take notes on your reading.
- Very thoroughly prepare for a test on chapters 1-5. There will be a multiple choice test covering the content of these chapters on the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th day of class.
- Read at least ONE relevant book other than the text during the summer (suggested reading list below). Be prepared to explain why you chose it and how it is of value to a student in preparation for the class (This means that you should have written notes). DO NOT use a book you have already read for English in years past. If you want to read a book that is not on the list, contact Mr. Bartlett by email at dbartlett@newpaltz.k12.ny.us for clearance.
The suggested reading list is below
The assignment is due the first day of class, September 2019. Good luck and enjoy your summer. If possible, I urge you to take a break from school work—however; it would be a good idea to begin the reading in July.
Be sure you sign out an AP US History book by the last day of testing so that you are able to complete the required assignments.
I encourage all of you to do as much reading as you can, especially regarding the period from 1492-1820. American History students benefit a great deal from reading Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States prior to the start of the fall semester.
Suggested readings:
United States History
Frank McCourt, Angela’s Ashes, Tis
Ernest Hemingway A Farewell to Arms,
For Whom the Bell Tolls
John Steinbeck The Grapes of Wrath
East of Eden
Bobbi Mason, In Country
Alex Haley, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Roots
F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Upton Sinclair, The Jungle
Ralph Ellison, The Invisible Man
Theodore Dreiser:
Sister Carrie, An American Tragedy
Tom Wolfe, The Right Stuff
Robert Penn Warren, All The Kings Men
Joseph Heller, Catch-22
Stephen Crane, Red Badge of Courage
Frank Norris, The Octopus
Jacob Riis, How the Other Half Lives
Rachel Carson, Silent Spring
William L. Riordon, Plunkitt of Tammany Hall
Neville Shute,On The Beach
Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon
John Dos Passos, USA
N. Scott Momaday, House Made of Dawn
E.L. Doctorow, The Book of Daniel
Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse Five
Ernest J. Gaines, The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman
Richard Wright, Native Son
Arthur Miller, The Crucible
Jack Kerouac, On The Road