• 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.

     

    1. 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.

     

    1. 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

     

Last Modified on June 26, 2019