Top Ten Texts

1. Gaines, E. J. (1983). A Gathering of Old Men. New York: Knopf.

This novel set in Louisiana in the 1970s addresses the importance of community and problems of racial discrimination. A woman discovers a dead white man who has been shot in the yard of a black man named Mathu. Predicting a storm of outrage, she gathers many of the black men to help defend Mathu. Each of them claims to have been the one who killed the white man. The sheriff tries to find a solution that would minimize the ensuing conflict with the white Cajuns.

The novel shows how deeply ingrained racial discrimination can be, and would fit into a unit focusing on racial differences or specifically African-American literature. As most of the writing is dialogue and it has fairly short chapters, this novel would be more accessible to less proficient readers. It would be ideal for reading aloud, and perhaps some acting.  

2. Forster, E. M. (1952). A Passage to India. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co.
The action of this novel takes place in India in the 1920s. The protagonists pursue friendship across cultural barriers. The British protagonists also seek to form an understanding of India. Yet cultural differences complicate both these aims. One crucial misunderstanding leads to a trial which forces into the open the undercurrent of tensions and preconceived notions present at the time. Through the trial and its aftermath, the friendships that had been formed are broken. When two of the protagonists meet years later, they understand each other better but also recognize the difficulty inherent in friendship across cultures.

E. M. Forster is one of the most important British novelists of the 20^th century, and as such this novel would be a suitable addition to any study of British literature. As colonialism is a major concern of the book, it would also fit into a study about colonialism or any study about different cultures. The text explores many questions that are vital to a cross-cultural understanding, such as how misunderstandings happen, what is the nature of truth, and how do we approach truth. Discussions about how these questions are considered within the novel should draw out similar personal experiences of the students, and how one can respond to difficulties in communication.

3. Persepolis. Dir. Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Parronaud. The Kennedy/Marshall Company, 2007. DVD.
This is originally a graphic novel that was adapted into an animated film. It is an autobiographical account of the author's life growing up Tehran, Iran in the late 70s and 80s. Through a child's eyes the film portrays the political struggles of this era, such as the Iranian revolution and the Iran-Iraq war. Marjane, the child, and her family participate in acts that are illegal under the new Islamic fundamentalist regime, such as drinking alcohol and listening to Western music. As she grows older, Marjane becomes more outspoken in her resistance to the government, so her parents send her to Vienna. During these high school years she experiences prejudice against her nationality and thus lies about it. She returns to Iran eventually and resolves to stay true to her identity. However, Iran continues to stifle her, so after a couple of years she goes into exile again.

So many social issues are presented in this film that it can be incorporated into a variety of topic studies, including identity, racial discrimination, religion, and politics. Furthermore, the sections are fairly episodic, so in the classroom I can show any part of the film with only a little background information. The animation is lively and imaginative, so I think it will appeal to most students. Discussing the choices of Marjane and envisioning how her story might play out in America would benefit the students I think.

4. Potok, Chaim. My Name Is Asher Lev. New York: Knopf. 1972. Print.

Asher Lev is a Hassidic Jew who grows up in New York City. He wants to be an artist, but this aim goes contrary to his father's expectations for him. His mother is torn between the will of her husband and her son. Furthermore, because the tradition of Western art is so haunted by Christianity, there are certain barriers that the surrounding Jewish culture erects which prevent Asher from becoming a full artist. This novel shows Asher Lev's search for an identity that can reconcile his calling as an artist with his Jewishness.

I think the students would relate to this novel because many teenagers feel misunderstood by and at odds with their parents, just like Asher. This novel would elicit discussion about themes such as identity, cultural conflict, and family conflict.

5. Lambert, Mary, and Macklemore. "Same Love." By Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. The Heist. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis LLC, 2012. CD.

This is a hip hop song which presents some of the difficulties that homosexuals face and also mentions some stereotypes. It expresses dismay about the casual way that society uses some words (such as “gay”) and it attacks the organizations that hate homosexuality. The artist calls for progress and a change of heart because it's all the “same love.”

The song addresses the topics of stereotypes, religion, and identity. The main issue presented in this song will certainly be immediate to students of this day. I foresee that it will be difficult to generate two-sided discussion around this, as in my experience youth tend to be in full agreement with the sentiments expressed in this song. But I think focusing on more subtle ideas might elicit more debate, such as “Can stereotypes be true and how often if so? What other words do we use without thinking of the consequences?” The responses can then be linked to the main subject of the song.

6. Browning, Robert. "My Last Duchess." Browning's Complete Poetical Works. Cambridge: Riverside, 1895. 252. Print.

In “My Last Duchess”, the speaker discusses the painting of his most late wife. He complains about how she was “too soon made glad”. He finds her reverence toward him insufficient and thus commands her to stop smiling. At the end we learn that he is pursuing marriage with the daughter of the listener's master. He also proudly displays another piece of art in a similar fashion to the painting of his late wife, suggesting that they have equal value and that wives to him are something of an item to be collected.

This is the first text that truly showed me how much implicit information can be found in a poem. It, along with some other poems by Browning, demand a critical reading. One can't take what the speakers in the poems say at face value. Browning is a very important British poet of the 19^th century and thus would fit in with any study of British literature. It would serve as a good introduction to a poetry study, because it would demonstrate clearly how the students need to look for implied information.

7. Keyes, Daniel. Flowers for Algernon,. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1966. Print.

This relatively short novel tells the story of Charlie, a mentally disabled man. Charlie volunteers for an experiment to artificially improve his intelligence. The experiment is successful to some extent, and Charlie's life changes from his intelligence. He becomes aware of how it feels to be smarter than someone else. His new intelligence causes him problems with the people in his life. Eventually his intelligence deteriorates and he returns to his former condition.

As the entire book is written in journal format, this is not a typical novel. Furthermore, surely everyone has wished to become more intelligent, so this novel is appealing in that it explores the possibility of this wish. Seeing the world through the eyes of a mentally disabled person should be enlightening for the students and give them more sympathy and understanding. As Charlie's identity seems to change, this would be an appropriate text for studying identity.

8. Wilder, Thornton. Our Town. New York: Avon, 1975. Print.

This is a rather unique play which takes place in a small, ordinary town in Massachusetts. In the first act we see the everyday lives of the inhabitants. The stage manager who directs play even while participating in it emphasizes the lack of distinction about this town. In the second act, three years later, we see that despite the time progression very little has changed in the town. Two of the characters are going to get married and are intimidated by the change, feeling unprepared. They go through it anyway almost as if it is a fate that they cannot escape. In the third act we see the funeral of the bride taking place nine years later. The recently dead Emily goes back in time to see her twelfth birthday and bemoans how she has squandered the precious time she had while living.

This play uses a lot of simple language, everyday events, a fairly simple plot, and asks questions in a straightforward manner. As such, it is an ideal text for the English language learner because it requires thinking about literature without an overwhelming language hurdle. Furthermore, it can easily be acted out in the classroom because it requires no props and little preparation. Doing so would enhance the English language learner's ability to understand it. The play handles the themes of maturity, love, and time, all of which are frequently found in literature and are thus relevant to its study.

9. Welty, Eudora. "Livvie." The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1980. 228-39. Print.

Livvie is a young black girl who is married and taken away from her home by a much older man named Solomon. Solomon is very strict and does not allow Livvie to do many things, including leave the property. One day while Solomon is sleeping a saleswoman comes to sell cosmetics and entrances Livvie with some purple lipstick. She can't buy the lipstick though because she has no money, so the saleswoman leaves. Livvie goes out for a walk and meets an attractive young man named Cash. She has a feeling that Solomon will die so she runs back to the house and finds him still sleeping. Cash follows her back and then Solomon opens his eyes. He says that Livvie has been hoping for Cash to take her away, and then dies.

One of the central themes of this story is that of confinement, the lack of freedom that Livvie feels. Many students should be able to relate because they might feel that their parents or teachers are restricting them like Solomon does to Livvie. Like many of Eudora Welty's works, “Livvie” contains a rich repository of symbols and deeper meaning. It would be an excellent text to use to learn about symbolism.

10. Frank, Anne, Otto Frank, Mirjam Pressler, and Susan Massotty. The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition. New York: Doubleday, 1995. Print.

This well known autobiographical account tells the story of a teenage Jewish girl living in the Netherlands during the second world war. It begins as an ordinary diary of a girl that age talking about her classmates and a boy that she meets. However, the entries soon change dramatically when her father decides that the family should go into hiding. The Frank family goes to live with another family in part of the warehouse where her father used to work. Their lives are quite different as they cannot allow anyone to suspect that this part of the building is occupied. The diary ranges from describing their daily activities and quarrels to later focusing more on struggles with human nature and the character of the author.

 The age of the author is close to that of the students and so they should be able to relate with her coming of age, butting heads with adults, and loneliness. Like many teenagers Anne grapples with issues of identity, but she is also keenly aware of social injustice, specifically discrimination, both of which are valid topics for studies of literature. The book is intensely historical as well, so it would fit into the study of literature around that time period. I hope to use the book to inspire my students to write journals or diaries considering issues that are relevant to them, just as Anne Frank did.