AP English Literature and Composition

Summer Reading Assignment 2016

Mrs. Laura Bernhard

laura.bernhard@evsc.k12.in.us

Welcome to AP Lit! This summer I am asking you to read two books. One text will help provide a
foundation for our discussions next year, and the other text (your choice) will give us something to talk
and write about as we begin our year together. AP Lit is all about close reading. We will not skim
across the surface of the texts, but rather we will dive in and dig deep to make meaning from our
readings and connect what we read to the world around us.
1) Please start by reading this book:
How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading
Between the Lines, Revised Edition
by Thomas C. Foster (2014). (Make sure you find the
2014 edition.)
As you read, take note of what the author indicates you should be looking for when you
read. Be prepared to discuss the main ideas from this text on our first days together in
August. You should also anticipate an assessment where you will have an opportunity to
put these ideas into practice.
2) After you have finished H
TRLLAP
, please choose and read o
ne
of the books listed below.
All of these books are available to borrow from the Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library, or you may
purchase copies at Barnes & Noble or Amazon.
Atonement
Ian McEwan (2001)
Beloved
Toni Morrison (1987)
The Color Purple
Alice Walker (1982)
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Jonathan Safran Foer (2005)
In the Lake of the Woods T
im OBrien (1994)
The Memory Keepers Daughter
Kim Edwards (2008)
Never Let Me Go
Kazuo Ishiguro (2005)
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
Lisa See (2005)
A Yellow Raft in Blue Water M
ichael Dorris (1987)
As you read, you must thoroughly annotate your chosen book. You may write in the book (if you own
it), or you may annotate with sticky notes. You may also choose to make notes in a dialectical journal.
Whatever method you use, I will assess the quality and thoughtfulness of your annotations, so you must
bring your book and annotations to school on the first day. As you read, I would like you to make notes
about the following elements:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)

Characters: characterization, relationships, motivations

Language: word choice (diction), figurative language
Tone: shifts in tone or mood
Imagery: striking passages with examples of the different forms of imagery
Setting: relationship to characters or theme
Theme: implicit or explicit, how theme reveals authors purpose
Symbolism: how symbolism supports and enhances the theme
HTRLLAP: anything that connects to the H
ow to Read Literature
text

Please get started early, contact me if you have any questions, and have a terrific summer!