Tuesdays with Morrie, by Mitch Albom

Albom, Mitch (1997 ). Tuesdays with Morrie.  New York:  Doubleday. 

ISBN: 0385484518

Summary:  The middle-aged author records and reflects on his weekly philosophical and inspirational conversations with his favorite college professor while he is dying of Lou Gehrig's disease. From his wheelchair and later his deathbed, Morrie coaches Mitch with weekly "life lessons" about dying, life's purpose, happiness, culture, love, emotions, and forgiveness. 

Additional comments:  Grab your tissues for this one!  You will fall in love with Morrie as he faces his physical deterioration, increasing dependence on others,  and impending death with bravery, optimism, and spirit.  This is a quick read that will help you to put your priorities and misfortunes into perspective.  

The Clarence Principle by Fehed Said

Said, Fehed (2007). The Clarence Principle. San Jose: SLG Publishing.
ISBN: 1593620640 / 978-1-59362-064-6

Summary:  This graphic novel tells the story of Clarence, who kills himself and then journeys to a nightmarish land beyond his bathroom door. Presents a surreal and twisted vision of the afterlife.

Additional comments:  The Clarence Principle is worthy of several readings because it seems to convey a deep, existential message that requires some revisiting to access.  In Said's frightening purgatory, the dead can die again and one can literally give their arm in payment (worth noting: a bloody arm).  Clarence finds himself on stage, an actor in a play in which whatever he says appears to be scripted in advance. This unusual and gothic graphic novel touches upon issues of free will and purpose of life that will intrigue young adult readers.

The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger

Salinger, J. D. (1951).  The Catcher in the rye.  Toronto: Bantam Books.

ISBN: 0553250256   

Summary:  The story begins with Holden Caulfield explaining in first person narration about his final days as a Junior at Pencey Prep after getting kicked out for failing four of his five classes.  He leaves Pencey a few days earlier than planned after he gets in a fight with his room-mate about a girl. Holden takes a train in the middle of the night from Pennsylvania to New York City but chooses to not go to his apartment before the date his parents are expecting his return and to instead check into a hotel and bar hop in the city.  Everywhere he goes, Holden is quite miserable and depressed.  He meets a few characters over a few days in the city, all of whom annoy him for being "phony" and further depress him.

Additional Comments:  The Catcher in the Rye is a classic and timeless in its appeal to young adults, particularly privileged young adults who have a gripe with superficial social norms found among the upper echelons of society and who can relate to the prep school setting against which Holden Caulfield rebels.  Though nearly 60 years after its original publication, Holden remains an icon for teenage emotional turbulence and angst because of  his extreme depression, suicidal comments and daydreams, irrational ideas, impulsive behavior and remarks, utter sense of loneliness and isolation, confusion about his future, and resentment for and harsh criticism of others. 

Edgar Allen Poe (Audio CD)

Price, Vincent and Rathbone, Basil (2000). Edgar Allen Poe Audio Collection. Caedmon; Unabridged edition 
ISBN: 0694524190 / 978-0694524198  

Summary:  Vincent Price and Basil Rathbone, two masters of classic horror, read poems and short stories by Edgar Allen Poe.  

Additional Comments:  Poe's rhythmic and haunting gothic poetry may confuse readers with the antiquated and formal language of the 1800's.  Yet, when read aloud, the poetry turns into music and the meaning is more accessible. 

Vincent Price, whose voice teens might recognize as the deep, spooky narrator in Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video, and Basil Rathbone both have bass voices that convey the sinister, dark mood of Poe's writing.  Yet, they also both use a range of pitches and cadences, which is particularly effective in Basil Rathbone's reading of  "The Bells" because it describes the sound and the mood of bells in various contexts, some light and happy and some full of terror. Click on the links below to view YouTube videos that complement the readings.

Vincent Price reading "The Raven"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FID1CiB4bcU

Basil Rathbone reading "The Bells"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0889pnbURtY

Basil Rathbone reading "Annabel Lee"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJhvKEMhn20

Basil Rathbone reading "The Tell-Tale-Heart"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvHUNY_NXsU

Life of Pi, by Yann Martel

Martel, Yann (2001 ). Life of Pi.  Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN: 0395977894

Summary: Life of Pi, by Yann Martel, follows the adventures of 16-year old Pi Patel.  He, his family, and all of the animals from his family’s zoo are aboard a cargo ship moving from southern India to North America when disaster strikes and the ship sinks. Things become even more disastrous for Pi when his lifeboat becomes a refuge for several zoo animals, including the Bengal tiger. 

Additional Comments:  Life of Pi is an imaginative and suspenseful tale of survival in which Pi examines not only his place in the immediate surroundings of the lifeboat but also on a philosophical level, his place in the universe as well.

Hair (Soundtrack)

MacDermot, Galt (1979). Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical (Cast recording).  United States: RCA Victor Broadway. 

Summary:  After Claude receives his draft card, he arrives in New York City to report for military service but ends up meeting a tribe of long-haired hippies living in Central Park and gets swept away by their pacifist, bohemian, counter-culture lifestyle of LSD, marijuana, and free love. Hair was originally an off-Broadway rock musical in 1967 before being adapted into a movie in 1979 with such stars as Beverly D'Angelo and Treat Williams.

Additional Comments:  Hair addresses all the controversial issues that were dividing society at the time and remain relevant to the present:  anti-war, skepticism of the government and "Big Brother", racism, sexual liberation, experimentation with psychedelic drugs, a budding sense of spirituality and incorporation of eastern philosophies, and non-conformity with societal expectations. Many songs have become anthems for the peace movement and the era, including "The Age of Aquarius", "Good Morning Starshine", and "Let the Sunshine In".  Other simply paint a picture of values and lifestyles of the counter-culture, like the pride of long hair as described in "Hair":  "Gimme a head with hair, long beautiful hair / Shining, gleaming, steaming, flaxen, waxen. . .I want it long, straight, curly, fuzzy / Snaggy, shaggy, ratty, matty /Oily, greasy, fleecy, shining / Gleaming, steaming, flaxen, waxen /Knotted, polka-dotted / Twisted, beaded, braided /Powdered, flowered, and confettied /Bangled, tangled, spangled and spaghettied!"  Hair's rebelliousness and anti-establishment attitude is bound to touch today's teens as much as it did over thirty years ago.

Romeo and Juliet (DVD)

Luhrmann, Baz (1996).  Romeo and Juliet [Motion picture]. United States:  Bazmark Films.   

Summary:  An innovative rendering of Shakespeare's classic tragedy of two "star-cross'd lovers". While maintaining the original text and dialogue, the setting is vastly different from Shakespeare's as it takes place in a modern Verona Beach (that looks quite like Venice Beach, California).  The Capulet and Montegue families have names on billboards and skyscrapers and clearly are the leading economic powerhouses in Verona.  The younger generation of the two families engage in drive-by shootings and bring violence to the streets of Verona.  Romeo, of the Montegue House, and Juliet, of the Capulet House, fall in love at first sight at a costume party and so begins their doomed love affair.

Additional comments:  This highly visual and surreal film is fast-paced, action-packed, and accompanied by contemporary music, such as Radiohead and a cover of "When Doves Cry", which helps the viewer to forget that the dialogue is actually difficult to understand. The end result is a unique interpretation of a classic love story whose timeless theme is accessible to modern teens who, presumably, can relate more easily with the film than the original play.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, by Ann Brashares

Brashares, Ann (2001). The Sisterhood of the traveling pants. New York: Delacorte Press. 

Summary: Four best girlfriends spend their first summer apart from each other. On the eve of their separation, they ceremoniously designate a pair of "magical" jeans that fit all four of them perfectly as a way to connect them despite the distance.  They agree to take turns wearing the jeans and to mail the jeans along with a letter.  The story follows different plot lines to follow each girl's adventures:  Bridget falls for a soccer coach at her camp in Mexico, Lena tries to avoid a handsome young Greek man while staying with her grandparents in Greece, Tibby stays home in Washington, D.C. to work at a drugstore and surprises herself by befriending a young girl who is dying of leukemia, and Carmen's greatly anticipated summer alone with her bachelor father in Charleston is destroyed when she learns upon her arrival that her father is engaged and is living with his new fiancee and her two children.  

Additional comments:  Don't be turned off by the silly and melodramatic list of rules for the jeans at the beginning.  This "chick lit" gets better as it goes until you're flipping through the pages without pause and with tears streaming down your cheeks.  The well-developed characters show raw emotions and unpredictable behaviors as they are put into sad, challenging situations. Readers can continue on the characters' journeys by reading the three sequels in this series and catching the recent movie versions on DVD.