Pride and Prejudice (DVD)

Wright, Joe (2005). Pride and Prejudice.  U.S.: Universal Studios.

Summary:  The classic love story of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy that is riddled with miscommunications, misunderstandings, assumptions, rumors, class differences and--you guessed it--pride and prejudice.  Based upon Jane Austen's novel and set in the countryside of 18th-century England, Pride and Prejudice follows the romances within the Bennet household, starting with  Lizzy's older sister, Jane, and Mr. Darcy's best friend, the wealthy Mr. Bingley.  

Additional comments:  Keira Knightly plays the independent and stubborn Lizzy Bennet, who will not resign to a convenient marriage, in the 2005 film production of Pride and Prejudice.  Staying mostly true to the original plot, the film version has picturesque cinematography, fabulous costumes, and passionate acting.  Not to be missed by lovers of romance.

Habibi, by Naomi Shihab Nye

Nye, Naomi Shihab (1997, 1999). Habibi. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks.

Summary:  14-year-old Liyana is just going into high school—and just experienced her first kiss—when her parents break the news that the family, consisting of her younger brother, Rafik, and her American-born mother, Barbara, and her Palestinian “poppy”, Dr. Abboud, will be moving from their home in Missouri to her father’s homeland, Palestine. Liyana must let go of her American home and adopt a place where she has never been. When she arrives in Israel / Palestine, she is confused by the religious and political tensions, and she is torn between her American ways and the Palestinian values that are being thrust on her. Liyana is introduced to an enormous family in Palestine with whom she cannot communicate at all, and she enrolls in the Armenian school in the Old City of Jerusalem where she is the only “outsider” (non-Armenian). Liyana and Rafik become friends with two children who live in the Palestinian refugee camp down the road from their new home. During weekly visits to her grandmother’s village in the West Bank, they learn about the mistreatment and oppression that Palestinians face under Israeli occupation.  But, when Liyana sparks a romance with a Jewish boy, her family has the opportunity to take a personal step towards peace.

Additional comments:  Habibi takes a very controversial and heated topic and breaks it down into a way that creates optimism and hope.  The Palestinian perspective is more heavily conveyed through the events of the story, such as the Israeli destruction of Liyana's grandmother's house, the unprovoked shooting of their young Palestinian friend, and the infuriating arrest of her father.  However, the negative depiction is balanced a bit by Ome, who represents Jews who strive for peace, reconciliation, and cross-cultural understanding.

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.

What is the What, by Dave Eggers (Audio)

Graham, Dion (Speaker) (2007).  What is the what (Audio recording).  Eggers, Dave.  Muze, Inc.

Summary: Valentino Achak Deng, a Sudanese refugee, is assaulted when he allows a stranger to enter his apartment to use the phone.  As he is tied up, he has flashbacks to his escape as a "Lost Boy", walking from Sudan to Ethiopia and eventually to Kenya before resettling in America 

Additional Comments:  Dion Graham's deep voice and various impersonations for the different characters breathe life into Eggers' deeply moving story that is loosely based on the true-life experiences of Valentino Achak Deng.  Eggers presents a graphic rendering of the violence of the Sudanese Civil War and also presents a realistic portrayal of challenges that refugees as they adjust to a new life in America. What is the What is a shocking, eye-opening story about the first genocide of the 21st-century.

 

On the Road, by Jack Kerouac

Kerouac, Jack (1955, 1957).  On the road.  New York: Signet.  

Summary: The adventures of Sal Paradise as he travels across the country four times catching up with friends in various cities and always meeting interesting characters along the way.  

Additional comments:  Considered to be slightly autobiographical, On the Road-- a seminal novel for the Beat Generation--is a mix of philosophy, bohemianism, dionysian partying, and counter-culture separation from societal norms and expectations.  Set in the 1950's, On the Road provides a glimpse into a pivotal period of American history, a time of revolutions that will change American values and lifestyles, including the Civil Rights movement, the peace movement, the sexual revolution, and sexual liberation. Sal's experiences put the reader in touch with alternative lifestyles that rejected mainstream norms. The carefree spontaneity exhibited by Sal is sure to touch 21st-century rebellious teens as it has since its publication in 1955.

The Circuit, by Francisco Jimenez

Jimenez, Francisco (1997). The circuit. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press.

ISBN:9780826317971

Summary:  Jimenez's childhood memories as a child migrant farm-workers inspired The Circuit, a heart-wrenching tale of a Mexican family who crossed the border illegally to increase their opportunities in the U.S. only to attain a life of seasonal migrations.  Just as a new camp begins to feel like home and just as he makes friends at school where he can't speak the language, his hard-working parents load up the jalopy to move along "the circuit" for the next harvest.  Living in extreme privation and poverty, his parents and older brother, who often sacrifices school to help pick crops, break their backs to work in the fields all day while living in constant fear of "la migra". 

Additional comments:  Recounted with deep love and tenderness, The Circuit is a must-read to develop compassion for and an understanding of the harsh realities faced by undocumented agricultural laborers.

The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros

Cisneros, Sandra (1991). The house on mango street. New York: Vintage Contemporaries.

ISBN: 0679734775

Summary:  Cisneros’ beloved, classic novel is a collection of lyrical vignettes about Esperanza Cordero, a Mexican American girl in a Latino neighborhood in Chicago. Each section is brief yet emotionally poignant, such as Esperanza’s embarrassment about her rundown home, her loneliness and desperation for a friend, her empathy for Sally, whose father is abusive, and her sense of victimization after a sexual assault. Cisneros draws from her own experiences growing up Latina in Chicago to create a glimpse into the Latino American experience.

Additional Comments:  The House on Mango Street is a poetic reflection from an adolescent girl's viewpoint, providing insight into the sensitivity of a lonely, self-conscious girl.  

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.

Sloppy Firsts, by Megan McCafferty

McCafferty, Megan (2001). Sloppy firsts. New York: Three Rivers Press. 

Summary: Jessica Darling is devastated that her best friend, Hope, moved away from Pineville, New Jersey shortly after her brother's drug overdose.  Jessica struggles with intense emotions and depression as her relationship with her family is strained, as she secretly loathes her friends at high school and chooses to sit with them in high school only to avoid being alone, and as she harbors a strong crush on an upperclassman on her track team. Her life takes a bizarre upswing when she begins a secret friendship with a "Dreg", who was friends with Hope's older brother.

Additional comments:  Jessica is an intelligent girl who wallows in her misery that her best friend is no longer in her everyday life, and she feels misunderstood and excluded by everyone else, particularly her family.  Jessica must come to terms with the way others--and herself--can be fake to others and can, thereby, be hurtful.  You might as well find a copy of the sequel, Second Helpings, because their is no real resolution at the end, only another dissatisfying problem. 

How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez

Alvarez, Julia (1992).  How the Garcia girls lost their accents.  New York: Plume. 

Summary:  How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents tells the story of four Dominican sisters whose family moves to New York City when their father is suspected as being part of the underground opposition to the dictatorship, Trujillo.  The young women find themselves navigating an ambiguous path of cultural assimilation, caught between Dominican traditions enforced by their father and a new American lifestyle introduced to them at school. 

Additional comments:  How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents is told in sentimental vignettes that reveal the hardships and mistreatment they faced as immigrants learning to speak English and struggling financial. Their relationship with their home country also evolves.  Female readers will enjoy the dynamic relationships between the contrasting personalities of the sisters.

The Outsiders (DVD)

Coppola, Francis Ford (1983). The Outsiders.  United States: Zoetrope Studios.

Summary:  Ponyboy and Johnny are sensitive and kind teens growing up in the 50's, but they are also "greasers" with long hair, unhappy home lives, and few opportunities in the small town in which they live on the wrong side while the privileged "soc" have all the advantages.  Life takes a turn for the worse when Johnny kills a "soc" who was attacking Ponyboy, and the two boys decide to run away to the countryside to escape the law.

Additional Comments:  Based on the classic novel by S. E. Hinton, Francis Ford Coppola's 1983 film features an all-star cast in their youth, including Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, Ralph Macchio, Matt Dillon, Rob Lowe, Diane Lane, Emilio Estevez, and Tom Cruise. Though the dialogue may strike teens as a bit sappy and outdated today (and particularly the tacky opening song!), the "us vs. them" theme is timeless and as true today as ever.   The ultimate tragedy speaks to the senselessness of violence 

Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer

Meyer, Stephenie (2006).  Twilight.  New York:  Little, Brown and Company. 

Summary: Bella's dreary days in rainy Forks, Washington become much more exciting when she strikes up a romance with her beautiful, mysterious lab partner, Edward.  As their relationship intensifies, she learns that he and his pale, godlike family are not human but vampires.

Additional comments:  This page-turning romance features sharp-witted dialogue between the passionate, young lovers as they unravel the mystery that the other presents.  Readers will get easily hooked and find themselves looking for the next book in the series.  The November 2008 release of the film version of Twilight will further solidify the Twilight fan base.  

Suckerpunch by David Hernandez

Hernandez, David (2008). Suckerpunch. New York: Harperteen. 

Summary: 17-year-old Marcus harbors deep hatred for his father who used to beat up his younger brother, Enrique, before eventually leaving the family.  Upon hearing that their father intends to return to the family, Marcus and Enrique, accompanied by friends, drive from Southern California to Monterey with a gun, planning to scare their father.  

Additional comments: Suckerpunch, the first novel by poet David Hernandez of Long Beach, California, strikes the reader with realistically harsh dialogue, detailed drug and alcohol experiences, explicit sexual fantasies, and violent physical abuse.  A few of the main characters are Latino, but Suckerpunch will appeal to any teen who enjoys a fast-moving plot with a lot of dialogue, who has wrestled with the morality of retribution, and who has suffered from depression, boredom, and anger.

Go ask Alice

Anonymous (1971).  Go ask Alice. New York: Simon Pulse. 

Summary: Based on the diary of a 15-year-old girl who becomes increasingly dependent on marijuana and LSD, runs away from home, tries to break her addiction, suffers a nervous breakdown, and eventually dies from an overdose.  Originally published in 1971 and briefly set in San Francisco, Go Ask Alice provides insight into the 1960's counter-culture movement as well as showing one person's emotional struggle with drug addiction.

Additional comments:  Go Ask Alice is written in a diary format form the point of view of a melodramatic and depressed teen-aged girl. The reader is taken on a psychological journey through the girl's internal conflicts between what she wants to do versus what she ultimately can't resist doing. Though seemingly realistic in the beginning, the book takes on a didantic tone midway through as lack of self-control brings on ill consequences and eventually her self-destruction.   

Feed by M.T. Anderson

Anderson, M.T. (2004). Feed.  Cambridge: Candlewick Press.

Summary:  Set in a fantastical and futuristic version of America, Titus is a teenager who, like the majority of Americans, has a "feed" transmitter in his brain that broadcasts ads, shows, and music, and also networks with other "feeds" so that people can im chat around the clock.  On a trip to the Moon, a stranger hacks his "feed", which puts him in the hospital, exposes him to life without the "feed", and introduces him to Violet, a girl who tries to resist the "feed".

Additional Comments:  A scary vision of corporate America completely taking over every aspect of individual life and personal expression.  In the spirit of Brave New World, 1984, and The Giver, Feed presents an alternate reality and dystopia in which the general public doesn't question the corporate power structure and the mysterious lesions that are breaking out on everyone. 

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Coelho, Paulo (1993).  The Alchemist. New York: HarperSanFrancisco.  

Summary:  Santiago is "the boy"--an Andalusian shepherd-- who has a recurring dream about a buried treasure near the Pyramids.  Heeding the advice of a gypsy dream interpreter and an old man who calls himself the king of Salem, the boy decides to pursue the omens that point him to fulfill his Personal Legend.   After selling his flock and leaving all that he knows in Spain behind, he sets off on an adventure across the desert of Northern Africa where he meets the Alchemist whose wisdom about the Soul of the World and universal language teaches the boy the true meaning of treasures.

Additional Comments:  This allegorical story has a timeless message that will speak to anyone who has left the safety of the familiar and ventured off alone to new lands, meeting characters along the way who share the journey and shape the next decision.  Though written in simple language, this inspiring story points to philosophical and spiritual truths that the reader will want to ponder and read over and over again.  

   

Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan

Levithan, David (2003). Boy meets boy. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.  

Summary: Paul, a sophomore in high school, falls for Noah when they meet in a book store.  Paul's budding romance with Noah gets strained when his ex-boyfriend, Kyle, re-enters his world and results in confusing, conflicting emotions.  

Additional comments:  Paul's high school and community are optimistic examples of how things could be. . .Places where LGBT youth are normalized, and all sexual orientations are accepted without question or harassment.  Kyle, who has grown up in the community, has always been comfortable with his sexuality, but his best friend, Tony, needs his help to come out to his religious parents.  Boy Meets Boy is funny and light at times, but is also emotionally-charged by hurtful relationships.  

Buried Onions by Gary Soto

Soto, Gary (1997, 2006).  Buried Onions. Orlando: Harcourt, Inc.

Summary:  After dropping out of the community college, Eddie has a hard time making ends meet on his own.  Though he tries hard to keep out of violence and crime that surrounds him in Fresno and to live honestly and earnestly , his aunt pressures him to avenge the murder of his cousin and he gets tangled in a mess that makes him look like a criminal.   

Additional comments:  This is a heart-breaking and suspenseful story about a young man with pure intentions and strong integrity who is trapped in poverty and where there are limited options available.  Events show how extremely difficult it is to rise above hardships due to lack of legal job opportunities and discrimination.   

Babylon Boyz by Jess Mowry

Mowry, Jess (1997, 1999). Babylon Boyz. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks. 

Summary:  The Babylon Boyz are three best friends in Oakland, California, who are outcasts at high school:  Pook for being gay, Dante for a weak heart in need of an operation, and Wyatt for his obesity.  The boys, who mostly get back without adults, befriend Radji, a homeless kid, and Jinx, who is in rehab for crack.  When they stumble upon a suitcase full of cocaine near the docks, they are divided about what to do.  On one hand, if they sell it, the large sum of money would provide them with choices and opportunities, such as Dante's greatly needed and expensive heart surgery, medical school for Pook, and ultimately a way out of "Babylon" where they feel trapped.  On the other hand, they could flush the coke down the toilet and spare the community from the drug that is destroying them.

Additional comments: A vivid and emotionally gripping portrayal of life for young, intelligent men of color who are marginalized and limited by poverty and racism.  Without parents, they lean on each other for support and love.  The male characters are at times hard-edged and others vulnerable and sensitive and despite arguments, always loyal to each other in the end.

The Other Side of Truth by Beverly Naidoo

Naidoo, Beverley (2000.)  The Other side of truth.  New York: HarperCollins Publisher.  

Summary:  12-year-old Sade and her younger brother, Femi, escape from Nigeria where her father is a journalist whose political writing results in Sade's mother's murder.  The children are sent to London with fake passports, but they are abandoned by their escort upon arrival. They end up in the hands of social services and put in a foster home and a school while waiting for temporary asylum as refugees, but they worry about their father's safety.  They face bullies at school and must face difficult decisions about telling the truth and how to stand up to aggressors and injustice.

Additional Comments:  A suspenseful story that explores ethical decisions and personal values on different levels.  On one hand, the father is standing up to censorship by writing about the corrupt government, but the government persecutes him by killing his wife.  Sade faces aggression at school and must decide if she will succumb to the pressure.  Also explores the complications of right and wrong when it comes to telling the truth.  Is it okay to lie when your safety depends on it?  

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume

Blume, Judy (1970, 1991).  Are you there God?  It's me, Margaret.  New York: Laurel-Leaf Books.  

Summary: Margaret is eleven (and going on twelve) when her parents decide to move from Manhattan to the suburbs of New Jersey.  Despite her parents' shunning of religion, Margaret finds herself praying to God every night about the trials and tribulations of starting sixth grade in a new school, and especially asking for changes in her body--breasts and her period.  Her neighbor, Nancy, becomes her fast friend, who coaches her on everything from footwear, boys, kissing, bras, and menstruating.  Nancy invites Margaret into a secret club, and Margaret learns that her new community is divided socially by religion.  Margaret adopts a personal, year-long project to explore and choose a religion.  

Additional Comments: Female readers will laugh out loud and sigh  with empathy for Margaret's personal struggles and feelings, which are timeless and applicable even thirty-eight years after first publication.  Male readers will gain insight into the plight of being a young woman.

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

Cormier, Robert (1974, 1986). The Chocolate War. New York: Laurel Leaf Books.  

Summary:  The Vigils, an underground association that bullies underclassmen at Trinity High School into performing risky pranks, demand that Jerry Renault, a freshman, refuse to participate in the legendary, annual chocolate sale.  Jerry's non-involvement in the sale results in the scorn of the fundraiser's leader, a sinister and abusive teacher, Leon. Jerry must make decisions about whether to resist or comply with physical and psychological pressure and coercion exerted by Leon, the Vigils, and the rest of the school.   

Additional comments:  A dark and twisted story about resisting peer pressure, coercion, and oppression.  Jerry wonders "Dare I disturb the universe?", a question that will persist in the readers' mind after finishing the story.  

Monster by Walter Dean Myers

Myers, Walter Dean (1999). Monster. New York: Scholastic Inc.  

Summary:  Steve Harmon is 16-year-old black high school student on trial for being the lookout in the robbery of a drug store in Harlem, New York during which the owner was shot and killed.  To bring comfort to the deep terror he faces both in the courtroom and in the detention center, Steve narrates his experience in the form of a screen play.

Additional comments:  An intense story presented in a unique and dramatic style. Readers will anxiously flip the pages to see if justice is served in the end.  Raises many questions about racism in the justice system, what is honesty, and reconciling self-identity and the judgment by others.  

The Color Purple (DVD)

Spielberg, Steven (1985). The Color Purple [Motion picture]. United States: Amblin Entertainment.

Summary:  Set in Georgia at the turn of the 20th century, The Color Purple follows the life of Celie, a 14-year-old black girl at the start of the film.  After bearing two children by her daddy only to have them pried from her arms at birth, Celie's life only gets harder when she is forced to marry and serve an abusive, mean-spirited older widower and his many rotten children.  But, her heart and spirit die when her new husband tries to rape Celie's beloved younger sister, who fights him off, and is physically removed from the house forever.  Celie then succumbs to a despondent life of servitude and speechlessness until she allows herself to be loved by Shug Avery, a spirited, head-strong performer and lover of Celie's husband.    

Additional comments:  Exposes the mistreatment and confinement of women, particularly women of color, who were kept down with no choices and basically no options for independence.  Celie is treated as property, who should be seen, not heard, and must serve "the Mister's" every need and endure beatings wordlessly. A long movie that is bound to bring you to tears at multiple points of the film.  This Steven Spielberg classic features an all-star cast, including Whoopie Goldberg, Danny Glover, and Oprah Winfrey.  

Based on the Pulitzer prize winning novel by Alice Walker.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

Smith, Betty (1943).  A Tree grows in Brooklyn.  New York:  Harper Collins.

Summary: The Nolan family struggles in the slums of Williamsburg, Brooklyn from 1902 until 1919. Francie's father is an alcoholic who has difficulty holding a steady job as a singing waiter, and Katie's mother provides enough food for her family to survive through her job as a scrubwoman.  Francie and her younger brother, Neeley, grow up collecting garbage for small change and believing that education is the key to their future. 

Additional thoughts: Francie's insights and observations about society, school, family, and the ethical values of the people around her are endearing and ring as true today as they undoubtedly did fifty years ago. Female readers will especially connect with the strong Rommely women.