Reading Lists
Need summer plans? Preparing for college? Click on the links below to view a complimentary reading list. These titles, expertly chosen by our counselors, are intended to improve literacy, vocabulary and communication.
Grades 6-8
of mice and men
john STeinbeck
A fiction story about George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant ranch workers struggling to work in California during the Great Depression. Loosely-based on Steinbeck's own experiences as a bindle stiff in the 1920s.
Tuck Everlasting
Natalie Babbitt
The Tuck family is blessed or doomed to eternal life after drinking special water from a spring. When 10-year-old Winnie Foster discovers their secret, they take her home to show that immortality may not be as desirable as it seems.
The Outsiders
S.E. Hilton
Considered one of the groundbreaking novels to start the Young Adult genre. It follows two rival groups, the Socs and the Greasers, who are separated by their socioeconomic levels and explores gang and youth culture.
The Three Musketeers
Alexander dumas
A historical fiction novel, the story follows the narrative of young French soldier named d'Artagnan after he leaves home to join the Musketeers of the Guard. Though d'Artagnan does not join the force, he befriends three elite members and joins them in their adventures.
HatcheT
Gary Paulsen
A Young Adult survival novel that follows the story of Brian Robeson, a 13-year-old boy who crash lands and survives in the Canadian wilderness. All he has with him is a hatchet that his mother gifted.
THE Catcher in the rye
j.d. salinger
This book explores the themes of teenage angst and alienation; for unknown reasons, Holden Caufield decides to leave his preparatory school in Pennsylvania to go underground in New York for three days.
fahrenheit 451
ray bradbury
Acclaimed by critics and considered Bradbury's greatest work, Fahrenheit 451 is set in a dystopian future where televisions rule and books are outlawed, and firemen are employed to start fires instead of putting them out. The book provides social commentary on how mass media reduces interest in print literature and also raises questions about the McCarthy era that prevented the flow and sharing of ideas.
Anne Frank: the Diary of a young girl
Anne frank
In 1942, Anne and her Jewish family fled Amsterdam to go into hiding after their home in Holland became occupied by Nazis. The diary tells about the two years while her family lives in hiding, up until the moment when their whereabouts were revealed to the Gestapo and their story sadly comes to an end.
Grades 9-12
to kill a mockingbird
harper lee
Considered a classic in American literature, Harper Lee's novel contains humor and serious reflection, while also touching on the themes of racial inequality and rape. Loosely based on her own experiences in Alabama, this story provides for an enduring tale of racial heroism and morality.
The odyssey
homer
The Tuck family is blessed or doomed to eternal life after drinking special water from a spring. When 10-year-old Winnie Foster discovers their secret, they take her home to show that immortality may not be as desirable as it seems.
The kite runner
khaled hosseini
Considered one of the groundbreaking novels to start the Young Adult genre. It follows two rival groups, the Socs and the Greasers, who are separated by their socioeconomic levels and explores gang and youth culture.
The Plague
Albert camus
A historical fiction novel, the story follows the narrative of young French soldier named d'Artagnan after he leaves home to join the Musketeers of the Guard. Though d'Artagnan does not join the force, he befriends three elite members and joins them in their adventures.
The great gatsby
f. Scott fitzgerald
A Young Adult survival novel that follows the story of Brian Robeson, a 13-year-old boy who crash lands and survives in the Canadian wilderness. All he has with him is a hatchet that his mother gifted.
THE hobbit
j.r.r. tolkien
This book explores the themes of teenage angst and alienation; for unknown reasons, Holden Caufield decides to leave his preparatory school in Pennsylvania to go underground in New York for three days.
the jungle
upton sinclair
Acclaimed by critics and considered Bradbury's greatest work, Fahrenheit 451 is set in a dystopian future where televisions rule and books are outlawed, and firemen are employed to start fires instead of putting them out. The book provides social commentary on how mass media reduces interest in print literature and also raises questions about the McCarthy era that prevented the flow and sharing of ideas.
house on mango street
sandra cisneros
In 1942, Anne and her Jewish family fled Amsterdam to go into hiding after their home in Holland became occupied by Nazis. The diary tells about the two years while her family lives in hiding, up until the moment when their whereabouts were revealed to the Gestapo and their story sadly comes to an end.
the adventures of tom sawyer
Mark twain
Considered a classic American novel, this story follows the adventures of a young boy growing up along the Mississippi River in 19th century rural America. This book, filled with accounts of boyish behavior and assessments of shrewd human nature, appeals to readers of all ages.
Animal farm
george orwell
One of the most important works of literature in high school curriculum, Animal Farm is an allegorical novella that reflects on the events leading up the Russian Revolution of 1917, then the Stalinist era that followed. Orwell was a social democrat who strongly opposed Stalin's policy and the Soviet Russia that ensued. This story tells about equality, justice, and progress.
little women
louisa may alcott
Loosely based on her own life, Little Women follows the lives of four daughters and their passage from childhood to adulthood. They live at home with their mother while their father is away at war—all the while growing up, they wonder if their father will ever return home.
catch-22
joseph heller
A historical fiction novel set during World War II Era that additionally touches on the themes of human relationships and sanity. It portrays the futility of war and provides a satire on real political and social issues of this period.
the kitchen god's wife
Amy Tan
Written by a Chinese American author, this novel touches on issues of Sino-American identity and gender. Tan loosely draws from the life of her own mother to tell a tale of sacrifice, patriarchal authority, and immigrant life.
the scarlet letter
nathaniel hawthorne
A historical fiction novel by an American author, The Scarlett Letter is set in a 17th Century Puritan society and follows Hester Prynne, who has a daughter through an affair. Hawthorne's book explores the themes of guilt, sin, and dignity.
a passage to india
e.m. forster
A Passage to India tells of the clash of cultures in British India after the turn of the century. The story revolves around four characters; when one doctor is accused of assaulting another woman, the trial that ensues reveals racial tensions and divides between the Indians and the British who rule in India.
pride and prejudicejane austen
This romantic story follows the emotional relationship of the protagonist Elizabeth Bennett and William Darcy. Bennett learns the error of making hasty judgements and comes to the appreciation of superficial and the essential.
gone with the wind
margaret mitchell
Scarlett O'Hara must crawl out of poverty after Sherman's destructive "March to the Sea." The novel is set during the American Civil War and Reconstruction Era.
the awakening
kate chopin
Set in 19th century Louisiana, Chopin's novels tell about a woman trapped in a boring marriage She finds passion, through physical love, outside of her unmoving, domestic situation.
othello
shakespeare
A classic play that follow Moor Othello and Desdemona in their love affair; it begins with elopement and mutual love, and tragically ends with jealousy, rage, and fatalities.
into the wild
jon krakauer
Into the Wild, a nonfiction story about a man who uproots his entire life to live alone in the wilderness, then mysteriously disappears, is a book that unravels the theme of independence and transcendentalism.
slaughterhouse five
kurt vonnegut
Today, Slaughterhouse-Five is considered one of Vonnegut's most influential novels. Also described as semi-autobiographical, this story tells about an actual event that took place in Vonnegut's lifetime and is a satirical perspective of Billy Pilgrim's journey through World War II.
invisible man
h.g. wells
A scientist discovers a way to render himself invisible but fails to find a cure from it. The book follows him as he wreaks havoc on the town.
the circle
dave eggers
A contemporary techno-fiction novel that follow one woman's ambition and journey through a corporate-driven world. It raises questions about history, privacy, democracy, and ultimately, the limits of human knowledge.
the stranger
albert camus
A man loses his mom, expresses little remorse, then murders an Arab man on a beach just to watch him die. The novel follows his trial, imprisonment, and most importantly, explores Camus' famous "philosophy of the absurd."
The electric
kool-aid test
tom wolfe
The first nonfiction novel and arguably, the most famous account, of the New Journalism era was written by Tom Wolfe. This eclectic story follows Ken Kesey and his band of Merry Pranksters as they experiment with LSD and journey across the country.
a thousand
splendid suns
khalid hosseni
A historical fiction novel set against the backdrop of 30 years of Afghan history, from the Soviet occupation to Taliban control. It follows two women who come from completely separate lives but are brought together by loss and conditions of war. This book explores the themes of oppression, family, friendship, sacrifice, and salvation.
biology/medicine
the gene
siddhartha mukherjee
From the Pulitzer Prize-winning, bestselling author of The Emperor of All Maladies--a magnificent history of the gene and a response to the defining question of the future: What becomes of being human when we learn to "read" and "write" our own genetic information?
being mortal
atul gawande
Being Mortal is a meditation on how people can better live with age-related frailty, serious illness, and approaching death. Gawande calls for a change in the way that medical professionals treat patients approaching their ends.
lab girl
hope jahren
Geobiologist Hope Jahren has spent her life studying trees, flowers, seeds, and soil. Lab Girl is her revelatory treatise on plant life—but it is also a celebration of the lifelong curiosity, humility, and passion that drive every scientist.
sapiens
Yuval Noah Harari
From a renowned historian comes a groundbreaking narrative of humanity’s creation and evolution—a #1 international bestseller—that explores the ways in which biology and history have defined us and enhanced our understanding of what it means to be “human.”
behave
Robert M. Sapolsky
From the celebrated neurobiologist and primatologist, a landmark, genre-defining examination of human behavior, both good and bad, and an answer to the question: Why do we do the things we do?
the code breaker
walter isaacson
The bestselling author of Leonardo da Vinci and Steve Jobs returns with a gripping account of how Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Doudna and her colleagues launched a revolution that will allow us to cure diseases, fend off viruses, and have healthier babies.
deep medicine
eric topol
Innovative, provocative, and hopeful, Deep Medicine shows us how the awesome power of AI can make medicine better, for all the humans involved.
emperor of all maladies
Siddhartha Mukherjee
The Emperor of All Maladies is an illuminating book that provides hope and clarity to those seeking to demystify cancer.
Business / Entrepreneurship
no filter
sarah frier
In this “sequel to The Social Network” (The New York Times), award-winning reporter Sarah Frier reveals the never-before-told story of how Instagram became the most culturally defining app of the decade.
hatching twitter
nick bilton
Drawing on hundreds of sources, documents, and internal e-mails, Bilton offers a rarely-seen glimpse of the inner workings of technology startups, venture capital, and Silicon Valley culture.
moneyball
michael lewis
Moneyball is a quest for the secret of success in baseball. In a narrative full of fabulous characters and brilliant excursions into the unexpected, Michael Lewis follows the low-budget Oakland A's, visionary general manager Billy Beane, and the strange brotherhood of amateur baseball theorists.
lean startup
eric ries
The Lean Startup is a new approach to business that's being adopted around the world. It is changing the way companies are built and new products are launched.The Lean Startup is about learning what your customers really want.
the startup checklist
david s. rose
The Startup Checklist is the entrepreneur's essential companion. While most entrepreneurship books focus on strategy, this invaluable guide provides the concrete steps that will get your new business off to a strong start.
angel
jason calacanis
Calacanis takes you inside the minds of these successful moneymen, helping you understand how they prioritize and make the decisions that have resulted in phenomenal profits.
venture deals
brad feld
Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist is a must-have resource for Any aspiring entrepreneur, venture capitalist, or lawyer involved in VC deals as well as students and instructors in related areas of study.
The Airbnb Story
Leigh Gallagher
A fast-paced, fun dive into one of the seminal firms of our time; through the tale of Airbnb, Leigh Gallagher shows us how the sharing economy can be a force for emotional connection — as well as for social and business disruption.
Business / Entrepreneurship
no filter
sarah frier
In this “sequel to The Social Network” (The New York Times), award-winning reporter Sarah Frier reveals the never-before-told story of how Instagram became the most culturally defining app of the decade.
hatching twitter
nick bilton
Drawing on hundreds of sources, documents, and internal e-mails, Bilton offers a rarely-seen glimpse of the inner workings of technology startups, venture capital, and Silicon Valley culture.
moneyball
michael lewis
Moneyball is a quest for the secret of success in baseball. In a narrative full of fabulous characters and brilliant excursions into the unexpected, Michael Lewis follows the low-budget Oakland A's, visionary general manager Billy Beane, and the strange brotherhood of amateur baseball theorists.
lean startup
eric ries
The Lean Startup is a new approach to business that's being adopted around the world. It is changing the way companies are built and new products are launched.The Lean Startup is about learning what your customers really want.
the startup checklist
david s. rose
The Startup Checklist is the entrepreneur's essential companion. While most entrepreneurship books focus on strategy, this invaluable guide provides the concrete steps that will get your new business off to a strong start.
venture deals
brad feld
Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist is a must-have resource for Any aspiring entrepreneur, venture capitalist, or lawyer involved in VC deals as well as students and instructors in related areas of study.
the ride of a lifetime
Robert Iger
In The Ride of a Lifetime, Robert Iger shares the lessons he learned while running Disney and leading its 220,000-plus employees, and he explores the principles that are necessary for true leadership.
Zero to One
Peter Thiel
Zero to One presents at once an optimistic view of the future of progress in America and a new way of thinking about innovation: it starts by learning to ask the questions that lead you to find value in unexpected places.
angel
jason calacanis
Calacanis takes you inside the minds of these successful moneymen, helping you understand how they prioritize and make the decisions that have resulted in phenomenal profits.
The Airbnb Story
Leigh Gallagher
A fast-paced, fun dive into one of the seminal firms of our time; through the tale of Airbnb, Leigh Gallagher shows us how the sharing economy can be a force for emotional connection — as well as for social and business disruption.
Originals
Adam Grant
The #1 New York Times bestseller that examines how people can champion new ideas in their careers and everyday life—and how leaders can fight groupthink, from the author of Think Again and co-author of Option B
The Everything Store
Brad Stone
The Everything Store is the revealing, definitive biography of the company that placed one of the first and largest bets on the Internet and forever changed the way we shop and read.
That Will Never Work
Marc Randolph
From idea generation to team building to knowing when it's time to let go, That Will Never Work is not only the ultimate follow-your-dreams parable, but also one of the most dramatic and insightful entrepreneurial stories of our time.
Rich Dad Poor Dad
Robert T. Kiyosaki
The book explodes the myth that you need to earn a high income to be rich and explains the difference between working for money and having your money work for you.
chemistry/physics
a brief history of time
STEPHEN HAWKING
Told in language we all can understand, A Brief History of Time plunges into the exotic realms of black holes and quarks, of antimatter and “arrows of time,” of the big bang and a bigger God—where the possibilities are wondrous and unexpected.
the last days of night
graham moore
From Graham Moore, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of The Imitation Game and New York Times bestselling author of The Sherlockian, comes a thrilling novel—based on actual events—about the nature of genius, the cost of ambition, and the battle to electrify America.
surely you're joking, mr.feynman
richard p. feynman
A New York Times bestseller―the outrageous exploits of one of this century's greatest scientific minds and a legendary American original.
UNTIL THE END OF TIME
BRIAN GREENE
Until the End of Time is Brian Greene's breathtaking new exploration of the cosmos and our quest to find meaning in the face of this vast expanse.
the end of everything
katie mack
From one of the most dynamic rising stars in astrophysics, an “engrossing, elegant” (The New York Times) look at five ways the universe could end, and the mind-blowing lessons each scenario reveals about the most important concepts in cosmology.
the disappearing spoon
sam kean
The Disappearing Spoon masterfully fuses science with the classic lore of invention, investigation, and discovery -- from the Big Bang through the end of time.
history
the impeachers
brenda wineapple
“This absorbing and important book recounts the titanic struggle over the implications of the Civil War amid the impeachment of a defiant and temperamentally erratic American president.”—Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Soul of America
Dreamers and Schemers
Barry Siegel
Dreamers and Schemers chronicles how Los Angeles’s pursuit and staging of the 1932 Olympic Games during the depths of the Great Depression helped fuel the city’s transformation from a seedy frontier village to a world-famous metropolis.
hiroshima
john hersey
Almost four decades after the original publication of this celebrated book, John Hersey went back to Hiroshima in search of the people whose stories he had told. His account of what he discovered about them is now the eloquent and moving final chapter of Hiroshima.
The Englishman's Daughter
BEN MACINTYRE
The Englishman’s Daughter is the never-before-told story of these extraordinary men, their protectors, and of the haunting love affair between Private Robert Digby and Claire Dessenne, the most beautiful woman in Villeret.
Biography / Autobiography
personal history
katharine graham
In lieu of an unrevealing Famous-People-I-Have-Known autobiography, the owner of the Washington Post has chosen to be remarkably candid about the insecurities prompted by remote parents and a difficult marriage to the charismatic, manic-depressive Phil Graham, who ran the newspaper her father acquired.
the code breaker
walter isaacson
The bestselling author of Leonardo da Vinci and Steve Jobs returns with a gripping account of how Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Doudna and her colleagues launched a revolution that will allow us to cure diseases, fend off viruses, and have healthier babies.
steve jobs
walter isaacson
Walter Isaacson’s “enthralling” (The New Yorker) worldwide bestselling biography of Apple cofounder Steve Jobs.
elon musk
ashlee vance
In the spirit of Steve Jobs and Moneyball, Elon Musk is both an illuminating and authorized look at the extraordinary life of one of Silicon Valley's most exciting, unpredictable, and ambitious entrepreneurs--a real-life Tony Stark--and a fascinating exploration of the renewal of American invention and its new "makers."
born a crime
trevor noah
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The compelling, inspiring, and comically sublime story of one man’s coming-of-age, set during the twilight of apartheid and the tumultuous days of freedom that followed
alexander hamilton
ron chernow
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ron Chernow presents a landmark biography of Alexander Hamilton, the Founding Father who galvanized, inspired, scandalized, and shaped the newborn nation.
becoming
michelle obama
An intimate, powerful, and inspiring memoir by the former First Lady of the United States
where the past begins
amy tan
From New York Times Bestselling author Amy Tan, s memoir on her life as a writer, her childhood, and the symbiotic relationship between fiction and emotional memory.
Einstein
Walter Isaacson
By the author of the acclaimed bestseller Benjamin Franklin, this is the first full biography of Albert Einstein since all of his papers have become available.
The Snowball
Alice Schroeder
Here is the book recounting the life and times of one of the most respected men in the world, Warren Buffett.
Math
letters to a young methematician
ian stewart
The first scientific entry in the acclaimed Art of Mentoring series from Basic Books, Letters to a Young Mathematician tells readers what Ian Stewart wishes he had known when he was a student and young faculty member.
Journey through Genius
william dunham
Dunham deftly guides the reader through the verbal and logical intricacies of major mathematical questions and proofs, conveying a splendid sense of how the greatest mathematicians from ancient to modern times presented their arguments.
How Not to Be Wrong
Jordan Ellenberg
The Freakonomics of math—a math-world superstar unveils the hidden beauty and logic of the world and puts its power in our hands
MY BRAIN IS OPEN
Bruce Schechter
My Brain Is Open is the story of this strange genius and a journey in his footsteps through the world of mathematics, where universal truths await discovery like hidden treasures and where brilliant proofs are poetry.
golden ratio
Gary B. Meisner
The Golden Ratio examines the presence of this divine number in art and architecture throughout history, as well as its ubiquity among plants, animals, and even the cosmos.
The Shape of a Life
Shing-Tung Yau
A Fields medalist recounts his lifelong transnational effort to uncover the geometric shape—the Calabi-Yau manifold—that may store the hidden dimensions of our universe.
personal development
atomic habits
james clear
No matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving--every day. James Clear, one of the world's leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results.
presence
amy cuddy
Amy Cuddy presents the enthralling science underlying these and many other fascinating body-mind effects, and teaches us how to use simple techniques to liberate ourselves from fear in high-pressure moments, perform at our best, and connect with and empower others to do the same.
grit
angela duckworth
In this instant New York Times bestseller, pioneering psychologist Angela Duckworth shows anyone striving to succeed—be it parents, students, educators, athletes, or business people—that the secret to outstanding achievement is not talent but a special blend of passion and persistence she calls “grit.”
how to win friends and influence people
dale carneigie
Dale Carnegie’s rock-solid, time-tested advice has carried countless people up the ladder of success in their business and personal lives.
Mindset
Carol S. Dweck
In this brilliant book, the author shows how success in school, work, sports, the arts, and almost every area of human endeavor can be dramatically influenced by how we think about our talents and abilities.
Quiet
Susan Cain
In Quiet, Susan Cain argues that we dramatically undervalue introverts and shows how much we lose in doing so. She charts the rise of the Extrovert Ideal throughout the twentieth century and explores how deeply it has come to permeate our culture.
Outliers
Malcolm Gladwell
In this stunning new book, Malcolm Gladwell takes us on an intellectual journey through the world of "outliers"--the best and the brightest, the most famous and the most successful. He asks the question: what makes high-achievers different?
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up
MARIe KONDO
The book that sparked a revolution and inspired the hit Netflix series Tidying Up with Marie Kondo: the original guide to decluttering your home once and for all.
drive
Daniel H. Pink
In this provocative and persuasive new book, the author asserts that the secret to high performance and satisfaction-at work, at school, and at home—is the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our world.
The Power of Habit
Charles Duhigg
In The Power of Habit, award-winning business reporter Charles Duhigg takes us to the thrilling edge of scientific discoveries that explain why habits exist and how they can be changed.
political science/philosophy
justice
michael sandel
Justice is lively, thought-provoking, and wise—an essential new addition to the small shelf of books that speak convincingly to the hard questions of our civic life.
the 48 laws of power
robert greene
Laws of Power is a practical, readable guide for anyone who wants power, watches power, or want to arm themselves against power.
orientalism
edward said
"Orientalism" is one of the greatest and most influential of books of ideas to be published since the end of the European empires. For generations now it has defined our understanding of colonialism and empire and with each passing year its influence becomes if anything even greater.
Has China Won?Kishore Mahbubani
China and America are world powers without serious rivals. They eye each other warily across the Pacific; they communicate poorly; there seems little natural empathy. A massive geopolitical contest has begun.
technology
The Age of Surveillance Capitalism
Shoshana Zuboff
The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power is a 2019 non-fiction book which looks at the development of digital companies like Google and Amazon, and suggests that their business models represent a new form of capitalist accumulation that she calls surveillance capitalism.
bad blood
john carreyrou
The full inside story of the breathtaking rise and shocking collapse of Theranos, the one-time multibillion-dollar biotech startup founded by Elizabeth Holmes—now the subject of the HBO documentary The Inventor—by the prize-winning journalist who first broke the story and pursued it to the end.
don't be evil
rana foroohar
“Don’t be evil” was enshrined as Google’s original corporate mantra back in its early days, when the company’s cheerful logo still conveyed the utopian vision for a future in which technology would inevitably make the world better, safer, and more prosperous.
human + machine
Paul R. Daugherty &
H. James Wilson
In Human + Machine, Accenture leaders Paul R. Daugherty and H. James (Jim) Wilson show that the essence of the AI paradigm shift is the transformation of all business processes within an organization--whether related to breakthrough innovation, everyday customer service, or personal productivity habits.
From one of our leading technology thinkers and writers, a guide through the 12 technological imperatives that will shape the next 30 years and transform our lives.
the innovator's dilemma
clayton m. christensen
The Innovator’s Dilemma is the revolutionary business book that has forever changed corporate America.
innovators
walter isaacson
The Innovators is Walter Isaacson’s revealing story of the people who created the computer and the Internet. It is destined to be the standard history of the digital revolution and an indispensable guide to how innovation really happens.