My Summer Reading List

So, despite the recommendations I gave in my last blog post, I have another reading list for myself this summer. It's not that I want to give the impression that I'm assigning you something, but to be fair, I've already read all those stories that I recommended. That doesn't mean I wouldn't want to discuss them with someone in an egregiously long comment thread, though.

Anyway, here are the books I'm reading this summer... listed in no particular order:

Kingdom Come by Mark Waid and Alex Ross
A graphic novel that takes place far enough in the future for the entire Justice League to have become grandparents. Unfortunately, "retirement" meant seclusion for most of them, so the younger generations don't have the same care for humanity and moral standard regarding their powers. There is a gigantic battle sequence that takes up the last quarter of the book, but I like this one because it questions the regard in which we hold "superheroes." Please note that I already finished this one...

The Ancient Guide to Modern Life by Natalie Haynes
My wife picked this one up for me because she thought it sounded like something I would like, with Mediterranean cultures and ancient epics.The author, Ms. Haynes, studied Classics and is now using them to shed some light on cultural practices and mores that we have in Western society.

An Illustrated Book of Bad Arguments by Ali Almossawi
This was given to me by a colleague when I began coaching my school's debate team. Truth be told, I have not read it yet (I got it almost a year ago), but I'm reading it now to see whether I can include it in the Debate elective that I will be teaching this coming school year. Gotta get writing that curriculum when I've got the chance!

The Hero with a Thousand Face by Joseph Campbell
I've been a big fan of Joseph Campbell for years now. I remember that I took an elective in 7th grade called "Heroes and Monsters" and it was guided by the Monomyth Theory that Campbell described in this book. For my part, my fandom has been fueled by his "Power of Myth" interview and secondary sources that present Campbellian work in smaller, more digestible pieces. But this summer, I'm diving into the waters from which reared the Monomyth itself! ... well, not exactly... the monomyth existed before... anyway...

City of God: Faith in the Streets by Sara Miles
Yes, this is a church book. So sue me. Sara Miles compiled this book based on experiences she has had while distributing ashes on Ash Wednesday 2012. This is noteworthy because, unlike more traditional Ash Wednesday services, Miles and her congregation went out into the streets of San Francisco to offer ashes to whomever wanted them; not solely to the people who showed up to the church in that morning. I have not read this book, but I one of my favorite podcasts had Miles on for an interview a couple weeks ago. This book is her most recent, and thus it was the one they spoke most at length about on the podcast.

The BFG by Roald Dahl
This is a reread for me. Roald Dahl is definitely one of my favorite authors but The BFG was not the first story of his I read. I went through Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Fantastic Mr. Fox and a few others before I ever read The BFG. Nonetheless, it is definitely one of my favorites that he wrote and I'm looking forward to reading it again.
P.S. Don't judge because I'm reading children's stories. I'm an English teacher. I get to do that sort of thing... so there.

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
This is another graphic novel. One which I may or may not be able to use for a unit this coming school year (honestly, I don't know yet whether I'll get to teach it). I have also read this one before, but I need to reread it and write curriculum, regardless of whether or not I'll be teaching it. Because a guy's got to have hopes, okay? Anyway, the book tells three stories all at once: there is the legend of the Monkey King, who wants to be a god; the story of Jin Wang, who just wants to fit in at his American school; and a comic-strip-animated sitcom called "Everyone Ruvs Chin-kee," in which Danny, a seemingly All-American boy needs to entertain his Chinese stereotype cousin. The interesting thing with all three of these story lines is that they intertwine in surprising ways. I'm excited to use the book to help my students explore the themes of individual and ethnic identity, but I'm also excited to read and recommend this book because it is just that moving and powerful.