English II students have explored theme of forgiveness, tradition and loss by choosing from a list of nine books including “Lord of the Flies” and “Fahrenheit 451”, along with award winning books “The Joy Luck Club” and “I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter.”
“I think the goal we really set for was to give students as much choice as possible,” English II teacher Cassel Feenstra said. “We knew if we did that, everyone could find a book that they liked.”
Sophomore Farah Yusuf was the only one in her grade to read “Bless Me, Ultima” by Rudolfo Anaya, a classic novel that explores the main character Antonio’s journey with his faith.
“I personally really loved ‘Bless me Ultima,’” Yusuf said. “As someone that reads a lot I love books that have really beautiful imagery and symbolism, and ‘Bless me Ultima’ really hit the spot, it really felt magical.”
A popular book among the students was “Fahrenheit 451″ by Ray Bradbury.
“I really like ‘Fahrenheit 451’ because it’s a dystopian fiction, which I feel is really cool to read because there’s always a story going along, not just facts,” sophomore Aadya Mehta said.
Students first impressions of the books didn’t always hold up as they began reading.
“Honestly I liked ‘Of Mice and Men’ from the beginning, but towards the end I didn’t like it that much because the author didn’t explain thoroughly what was happening in the book,” sophomore Aleena Khan said. “The author really made you have to guess what was happening.”
A more modern book that caught a lot of students’ attention was “Long Way Down.” The book written by Jason Reynolds is written in stanzas rather than paragraphs.
“Students should read ‘Long Way Down’ because it’s an unconventional reading experience that I think all readers should get to experience,” sophomore Lavani Sarkar said. “I felt like I was in the minds of several people and that I was truly immersed in the story.”
Relationships and perspectives were a common theme in many of the book.
“I like ‘The Joy Luck Club’ because it explores the relationship between immigrant mothers and their American born daughters,” sophomore Nicole Torre said. “I feel like it really captured how they found their own sense of identity by learning more about their cultures.”
Similar to “The Joy Luck Club,” “I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter” is structured in a way that involves personal stories, not just the main characters.
“One thing I don’t particularly enjoy is the pacing of the book,” sophomore Irene Ruiz-Nunez said. “Sometimes it gets really off track or it’s just a bunch of individual stories that don’t always piece together. Other than that the extra chapters are still enjoyable, so it makes up for it.”
Sophomore Kavya Setty chose to read the young adult thriller, “City of Saints and Thieves”.
“I really enjoyed the book because it always made me feel like I wanted to keep on reading,” Setty said. “I definitely think you have to have a long attention span, but it does really hook you at a point, so you just continue reading once you like it. It’s really easy to understand the details, the descriptions, the imagery and visuals.”
“Lord of the Flies” by William Golding is about a group of boys who are stranded on a deserted island and attempt to govern themselves.
“I think it’s an interesting book to read overall because of the plot and how when the boys get stranded on the island they have to work together to figure out how to survive,” sophomore Asha Pradhan said. “It shows a deeper meaning about how human society can result to violence and order, and how every character represents a different perspective in society.”
The last book out of the nine choices is “A Long Way Gone” which explores the psychological impact of trauma during war.
“The book showcases how difficult it is to heal from traumatic experiences and rebuild one’s life after war,” sophomore Megyn Cole said. “I think it is a very important book to read because it is a true story about one person’s struggles, while also giving readers an honest and detailed look at the realities of war in a way many novels do not.”
Feenstra hopes these books will help students gain new perspectives.
“It’s given students an opportunity to step foot in other characters’ shoes and see other perspectives,” Feenstra said. “It gives us a chance to step outside of Frisco and gain a better understanding of what other people are going through.”
