I know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou - Angelou reflects on her life living with her remarkable grandmother, the horror of being molested, running away from home, and the unplanned pregnancy that would forever change her life.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott - Chronicles the joys and sorrows of the four March sisters as they grow into young ladies in nineteenth-century New England.

Emma by Jane Austen - As daughter of the richest, most important man in the small provincial village of Highbury, Emma Woodhouse is firmly convinced that it is her right--perhaps even her "duty"--to arrange the lives of others. Considered by most critics to be Austen's most technically brilliant achievement, "Emma" sparkles with ironic insights into self-deception, self-discovery, and the interplay of love and power.

Persuasion by Jane Austen - Anne Elliot, heroine of Austen's last novel, did something we can all relate to: Long ago, she let the love of her life get away. In this case, she had allowed herself to be persuaded by a trusted family friend that the young man she loved wasn't an adequate match, social stationwise, and that Anne could do better. The novel opens some seven years after Anne sent her beau packing, and she's still alone. But then the guy she never stopped loving comes back from the sea.

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen - The novel centers on the sisters Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, who are forced to leave their home with their mother and younger sister, Margaret, and move in reduced circumstances to the West of England. Elinor, the sensible sister, and Marianne, the over imaginative romantic, must rely on a good marriage as a means of support. As their excellent schemes are intruded upon, Austen subtly explores the marriage game of her times, as both sense and sensibility affect the sisters' chances of happiness and comfort.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - Jane Eyre is a wildly emotional romance, with a lonely heroine and a tormented Byronic hero, pathetic orphans, dark secrets, and a mad-woman in the attic. When it was published in 1847 it was a great popular success. The power of the writing, the masterly handling of narrative, and the boldly realistic style were much admired. But when Currer Bell, the pseudonymous author, was revealed to be Charlotte Bronte, a young woman from a bleak Yorkshire parsonage, critics were disapproving. Jane Eyre is full of erotic tension, passion, and irony. These were not qualities encouraged in Victorian women writers, and Jane Eyre was an 'immoral production' to more than one contemporary. For late-twentieth-century readers, however, the book is an astonishing paradigm of feminist writing. At its heart is the assertion that a woman has the right to be independent, and its insistence on that fact and on the equality of the sexes makes it a truly revolutionary work of art.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte - "My greatest thought in living is Heathcliff. If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be... Nelly, I am Heathcliff! He's always, always in my mind: not as a pleasure... but as my own being." Wuthering Heights is the only novel of Emily Bronte, who died a year after its publication, at the age of thirty. A brooding Yorkshire tale of a love that is stronger than death, it is also a fierce vision of metaphysical passion, in which heaven and hell, nature and society, are powerfully juxtaposed. Unique, mystical, with a timeless appeal, it has become a classic of English literature.

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote - With the publication of this book, Capote permanently ripped through the barrier separating crime reportage from serious literature. As he reconstructs the 1959 murder of a Kansas farm family and the investigation that led to the capture, trial, and execution of the killers, Capote generates suspense and empathy.

My Antonia by Willa Cather - Set against the vast Nebraska prairie, Cather's elegiac novel features one of the most winning heroines in American fiction--Antonia Shimerda--a young woman whose strength and passion epitomize the triumphant vitality of this country's pioneers.

Don Quixote by Miguel De Cervantes - Don Quixote sets out on a mission to recreate the romance of the ballads of the day, more than content to inhabit the world of the imagination. Whilst the Don is under the influence of his love for the beautiful Dulcinea, however, it is left to his faithful squire, Sancho Panza, to try to keep his master's feet on the ground.

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer - On a spring day in April--sometime in the waning years of the 14th century--29 travelers set out for Canterbury on a pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint Thomas Beckett. Among them is a knight, a monk, a prioress, a plowman, a miller, a merchant, a clerk, and an oft-widowed wife from Bath. Travel is arduous and wearing; to maintain their spirits, this band of pilgrims entertains each other with a series of tall tales that span the spectrum of literary genres. From the heroic romance of "The Knight's Tale" to the low farce embodied in the stories of the Miller, the Reeve, and the Merchant, Chaucer treated such universal subjects as love, sex, and death in poetry that is simultaneously witty, insightful, and poignant.

The Awakening by Kate Chopin - In the summer of her 28th year, Edna Pontellier and her children, along with the wives and families of other prospective businessmen, spend the summer in an idyllic coastal community away from their husbands and the sweltering heat of 1890s' New Orleans. Aware of deep yearnings that are unfulfilled by marriage and motherhood, Edna plunges into an illicit liaison that reawakens her long dormant desires, inflames her heart, and eventually blinds her to all else.

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad - Dark allegory of a journey up the Congo River and narrator's encounter with the mysterious Mr. Kurtz. Masterly blend of adventure, character study, psychological penetration.

Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane - Henry Fleming had no idea how horrible war really was. Attacks come from all sides, bullets fly, bombs crash. Men everywhere are wounded, bleeding, and dying. Now, Henry's fighting for his life and he's scared.  He must make a decision, perhaps the most difficult decision he will ever make in his life: save himself-run from the enemy and desert his friends-or fight, be brave, and risk his life.  If he stays to fight, he may die with his regiment. If he runs, he'll have to live with knowing he was a coward. Can Henry find the strength within himself to earn his red badge of courage?

The Inferno by Dante - An introduction and notes accompany this classic epic poem about a spiritual pilgrim being led by Virgil through the nine circles of hell.
 

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe - This classic story of a shipwrecked mariner on a deserted island is perhaps the greatest adventure in all of English literature. Fleeing from pirates, Robinson Crusoe is swept ashore in a storm possessing only a knife, a box of tobacco, a pipe-and the will to survive. His is the saga of a man alone: a man who overcomes self-pity and despair to reconstruct his life; who painstakingly teaches himself how to fashion a pot, bake bread, build a canoe; and who, after twenty-four agonizing years of solitude, discovers a human footprint in the sand... Consistently popular since its first publication in 1719, Daniel Defoe's story of human endurance in an exotic, faraway land exerts a timeless appeal.

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens - Pip, a poor orphan being raised by a cruel sister, does not have much in the way of great expectations between his terrifying experience in a graveyard with a convict named Magwitch and his humiliating visits with the eccentric Miss Havisham's beautiful but manipulative niece, Estella, who torments him until he is elevated to wealth by an anonymous benefactor. Full of unforgettable characters, Great Expectations is a tale of intrigue, unattainable love, and all of the happiness money can't buy.

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens - Oliver Twist, whose famous characters include Fagin, the cruel burglar Bill Sikes, and the wily and impudent pickpocket, the Artful Dodger (as well as the young orphan Oliver himself), was conceived by Dickens as a criticism of the Poor Law of 1824.

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens - A Tale of Two Cities (1859) is one of Dickens’ two historical novels, the other being Barnaby Rudge, the two cities in question are Paris and London at the time of the French Revolution. The heroic nobleman, Charles Darnay, renounces his status in opposition to his uncle, the Marquis de St Evremonde, and the evils of oppression he represents. Meanwhile, Dr Manette, the physician has also become aware of the Marquis’ ill-practice through a young peasant and his sister who have been hideously treated. After Darnay leaves France, he falls in love with Manette’s daughter, Lucie, and they are married. The story continues after Darnay’s happiness with Lucie as he returns to France during the Terror to save a servant. Darnay is arrested and condemned to death. The final section of the novel is concerned with the question of whether he will survive or be punished for his noble act of rescue, and whether or not the Englishman Carton who resembles Darnay will be able to save his life. It is a story of great sacrifices being made for the sake of principle. The novel is notable for its vivid representation of France during this troubled time and was modeled on Carlyle’s The French Revolution.

Hound of Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Taking place in both London and Devon, the novel traces the story of American Sir Henry Baskerville, the heir to a considerable estate after the death of Sir Charles Baskerville of a heart attack. Due to a West Country legend about a huge demon dog roaming the moors and seeking an ancient vengeance against the Baskervilles, locals are convinced that Sir Charles' death was no accident. Sherlock Holmes is invited by a certain Dr. Mortimer to investigate the matter for the benefit of Sir Henry. Holmes and his sidekick Watson who is sent ahead to Devon are drawn into a fatal adventure of superstition and revenge on the barren, gloomy moors in this hugely enjoyable mystery.

Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier - The story concerns a woman who marries an English nobleman and returns with him to Manderley, his country estate. There, she finds herself haunted by reminders of his first wife, Rebecca, who died in a boating accident less than a year earlier. In this case, the haunting is psychological, not physical: Rebecca does not appear as a ghost, but her spirit affects nearly everything that takes place at Manderley. The narrator, whose name is never divulged, is left with a growing sense of distrust toward those who loved Rebecca, wondering just how much they resent her for taking Rebecca's place. In the final chapters, the book turns into a detective story, as the principal characters try to reveal or conceal what really happened on the night Rebecca died.

Silas Marner by George Eliot - After suffering betrayal and rejection, Silas Marner leaves his community to settle in a strange place. There the lonely weaver becomes obsessed with accumulating money, until one day a little golden-haired orphan girl wanders into his home... Set at the beginning of the industrial revolution, Silas Marner weaves a telling social commentary into an inspiring tale of love and redemption.

Invisible Man by H.G. Wells - This masterpiece of science fiction is the fascinating story of Griffin, a scientist who creates a serum to render himself invisible, and his descent into madness that follows.

 

As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner - As I Lay Dying is the harrowing, darkly comic tale of the Bundren family's trek across Mississippi to bury Addie, their wife and mother, in the town of her choice. The story is told by each family member -- including Addie herself.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - The narrative thread is concerned mainly with marital infidelity and violent revenge, but the power of the novel derives from its sharp portrayal of wealthy society in New York City and Long Island as seen through the eyes of the midwestern narrator, Nick Carraway.  Jay Gatsby is a man with a shady past who has achieved social rank; the world in which he moves is shown to be one of moral emptiness and desperate boredom.  The "Jazz Age", Fitzgerald's constant subject, is exposed here in terms of its false glamour and cultural barrenness.  Yet in the end the novel transcends its own bitter view and is probably Fitzgerald's most humane work. 

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert - For this novel of French bourgeois life in all its inglorious banality, Flaubert invented a paradoxically original and wholly modern style. His heroine, Emma Bovary, a bored provincial housewife, abandons her husband to pursue the libertine Rodolphe in a desperate love affair. A succès de scandale in its day, Madame Bovary remains a powerful and arousing novel.

 

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank - Anne Frank's extraordinary diary, written in the Amsterdam attic where she and her family hid from the Nazis for two years, has become a world classic and a timeless testament to the human spirit. Now, in a new edition enriched by many passages originally withheld by her father, readers meet an Anne more real, more human, and more vital than ever.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding - Golding's classic novel of savagery and survival begins after a plane wreck deposits a group of English school boys, ages six to 12 on an isolated tropical island. Their struggle to survive and impose order quickly evolves from a battle against nature into a battle against their own primitive instincts.

Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy - Tess of the D'Urbervilles portrays one of the most striking and tragic heroines of classic literature. The compelling story is, first, a romantic tale of love gone astray. Second, it is an indictment of the British class system revered by some Victorians. And finally, it is an inquiry into what deities or fates control the destinies of humans.

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne - Set in 17th-century Puritan New England, this story of illicit passion, guilt and punishment revolves around the beautiful and mysterious Hester Prynne. She is condemned to wear a scarlet letter as a sign of her adultery, and it has a strange and disturbing effect upon those around her - neighbours, husband, lover and child.

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller - Set in the closing months of World War II in an American bomber squadron off Italy, Catch-22 is the story of a bombardier named Yossarian, who is frantic and furious because thousands of people he hasn't even met keep trying to kill him. Catch-22 is a microcosm of the twentieth-century world as it might look to someone dangerously sane. It is a novel that lives and moves and grows with astonishing power and vitality -- a masterpiece of our time.

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway - By turns romantic and harshly realistic, Hemingway's story of a tragic romance set against the brutality and confusion of World War I cemented his fame as a stylist and as a writer of extraordinary literary power. A volunteer ambulance driver and a beautiful English nurse fall in love when he is wounded on the Italian front.

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway - It is the story of an old Cuban fisherman and his supreme ordeal: a relentless, agonizing battle with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream. Using the simple, powerful language of a fable, Hemingway takes the timeless themes of courage in the face of defeat and personal triumph won from loss and transforms them into a magnificent twentieth-century classic.

The Sun also Rises by Ernest Hemingway - Hemingway's first bestselling novel, the story of a group of Americans and English on a sojourn from Paris to Paloma, evokes in poignant detail, life among the expatriates on Paris's Left Bank during the 1920s and conveys in brutally realistic descriptions the power and danger of bullfighting in Spain.

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton - When it was first published in 1967, "The Outsiders" defied convention with its immediate, deeply sympathetic portrayal of Ponyboy and his struggle to find a place for himself in a difficult world.

The Odyssey by Homer - Homer's best-loved and most accessible poem recounts the arduous wanderings of Odysseus during his ten-year voyage home to Ithaca, after the Trojan War. If the Iliad is the world's greatest war story, then the Odyssey is literature's grandest evocation of everyman's journey through life. Odysseus' reliance on his wit and wiliness for survival in his encounters with divine and natural forces is at once the human story and an individual test of moral endurance.

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo - In this story of the trials of the peasant Jean Valjean -- unjustly imprisoned, baffled by destiny, and hounded by his nemesis, the magnificently realized, ambiguously malevolent police detective Javert -- Victor Hugo achieved the rare imaginative resonance that allows a work of art to transcend its genre. "Les Miserables" is at once a thriller that contains one of the most compelling chase scenes in literature (a pursuit through the sewers of Paris), an epic portrayal of the 19th-century French citizenry, and a vital drama of the redemption of one human being.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley - Community, Identity, Stability" is the motto of Aldous Huxley's utopian World State. Here everyone consumes daily grams of soma, to fight depression, babies are born in laboratories, and the most popular form of entertainment is a "Feelie," a movie that stimulates the senses of sight, hearing, and touch. Though there is no violence and everyone is provided for, Bernard Marx feels something is missing and senses his relationship with a young women has the potential to be much more than the confines of their existence allow. Huxley foreshadowed many of the practices and gadgets we take for granted today--let's hope the sterility and absence of individuality he predicted aren't yet to come.

Washington Square by Henry James - Washington Square follows the coming-of-age of its plain-faced, kindhearted heroine, Catherine Sloper. Much to her father’s vexation, a handsome opportunist named Morris Townsend woos the long-suffering heiress, intent on claiming her fortune. When Catherine stubbornly refuses to call off her engagement, Dr. Sloper forces Catherine to choose between her inheritance and the only man she will ever truly love.

A Separate Peace by John Knowles - The volatile world of male adolescence provides the backdrop for John Knowles' engrossing tale of love, hate, war, and peace. Sharing a room at Devon, an exclusive New England prep school, in the summer prior to World War II, Gene and Phineas form a complex bond of friendship that draws out both the best and worst characteristics of each boy and leads ultimately to violence, a confession, and the betrayal of trust.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - "Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."  A lawyer's advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of Harper Lee's classic novel--a black man charged with the rape of a white girl. Through the young eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores with rich humor and unswerving honesty the irrationality of adult attitudes toward race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s. The conscience of a town steeped in prejudice, violence, and hypocrisy is pricked by the stamina and quiet heroism of one man's struggle for justice--but the weight of history will only tolerate so much.

Call of the Wild by Jack London - Based on London's experiences as a gold prospector in the Canadian wilderness and his ideas about nature and the struggle for existence, The Call of the Wild is a tale about unbreakable spirit and the fight for survival in the frozen Alaskan Klondike.

The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli - Rejecting the traditional values of political theory, Machiavelli drew upon his own experiences of office in the turbulent Florentine republic to write his celebrated treatise on statecraft. While Machiavelli was only one of the many Florentine "prophets of force," he differed from the ruling elite in recognizing the complexity and fluidity of political life.

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez - The novel tells the story of the rise and fall of the mythical town of Macondo through the history of the Buendía family. It is a rich and brilliant chronicle of life and death, and the tragicomedy of humankind. In the noble, ridiculous, beautiful, and tawdry story of the Buendía family, one sees all of humanity, just as in the history, myths, growth, and decay of Macondo, one sees all of Latin America.

Christy by Catherine Marshall - At nineteen, Christy Huddleston left home to teach school in the Smokies -- coming to know and care for the wild mountain people, with their fierce pride, terrible poverty, dark superstitions...and their yearning for beauty and truth. But in these primitive surroundings, Christy's faith would be severely tested by the unique strengths and needs of two remarkable young men -- and challenged by a heart torn between desire...and love.

The Crucible by Arthur Miller - A drama based on the witch trials in Salem Village.

Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller - The tragedy of a typical American--a salesman who at the age of sixty-three is faced with what he cannot face; defeat and disillusionment.

Beloved by Toni Morrison - Set in rural Ohio several years after the Civil War, this profoundly affecting chronicle of slavery and its aftermath is Toni Morrison's greatest novel, a dazzling achievement, and the most spellbinding reading experience of the decade. Tells the story of an escaped slave haunted by the memory of her murdered daughter.

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison - It is the story of eleven-year-old Pecola Breedlove - a black girl in an America whose love for its blond, blue-eyed children can devastate all others - who prays for her eyes to turn blue: so that she will be beautiful, so that people will look at her, so that her world will be different. This is the story of the nightmare at the heart of her yearning and the tragedy of its fulfillment.

Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison - This novel takes readers into a magical and richly peopled world which encompasses four generations of African American life.

Animal Farm by George Orwell - In this controversial classic fairy tale, a farm is taken over by its overworked, mistreated animals. With flaming idealism and stirring slogans, they set out to create a paradise of progress, justice, and equality, setting the stage for one of the most telling satiric fables ever penned.

1984 by George Orwell - Written in 1948, 1984 was George Orwell's chilling prophecy about the future. And while 1984 has come and gone, Orwell's narrative is more timely that ever. 1984 presents a "negative utopia, " that is at once a startling and haunting vision of the world -- so powerful that it is completely convincing from start to finish. No one can deny the power of this novel, its hold on the imaginations of entire generations of readers, or the resiliency of its admonitions -- a legacy that seems to grow, not lessen, with the passage of time.

Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton - Paton's deeply moving story of Zulu pastor Stephen Kumalo and his son Absalom, set against the backdrop of a land and people driven by racial inequality and injustice, remains the most famous and important novel in South Africa's history.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath - Autobiographical novel about a brilliant young woman's search for identity and eventual breakdown.

The Chosen by Chaim Potok - The story of the friendship that develops between two Jewish boys in New York City.

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque - The timeless classic of World War I Germany that speaks to generation after generation.

Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger - Holden, knowing he is to be expelled from school, decides to leave early. He spends three days in New York City and tells the story of what he did and suffered there.

Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott - In the twelfth century, Sir Wilfred of Ivanhoe returns home to England from the Third Crusade to claim his inheritance and the love of the lady Rowena. The heroic adventures of this noble Saxon knight involve him in the struggle between Richard the Lion-Hearted and his malignant brother John: a conflict that brings Ivanhoe into alliance with the mysterious outlaw Robin Hood and his legendary fight for the forces of good.

Oedipus Cycle by Sophocles - Oedipus, the banished king of Greek mythology who killed his father and married his mother, is the subject of Sophocles' Oedipus Trilogy, a series of three tragedies that tell a connected story. Despite their antiquity, these timeless works bring up questions that remain relevant in our society, and their exciting, colorful stories have a universal appeal that still captivates readers.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley - Written by Mary Shelley in response to a challenge when she was only eighteen years old, Frankenstein is a thrilling masterpiece about a man whose hunger to create life drives him to build a monster, and ultimately results in his own ruin. A deeply thoughtful study of the ethical dilemmas that knowledge can bring to humankind, Frankenstein also provides a portrait of modern science in Europe almost two centuries ago.

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair - Upton Sinclair's The Jungle is a vivid portrait of life and death in a turn-of-the-century American meat-packing factory. A grim indictment that led to government regulations of the food industry, The Jungle is Sinclair's extraordinary contribution to literature and social reform.

Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck - Forced from their home, the Joad family is lured to California to find work; instead they find disillusionment, exploitation, and hunger.

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck - While the powerlessness of the laboring class in a recurring theme in this classic work, Steinbeck narrows his focus, creating an intimate portrait of two men facing a world marked by petty tyranny, misunderstanding, jealousy, and callousness--a parable about commitment, loneliness, hope, and loss.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson - Stevenson's famous exploration of humanity's basest capacity for evil, "Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," has become synonymous with the idea of a split personality. More than a morality tale, this dark psychological fantasy is also a product of its time, drawing on contemporary theories of class, evolution, criminality, and secret lives. Also in this volume are "The Body Snatcher," which charts the murky underside of Victorian medical practice, and "Olalla," a tale of vampirism and "the beast within," with a beautiful woman at its center.

Gulliver's Travels by Jonathon Swift - Gulliver sets sail for adventure and finds a country beyond his wildest dreams. He's certainly never met anyone like the people of Lilliput. But then the people of Lilliput have never met anyone quite like Gulliver...

Walden by Henry David Thoreau - Thoreau's "Walden", ostensibly a simple account of a year spent alone in a cabin by a pond in the woods, is one of the most influential and complex books in American literature. After eight years in the writing, the first edition of 1854 was largely ignored, and it was not reprinted until 1862, the year of Thoreau's death. But by 1900 "Walden" was acclaimed by many as a classic, among the finest prose works of the century. It has been increasingly recognized as an important document of social criticism and dissent. It has been seen as a religious testament, with a kinship to oriental mysticism. It has been described as a mythic book, and it has been used as a Freudian key to the mind of its iconoclastic author. Thoreau's words have become increasingly significant in modern times. Anticipating the evils of modern society and the problems of modern man, "Walden"'s meanings seem more relevant every day.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain - Recounts the adventures of a young boy and an escaped slave as they travel down the Mississippi River on a raft.

Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut - Centering on the infamous firebombing of Dresden, Billy Pilgrim's odyssey through time reflects the mythic journey of our own fractured lives as we search for meaning in what we are afraid to know.
 

The Color Purple by Alice Walker - Sisters Nettie and Celie, the former a missionary in Africa, the latter a southern woman trapped in an unhappy marriage, share their thoughts and experiences throughout a thirty-year correspondence.

Ethan Frome by Edith Warton - Ethan Frome, a poor, downtrodden New England farmer is trapped in a loveless marriage to his invalid wife, Zeena. His ambition and intelligence are trodden by Zeena’s cold, conniving character. When Zeena’s young cousin Mattie arrives to help care for her, Ethan is immediately taken by Mattie’s warm, vivacious personality. They fall desperately in love as he realizes how much is missing from his life and marriage. Tragically, their love is doomed by Zeena’s ever-lurking presence and by the social conventions of the day. Ethan remains torn between his sense of obligation and his urge to satisfy his heart’s desire up to the suspenseful and unanticipated conclusion.

Night by Elie Wiesel - A terrifying account of the Nazi death camp horror that turns a young Jewish boy into an agonized witness to the death of his family . . . the death of his innocence . . . and the death of his God. Penetrating and powerful, as personal as "The Diary of Anne Frank, " "Night" awakens the shocking memory of evil at its absolute and carries with it the unforgettable message that this horror must never be allowed to happen again.

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde - A lush, cautionary tale of a life of vileness and deception or a loving portrait of the aesthetic impulse run rampant? Why not both? After Basil Hallward paints a beautiful, young man's portrait, his subject's frivolous wish that the picture change and he remain the same comes true. Dorian Gray's picture grows aged and corrupt while he continues to appear fresh and innocent.

Native Son by Richard Wright - Right from the start, Bigger Thomas had been headed for jail. It could have been for assault or petty larceny; by chance, it was for murder and rape. He was a "nigger" in a white man's world, and his crimes upset the whole of Chicago. He killed his first young victim in an unpremeditated moment of panic--and found himself caught up by forces outside his control and understanding. But at last he felt alive. He felt a sense of freedom and identity in his acts of violence that neither his woman. Bessie, with her whiskey, nor his mother, with her religion, had been able to give him.Set in Chicago in the 1930s, Wright's powerful novel is just as meaningful today as when it was written, both in its unsparing reflection of the poverty and feelings of hopelessness experienced by people in inner cities across the country and in what it means to be black in America. An undisputed classic since it was first published in 1945.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett - Colin lives the life of a spoilt and incurable invalid until the arrival of an orphaned cousin. The two children secretly combine to restore his mother's locked garden and Colin to health and his father's affection

Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas - The classic tale of 19-year-old Edmond Dantes who on his wedding day is framed for a crime he did not commit. While locked away Edmond learns from another prisoner of a secret treasure on the island of Monte Cristo. Edmond concocts a daring plan to escape and find the treasure. Years later, disguised as a wealthy Count, Edmond returns to his native land to find his enemies and make them pay.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne - The classic tale of Captain Nemo and the submarine NAUTILUS. This is the quintessential translation by the internationally renowned Jules Verne scholar, William Butcher. This Oxford Classics edition of TWENTY THOUSAND LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA reports the very first study of Verne's manuscript and is packed with detail on artistic and scientific references.

One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest by Ken Kesey - An inmate of a mental institution tries to find the freedom and independence denied him in the outside world.

 

Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls - A beloved American tale about the friendship between a boy and his two dogs.