High School Level Summer Reading List For Students In Grades 9-12 | Greenwich Library

by Skloot, Rebecca

Book - 2009

Henrietta Lacks was a poor black tobacco farmer whose cells—taken without her knowledge in 1951—became one of the most important tools in medicine, vital ...Show more Henrietta Lacks was a poor black tobacco farmer whose cells—taken without her knowledge in 1951—became one of the most important tools in medicine, vital for developing the polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping, and more. Henrietta's cells have been bought and sold by the billions, yet she remains virtually unknown, and her family can't afford health insurance. This phenomenal New York Times bestseller tells a riveting story of the collision between ethics, race, and medicine; of scientific discovery and faith healing; and of a daughter consumed with questions about the mother she never knew. Hard hitting and powerful. Show less

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This Boy's Life

A Memoir

by Wolff, Tobias

Book - 1999?

Meet the young Toby Wolff, by turns tough and vulnerable, crafty and bumbling, and ultimately winning. . As Toby fights for identity and self-respect agai...Show more Meet the young Toby Wolff, by turns tough and vulnerable, crafty and bumbling, and ultimately winning. . As Toby fights for identity and self-respect against the unrelenting hostility of a new stepfather, his experiences are at once poignant and comical, and Wolff does a masterful job of re-creating the frustrations and cruelties of adolescence. His various schemes - running away to Alaska, forging checks, and stealing cars - lead eventually to an act of outrageous self-invention that releases him into a new world of possibility. basis for a popular 1993 film. Show less

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Manhattan Beach

by Egan, Jennifer

Book - 2017

Compelling novel about a young heroine, Anna, who works at the Brooklyn Navy Yards during WWII and becomes one of the first woman divers, while dealing with her elusive gangster father & other colorful characters. Compelling novel about a young heroine, Anna, who works at the Brooklyn Navy Yards during WWII and becomes one of the first woman divers, while dealing with her elusive gangster father & other colorful characters. Show less

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Code Girls

The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers Who Helped Win World War II

by Mundy, Liza

Book - 2017

This year's Greenwich Reads Pick is a good one, More than ten thousand women were recruited by the U.S. Army and Navy from small towns and elite colleges...Show more This year's Greenwich Reads Pick is a good one, More than ten thousand women were recruited by the U.S. Army and Navy from small towns and elite colleges served as codebreakers during World War II. These women moved to Washington and learned the meticulous work of code-breaking, their efforts helping to shorten the war, saved countless lives, and gave them access to careers previously denied to them. A strict vow of secrecy nearly erased their efforts from history; now, through dazzling research and interviews with surviving code girls, bestselling author Liza Mundy brings to life this riveting and vital story of American courage, service, and scientific accomplishment. BTW the author will be coming to Greenwich Library & GHS on November 7! Show less

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The Underground Railroad

by Whitehead, Colson

Book - 2016

Cora: a young slave on a cotton plantation in Georgia. When a fellow slave convinces her to join him on the Underground Railroad, she seizes the opportuni...Show more Cora: a young slave on a cotton plantation in Georgia. When a fellow slave convinces her to join him on the Underground Railroad, she seizes the opportunity and escapes with him. In Colson Whitehead's ingenious conception, the Underground Railroad is no mere metaphor: engineers and conductors operate a secret network of actual tracks and tunnels beneath the Southern soil. Cora embarks on a harrowing flight from one state to the next, encountering strange yet familiar iterations of her own world at each stop. Whitehead brilliantly re-creates the terrors of the antebellum era, he weaves in the saga of our nation, from the brutal abduction of Africans to the unfulfilled promises of the present day. Riveting from start to finish. Show less

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Notes of A Native Son

by Baldwin, James

Book - 2012

Powerful work written during the 1940s and early 1950s, when Baldwin was only in his twenties, the essays collected in Notes of a Native Son capture a vie...Show more Powerful work written during the 1940s and early 1950s, when Baldwin was only in his twenties, the essays collected in Notes of a Native Son capture a view of black life and black thought at the dawn of the civil rights movement and as the movement slowly gained strength through the words of one of the most captivating essayists and foremost intellectuals of that era. Writing as an artist, activist, and social critic, Baldwin probes the complex condition of being black in America. Also check out similar themed works by Ta-Nehisi Coates , Michael Eric Dyson & Walter Dean Myers. Show less

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Strange the Dreamer

by Taylor, Laini

Book - 2017

First in a new fantasy series, this installment introduces the reader to Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream ...Show more First in a new fantasy series, this installment introduces the reader to Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old he’s been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance or lose his dream forever. If you liked the Hunger Games, this is for you! Show less

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Seveneves

by Stephenson, Neal

Book - 2015

A catastrophic event renders the earth a ticking time bomb. In a feverish race against the inevitable, nations around the globe band together to devise an...Show more A catastrophic event renders the earth a ticking time bomb. In a feverish race against the inevitable, nations around the globe band together to devise an ambitious plan to ensure the survival of humanity far beyond our atmosphere, in outer space. Then, 5000 years later.... Great stuff by the author of Anathem & Cryptonomicon. Show less

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Born A Crime

Stories From A South African Childhood

by Noah, Trevor

Book - 2019

"Daily Show" host & comedian Trevor Noah shares funny yet poignant tales about growing up in South Africa and how, with his mother's help, overcame prejudice and set out on a path of his own making. "Daily Show" host & comedian Trevor Noah shares funny yet poignant tales about growing up in South Africa and how, with his mother's help, overcame prejudice and set out on a path of his own making. Show less

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All the Bright Places

by Niven, Jennifer

Book - 2015

When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natu...Show more When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries. Fans of Gayle Forman, John Green & Rainbow Rowell will enjoy this book. Show less

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The Great Alone

by Hannah, Kristin

Book - 2022

Lenora Allbright is 13 when her father convinces her mother, Cora, to forgo their inauspicious existence in Seattle and move to Kaneq, AK. It's 1974, and ...Show more Lenora Allbright is 13 when her father convinces her mother, Cora, to forgo their inauspicious existence in Seattle and move to Kaneq, AK. It's 1974, and the former Vietnam POW sees a better future away from the noise and nightmares that plague him. Having been left a homestead by a buddy who died in the war, Ernt is secure in his beliefs, but never was a family less prepared for the reality of Alaska, the long, cold winters and isolation. Locals want to help out, especially classmate Matthew Walker, who likes everything about Leni. Yet the harsh conditions bring out the worst in Ernt, whose paranoia takes over their lives and exacerbates what Leni sees as the toxic relationship between her parents. Terrific coming of age story, with a nice historical background. Show less

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Just Mercy

A Story of Justice and Redemption

by Stevenson, Bryan

Book - 2014

Bryan Stevenson was a gifted young attorney when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated to defending the poor, the wrongly c...Show more Bryan Stevenson was a gifted young attorney when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated to defending the poor, the wrongly condemned, and those trapped in the furthest reaches of our criminal justice system. One of his first cases was that of Walter McMillian, a young man sentenced to die for a notorious murder he didn't commit. The case drew Stevenson into a tangle of conspiracy, political machination, and legal brinksmanship - and transformed his understanding of mercy and justice forever. Sobering account on racial injustices within the legal system. Show less

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The History of Jane Doe

by Belanger, Michael

Book - 2018

Fans of John Green will want to check out Michael Belanger’s just published first novel The History of Jane Doe. The novel, set in fictional Burgerville,...Show more Fans of John Green will want to check out Michael Belanger’s just published first novel The History of Jane Doe. The novel, set in fictional Burgerville, Connecticut, revolves around two marginalized high school juniors, history buff Ray Green (who narrates) and his milk drinking vampire fan pal Simon Blackburn, and the changes their lives go through when a new student, named “Jane Doe” by Ray to protect her & her family, enrolls in their school. Jane has a profound effect on both guys, especially Ray, who falls in love with her & vice versa. But, as the story unfolds, there’s a unsettling undercurrent, as Ray’s depiction of events veers back and forth from the past to the present, with the sense that something’s just not right. And though the reader may think they know how everything will end, the book’s climax will still feel like an unexpected punch to the stomach. Compelling read. Show less

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