SWS Summer Reading
SWS has a long history of students coming back to school the day before school starts to discuss our Summer Reading and to share our written work with one another. This will happen on the first day of school, Sept 3 when freshmen come on time and the rest of the school comes a little later. You will meet in SWS at 8 a.m.
Part 1. Student Writing
We would like you to start off by reading some SWS student writing. There are five Senior Finales (the final reflection that students write about SWS before graduating) and one piece from each of the twelve SWS English courses from this past year.
Part II. Book Club
The students on our illustrious Summer Reading committee have put together a list of recent favorite books. You are going to listen to the students discuss why they chose each book and then you are going to read that book this summer. While you read, you should prepare for a discussion with your peers: take active notes and write seven-to-ten open-ended discussion questions to help make that a great conversation.
Part III. Common Book
For part three, all of SWS is going to read a single book. After much debate, we have decided on Ross Gay’s The Book of Delights, a book of essays that meditates on daily delights over the course of a year. Read the book, then spend a week emulating Ross Gay’s writing. Write one “delight entry” (a meditation on one moment that delighted you) each day that week. Shoot for around ~250-300 words for each delight. You will be sharing three of those entries at that same meeting the day before school starts. This will also be the first paper your SWS English teacher will read and grade.
Part I. Student Work
We would like you to start off by reading some SWS student writing. There are five Senior Finales (the final reflection that students write about SWS before graduating) and one piece from each of the twelve SWS English courses from this past year.
You can see the Finales here.
You can see the papers from Zac’s classes, here.
You can see the papers from Keira’s classes, here.
You can see the papers from Ben’s classes, here.
Part II. Book Club
The students on our illustrious Summer Reading committee have put together a list of recent favorite books. You should check out the books below and decide which one you'd like to read. While you read, you should prepare for a discussion with your peers: take active notes and write seven-to-ten open-ended discussion questions to help make that a great conversation. When we return in the fall, you'll participate in a student led discussion about your book. Please Note: SWS teachers have NOT read all of the texts on the list - please check out reviews and speak with your classmates about content warnings, if you're concerned!
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Ezra: Victim by Andrew Boryga
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Tal: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo By Taylor Jenkins Reid
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Charlotte: Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel
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Annie: The Maidens by Alex Michaelides
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Noah: Awake in the River and Shedding Silence by Janice Mirikitani
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Kerisa: They Both Die in the End by Adam Silvera
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Blake: The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Greene
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Golda: Babel or the Necessity of Violence by R.F. Kuang
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Hannah: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
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Hallie: The Glass Castle by Jeanettee Walls
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Selam: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Part III. Common Book
For part three, all of SWS is going to read a single book. After much debate, we have decided on Ross Gay’s The Book of Delights, a book of essays that meditates on daily delights over the course of a year. Read the book, then spend a week emulating Ross Gay’s writing. Write one “delight entry” (a meditation on one moment that delighted you) each day that week. Shoot for around ~250-300 words for each delight. You will be sharing three of those entries at that same meeting the day before school starts. This will also be the first paper your SWS English teacher will read and grade.
Here are some ways to access The Book of Delights. You can buy it on Amazon or at Brookline Booksmith. You can get it from the minuteman library. They can have copies sent from other libraries. There are 60 copies in the Minuteman Library system. For this, you would need to get a library card. It’s so simple and free and it will give you access to books, music, movies, sewing gear, all the treasures of a public library.
We are so excited to hear your many thoughts when we return in the fall. Please feel free to reach out to anyone on Summer Reading Committee or any of the English teachers with any questions or concerns.
