Glenforest Secondary School

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113 Best Books Lists Recommended by the Teachers of Glenforest

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More Book Lists:
:: Aboriginal Titles: Fiction
:: Asian Heritage Novels
:: Horror Novels
:: Music Novel List

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"Books are the legacies that a great genius leaves to
mankind, which are delivered down from generation to
generation as presents to the posterity of those who are yet unborn"
Joseph Addison

Booklists & Recommendations

Put together here are books lists and recommendations by the school for avid readers. Enjoy!

Why read? Click here to find out: Gotta Keep Reading

BOOK REVIEW

It Could Never Happen To Me
Michelle Richards

We are drawn to books for many reasons: the author, the cover, the content, a recommendation from a friend, a rainy day … and sometimes we miss a good book because no one bothered to tell us about it.

It Could Never Happen to Me is not a book you should miss. Michelle Richards is an up and coming Canadian black woman who published this book when she was only fourteen years old. It was her first novel and one of the proudest moments of her life.

The teacher librarians of Peel had the honour of meeting Ms. Richards last week and we were so impressed, we made sure to bring a copy of each of her books back to the Glenforest Resource Centre for our students to enjoy.

It Could Never Happen to Me is a story about sex, betrayal, trust, growing up, being a young adolescent female in this contemporary world while dealing with shame, confusion, and the consequences of situations that only some of us have experienced but all of us can envision in our own lives. The main character, Keisha Morgan, is a compelling protagonist because she is so believable. Like most young girls, she is beginning to feel passionate and sexual, enjoying the attention of boys while remaining naïve to the magnitude of intimate sexual relationships, especially those that make us a bit uncomfortable. When Keisha has to deal with inappropriate advances from her stepbrother, whom she finds very attractive, the reader feels her dilemma in struggling with right and wrong behaviour. However, we ultimately understand that "no one has the right to take advantage of our bodies; 'no' means 'no', and laws weren't made to be broken" (Introduction, Richards).

This novel is recommended for any high school student who wants to read a realistic novel about sexual activity and abuse among young teens. It Could Never Happen to Me drives home the very message so obvious in its title: it can and will happen to you unless you are prepared and informed about your rights and your choices.

K. Marsh

Teacher Librarian

Atlas Shrugged
Ayn Rand

Called the magnum opus of the great American writer Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged is approximately 645,000 words and one of the longest books written in any European language. The book explores a number of philosophical themes that Rand would subsequently develop into her philosophy of Objectivism. Atlas Shrugged was voted the most influential book in readers' lives after the Bible by Time Magazine in 2008.

The theme of Atlas Shrugged is the role of the mind and the morality of rational self-interest – or in other words, the value of selfishness. The main conflict takes place when the ‘individuals of the mind’, the leaders of society, go on strike, refusing to contribute their inventions, art, business leadership, scientific research, or new ideas of any kind to the rest of the world. The strikers believe that they are crucial to a society that exploits them, sees them as evil for their accomplishments and the wealth they rightfully earn, denys them freedom, and fails to acknowledge their right to self-interest. The gradual collapse of civilization is triggered by their strike, the only cure being the respect of private property and a life of laissez-faire capitalism. As the plot suggests, Atlas is an allusion to the figure from Greek mythology punished by Zeus to bear the weight of the heavens on his shoulders.

Atlas Shurgged is a manifesto of Rand’s unique philosophy, expressed in a variety of topics, including sex, politics, friendship, charity, love, among many others. Ultimately, she argues for absolute liberty and views any form of state intervention as fatally flawed. Instead, she advocates independence and individual achievement bound by a ‘rational’ moral code.

The profound and unique ideas of Rand’s philosophy is oftentimes contrary to the conventional doctrine of the day, e.g. her views on selfishness (or rather, rational self-interest) and sex, but she exemplifies her philosophy well through the actions of her characters and the intriguing plot. Filled with passages that make you think, this is not a book to miss.

Name: Margaret Jiang
Date: June 4, 2008

Gryphon's Black Studies Pick

F I C T I O N

Bell, William. Zack. Toronto : Seal Books, 2001

Clarke, Austin. The Polished Hoe. Toronto: Thomas Allen Publishers, 2003.

Curtis, Christopher Paul. Bucking the Sarge. New York : Wendy Lamb Books, c2004

Curtis, Christopher Paul. Bud, not Buddy. New York : Scholastic, 1999.

Davis, Ossie. Just like Martin. New York : Puffin, 1995.

Dickey, Eric Jerome. Milk in my Coffee. New York, NY. : Dutton, c1998.

Dinsdale, Christopher. Stolen Away. Toronto : Napoleon Pub., c2006

Draper, Sharon. Romiette and Julio. 1^st Aladdin Paperbacks ed. New York : Aladdin Paperbacks, 2001, c1999.

Ellison, Ralph. The Invisible Man . 2^nd Vintage International ed. New York: Vintage International , 1995.

Flake, Sharon. Bang. New York : Jump at the Sun / Hyperion Books for Children, 2007, c2005.

Gaines, Ernest. A Lesson Before Dying. New York : Vintage Books, c1993.

Grimes, Nikki. Dark Sons. New York : Jump at the Sun ; London :Turnaround [distributor], 2007.

Jones, Edward P. The Known World. 1^st Amistad pbk. Ed. New York : Amistad, 2004, c2003.

Haley, Alex. Roots New York : Dell, 1977, c 1976.

Hill, Lawrence. The Book of Negroes. Toronto : HarperCollins, c2007.

Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eye Were Watching God : A Novel. 1^st Perennial Classics ed. New York : Perennial Classics, 1999.

Kidd, Sue Monk. The Secret Life of Bees. Harmondsworth, England : Penguin Group, c2002.

Langan, Paul. Payback. New York : Scholastic, 2007

Lasky, Kathryn. True North: A Novel of the Underground Railroad. New York : Scholastic, c1996.

Levy, Andrea. Small Island. London : Review, c2004.

McGill, Alice. Miles' Song . New York : Scholastic, 2002, c2000.

Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye. New York ; Toronto : Plime Book, [1994], c 1970.

Myers, Walter Dean. The Beast. New York : Scholastic, 2005.

Myers, Walter Dean. Crystal. New York : HarperTrophy, 2001, c1987.

Myers, Walter Dean and drawings by Matthew Bandsuch. Handbook for Boys : A Novel 1^st Harper Trophy ed. New York : HarperTrophy,2003.

Nicholson, William. Slaves of the Mastery. London : Mammoth, 2001.

Schwartz, Virginia Frances. If I Just Had Two Wings. Toronto : Stoddart Kids, 2001.

Silvera, Makeda. The Heart Does Not Bend : A Novel. Toronto : Vintage Canada, 2003

Walker, Alice. Meridian. 1^st Harvest ed. Orlando : Harcourt, 2003.

Woods, Brenda. Emako Blue. New York : Speak, 2005, c2004.

Woodson, Jacqueline. Hush. New York : Speak, 2006.

Woodson, Jacqueline. I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This. New York : Penguin, 2006.

A R T H I S T O R Y

Patton, Sharon F. African-American art. Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, c1998.

B I O G R A P H Y

Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Birds Sings. New York, NY. Random House, 1970, c1969.

Benjamin, Anne and Mary Benson. Part of my Soul / Winnie Mandela. Rev. ed.

Harmondsworth, England : Penguin, 1985.

Carson, Ben with Cecil Murphey. Gifted Hands : The Ben Carson story. Grand Rapids, MI : Zondervan, 1991, c1990.

Brown, Laaren. Nelson Mandela. 1^st American ed. New York : DK Pub., 2006.

Davis, Sampson, George Jenkins and Rameck Hunt. The Pact: Three Young Men Make a Promise and Fulfill a Dream. New York : Riverhead Books, 2003.

Duplacey, James. Muhammad Ali. Toronto : Warwick, c1999.

Gogerly, Liz. Nelson Mandela. Chicago, Ill : Heinemann Library, c2003.

Hill, Lawrence. Black Berry, Sweet Juice: on Being Black and White in Canada. Toronto: HarperFlamingoCanada, c2001.

Koopmans, Andy. Nelson Mandela. San Diego : Lucent Books, c2004.

Mandela, Nelson. Long Walk to Freedom : The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela. Boston ; Toronto : Little, Brown, c1994.

Rummel, Jack. Muhammad Ali, Heavyweight Champion. Legacy ed. Philadelphia : Chelsea House, c2005.

Schulke, Flip and Penelope McPhee and foreword by Jesse Jackson. King Remembered. New York : Pocket Books, c1986.

White, Timothy. Catch a Fire : The Life of Bob Marley. Rev.and enl. New York : H. Holt, 1998.

World Book Inc. Martin Luther King Jr.: with Profiles of Mohandas K. Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. Chicago : World Book, Inc, 2007.

X, Malcolm with the assistance of Alex Haley. The Autobiography of Malcolm X. New York : Ballantine Books, 1973, c1965.

C I V I L R I G H T S

Anderson, Michael. The Civil Rights Movement. Chicago : Heinemann Library, c2004.

Hawkins, Hugh. Booker T. Washington and his critics; the problem of Negro Leadership. Boston : Heath, 1962.

Journey to Little Rock [videorecording]. CAN : Journey to Little Rock Prod : Filmwest Associates, 2002.

Ritchie, Nigel. The Civil Rights Movement. Hauppauge, NY : Barron's, c2002.

X, Malcolm. Malcolm X Talks to Young People : Speeches in the United States, Britain and Africa. 2^nd ed. New York : Pathfinder, 2002.

[Compiled by] Henry Hampton and Steve Fayer with Sarah Flynn. Voices of Freedom : an Oral History of the Civil Rights Movement from the 1950s through the 1980s.

New York, NY : Bantam Books, c 1990.

A P A R T H E I D

Mathabane, Mark. Kaffir Boy : The Story of a Black Youth's coming of age in Apartheid South Africa. 1^st Touchstone ed. New York : Simon & Schuster, 1998

Magubane, Peter. Women of South Africa : Their Fight for Freedom. 1^st ed. Boston : Little Brown, c1993.

Pratt, Paula, Bryant. The End of Apartheid in South Africa. San Diego, CA : Lucent Books, c1995.

Rissik, Dee. Women in Society. South Africa. New York : M. Cavendish, c1993.

R A C E R E L A T I O N S

Driedger, Leo and Shiva S. Halli. Race and Racism : Canada's Challenge. Montreal ; Kingston, ON : McGill / Queen's University Press, c2000.

Du Bois, W.E.B (William Edward Burghardt). W.E.B Du Bois speaks : Speeches and Addresses. New York : Pathfinder Press, 1970.

Hawkins, Hugh. Booker T. Washington and his critics ; The Problem of Negro Leadership. Boston, Heath, 1962.

Hooks, Bell. Outlaw Culture : Resisting Representations. New York : Routledge, 1994.

Johnson, Walter. The Challenge of Diversity. Montreal : Black Rose Books, 2005.

Krishna, Lalita and Daniel Igali. Building Cultural Connections : Little Hands Across the World. Peel District School Board, 2003.

Winters, Paul, A. Race Relations : Opposing Viewpoints. San Diego, CA : Greenhaven Press, c1996.

I N T E R R A C I A L D A T I N G

McBride, James. The Color of Water. A Black Man's Tribute to his White Mother. New York : Riverhead Books, 1996.

Nash, Renea D. Coping with Interracial Dating. New York : Rosen, 1993.

A F R I C A

Abercrombie, Thomas, J. …et al. Ancient Egypt, Discovering It's Splendors. 1^st ed. Washington : National Geographic Society, 1978.

Africa before the Europeans 100 – 1500 [videorecording]. BR: Goldcrest Films and Videos : Omega Films Ltd, 1989.

Bodnarchuk. Rwanda : A Country Torn Apart. Minneapolis : Lerner Publications, c2000.

Commission for Africa. Our Common Interest : An Argument / Commission for Africa. London : Penguin, 2005

Dallaire, Romeo A. Shake Hands with the Devil : The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda

Vintage Canada ed. Toronto : Vintage Canada, 2004.

Davidson, Basil. African Kingdoms. New York : Time, Inc, 1966.

Fisanick, Christina. The Rwanda Genocide. San Diego : Greenhaven Press, c2004.

Griffiths, Leuan . The Crisis in South Africa. Hove : Wayland, c1987.

Ilona, Remy with contributions from Ehav Eliyah. The Iglos [Volume 1], Jews in Africa? Research Finding, Historical Links, Commentaries, Narratives. 2^nd ed. Abuja, Nigeria : Mega Press, c2004.

Lewis, Stephen. Race Against Time. Toronto : House of Anansi Press, 2005.

North, James. Freedom Rising. New York : Macmillan Pub. Co., c1985.

Newton, Alex. West Africa : A lonely Planet Travel Survival Kit. Lonely Planet, c 1995.

Njuguna, Paul, Kihiu. Milele Africa : Memories of my Grandmother's World of the Spirit. Toronto : East End Books, 2002.

Stassen, Jean – Philippe. Deogratis, a tale of Rwanda. 1^st American ed. New York : First Second, 2006.

Uganda Rising [DVD]. Mindset Media, 2006.

Ungar, Sanford J. Africa : The People and Politics of an Emerging Continent. Rev. and Updated ed. New York : Simon and Schuster, c1986.

U N D E R G R O U N D R A I L R O A D

Blockson, Charles. The Underground Railroad. 1^st ed. New York, NY : Prentice-Hall Press, c1987.

Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad [videorecording]. AMER : CBS International Tele-Film, 1971.

Kallan, Stuart, A. Life on the Underground Railroad. San Diego, CA : Lucent Books, c2000.

A F R I C A N - C A N A D I A N S

Alexander, Ken. Towards Freedom : The African –Canadian Experience. Toronto : Umbrella Press, c1996.

Carter, Velma. The Black Canadians: Their History and Contributions. Rev. ed. Edmonton : Reidmore, 1993.

Mensah, Joseph, Black Canadians : History, Experiences, Social Conditions. Halifax, NS : Fernwood Pub., c2002.

Winks, Robin. The Blacks in Canada : A History. 2^nd ed. Montreal ; Buffalo : McGill-Queen's University Press, c1997.

A F R I C A N L I T E R A T U R E

African Literature in the 20^th Century : A Guide. New York : Ungar Pub. Co., c1986.

Arnott, Kathleen. African Myths and Legends. England : Oxford University Press, 1989.

Baird, Vanessa. Eye to Eye : Women. Toronto : Second Story Press, 1997.

Copage, Eric V. Black Pearls Book of Love : Romantic Meditations and Inspirations for African Americans. New York : Quill, c1996.

Courlander, Harold. A Treasury of African Folklore : The Oral Literature, Traditions, Myths, Legends, Epic Tales, Recollections, Wisdom, Saying and Humor of Africa. New York : Crown Publishers, c1975.

Silvera, Makeda. The Other Woman : Women of Colour in Canadian Literature. Toronto : Sister Vision, 1993

Sullivan, Charles .Children of Promise : African-American Literature and Art for Young People. New York : Harry N. Abrams, 1991.

Offer the best. Expect the best. To be the best.

BOOK REVIEW

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