Starting in 2017, Central Catholic High School adopted an All-School Summer Reading List. Rather than dictating a specific book to each grade-level, each year a theme is chosen and list of title choices is created.
There are two main reasons why:
The 2019 list consists of 5 anthologies of short writing (short-stories, essays, memoirs) and one novel. All of them have been chosen as books that can be "Windows" into the cultures and perspectives represented within the books, as well as being springboards to discuss school-wide character values.
We will be upfront about it: some of the best written, most thematically appropriate, literature can contain words and ideas that could make some readers uncomfortable. At the same time, the books chosen are all examples of "Own Voices" writing - the authors come from the communities they are writing about - and are authentic expressions. To that end, we have done our best to identify cases where a book may have strong language, or discuss mature themes that might be a barrier to some readers' enjoyment of the book. You can find that information on the individual pages for each book on this site. Take some time in making your choice; we have taken time to make sure there are options for many different kinds of readers on the list.
Note to Parents, Guardians, and other Responsible Adult Caretakers
As much as we would like our students to “own” their choice, there may be selections on the reading list that you would prefer your student not choose to read. As a responsible caretaker you have the right to be involved in your student’s selections, and we absolutely respect that right. We worked hard to create a list that should have something to meet every reader’s needs, and our goal is not to force challenging reading, but to foster discussion on the theme and keep students engaged in reading over the summer.
“You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.”
—Ray Bradbury, The Seattle Times