I read both Allende and Garcia Marquez when I was in high school and liked them both, but Garcia Marquez made much more of an impression on me. I didn't understand it all, of course (still don't!), but at the very least he's got a terrific sense of humor and I think kids relate to that.

I also had a teacher who was big into Raymond Carver so we read a lot of his short stories and I think they were great for High Schoolers because they're so tied to actual real life.

Oh Carver is perfect for the Fractured American Dream theme.

"The Wire," But I'm guessing you a. want your job still. and b. don't really buy the "visual novel" meme. So I'll pretend I can close "The Wire likes carrots," tag.

I should audit PixKristin's course, I haven't read any of those books (unless Handmaid's Tale makes it in).

I loved 100 Years of Solitude and hated Love in the Time of Cholera. I probably didn't really understand them, but they didn't beat me over the head with my lack of understanding the way some books do.

I've started Love in the Time of Cholera twice but I haven't gotten very far. I think I should take a cue from the person who left her paper in Poisonwood and keep notes on all the characters next time I dive in.

Laga, I'd love to check out those notes! I always find taking a peek into someone else's close reading fascinating.

they're very short. Just the main characters' names and a few words about each of them.

Thank you again to everyone for your help this afternoon. I kept tweaking as I thought about the year, and this is final final list. And -t, I know you were probably kidding, but I'd be happy to tell you all what we're reading when in case you or anyone else would like to talk about the books here.

Debetesse gave me a great idea for a graphic novel to add, too.

Angels in America, Tony Kushner: ISBN 1559362316
Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller: ISBN 0141180978
The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison: ISBN 0452282195
The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood: ISBN 038549081X
Across A Hundred Mountains, Reyna Grande: ISBN 0743269586
Best American Travel Writing of 2006, Ed. Tim Cahill: ISBN 0618582150
American Born Chinese, Gene Luen Yang: ISBN 1596431520

I reluctantly removed Gilman's Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress (I think it's going to be a summer reading book if I teach this class again the year after next, as will Butler's Kindred) once I thought through the scope of the year.

That gives them a mix of novels, plays, fiction, and non-fiction and yet all connects to identity in America. LIke I said earlier, I'm still going to show them a movie version of Hamlet and plan to show them the whole darned series of Slings & Arrows over the course of the year, so they won't be Shakespeare-deprived.

Should be a very fun course to teach. I'm really looking forward to it.

Damn, I got here too late! I taught In the Time of the Butterflies this year, and really liked it as a teaching novel.

I also ordered THT to teach to my senior class but (a)we ran out of time/I got sick and (b) I re-read it for the first time in many years (I love Atwood, but I generally re-read Cat's Eye, The Robber Bride) and I was all fuck, the language in this is much more difficult than I remember. Granted, my students were mostly ELL/ESL.

It's funny that you mentioned Atwood though. One of the teaching positions I am applying for is a quite good all-girl's Catholic school, and I was just thinking how interesting it would be to teach Cat's Eye to a upper-level class.

Heh, I'm having a imaginary reading list for a Damn,ItCanSuckToBeATeenageGirl class in my head:

Cat's Eye
Girl, Interrupted
The Bell Jar
Buffy seasons 1 and 2, with selected highlights from 3-7
How the Garcia Girls Lost THeir Accents
short story "Boobs" by Suzy McKee Charnas

hmmm...this is before my morning cuppa....what else?!

what else?!

Little Women. And I'm not joking.