Recommended Reading
Here are some books that both students and parents may enjoy. 
Many are personal favorites of mine. The books are listed alphabetically by the author's last name. Pictured at right is James Baldwin, one of my favorite authors (I recommend the short story "Sonny's Blues" by him):
It's Not About The Bike, Lance Armstrong - Whether you are a cycling fan or not, you will probably like this book. Armstrong's comeback from cancer, which nearly took his life, is even more remarkable than his Tour de France domination. In this autobiography (co-written with Washington Post columnist Sally Jenkins), Armstrong spends as much time talking about his time in chemotherapy and hospital wards as he does recounting his cycling events, and that is what made this book a winner for me. While I felt that Armstrong's voice in the book came across as arrogant at times, it was hard not to admire him for his courage and perseverance.
Friday Night Lights, H.G. Bissinger--This book became a best-seller when it came out in the mid-1990s. It chronicles a Texas high school football team (and town) for an entire year. More than a sports book, Friday Night Lights is about small town living, class issues, racism, and growing up. Ron June '98 recommended the book to me. After I read it (and enjoyed it), I passed it on to Mike Gulland '97 and Will Rawson '01, who both seemed to enjoy it. It's a captivating book, whether you're a football fan or not. Bissinger is a journalist and he knows how to hook us. In fact, Bissinger's writing is so vivid and candid that he received death threats from people in Odessa, Texas, the town featured in the book, after Friday Night Lights came out.
My Losing Season, Pat Conroy - I had known Conroy only as the author of favorite books of mine like The Lords of Discipline , The Water is Wide , The Great Santini and The Prince of Tides , all of which I recommend. Until I read reviews of My Losing Season, I had no idea that Conrad was also a skilled basketball player in his day, good enough to play point guard at the Division I level for The Citadel. I picked up the book and couldn't put it down. My Losing Season chronicles Conroy's senior year, when he played for a tyrannical coach and suffered through a challenging season. The story is not all gloom and doom, as it is told with Conroy's typical humor. Anyone who has been a part of a team--losing or not--will enjoy this book.
A Lesson Before Dying , Ernest Gaines - Ernest Gaines holds a special place in my heart because I found him to be a genial, compassionate man during his visit to STA a few years ago. Even if he were a grumpy person, I think I would like this novel. The narrator, Grant Wiggins, has to give a "lesson" to a man on death row before he's executed. That's all I'll say about the book--I don't want to give anything away. Gaines said he writes every book out by hand; with all of the drafts and revisions, it takes him about 7 years to finish a book, he said. That alone is reason enough to pick up A Lesson Before Dying .
The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton - I had heard of this book ever since I was in high school, when the movie came out. "The Outsiders" featured an all-star cast of then unknowns, like Tom Cruise, C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Emilio Estevez (I think) and a few other notables. I never saw the movie, but my wife tells me it was good. Anyway, I picked up the book for a dollar at a second-hand book store in the fall of 2001 and read it over Thanksgiving Break. I loved it. It's short--around 100 pages--with an action-packed plot. High schoolers can relate to the themes of friendship, fitting in, duty vs. freedom and familial conflict. The narrator, PonyBoy Curtis, is likable and real. Even better is the story behind the book: S.E. Hinton wrote the book when she was 17, for a high school assignment! She used her initials and not her real name, Susan, to disguise her gender in hopes that the book would catch on and sell. While The Outsiders is often taught in middle schools, I highly recommend it to all high schoolers.
High Fidelity and About A Boy, Nick Hornby - High Fidelity may ring a bell because it was turned into a recent movie with John Cusack. I still like the book much better than the movie. STA's Jamie Fisher '01 suggested I read About A Boy and let me borrow his copy. I liked it even more than High Fidelity. Both books are hilarious, and also filled with poignancy. Music lovers in particular will love High Fidelity. Parents may want to take a look at Hornby's How To Be Good , which is just as good as the others and will appeal more to adults than their progeny.
On The Road, Jack Kerouac--I admit that this book is not for everyone, but I love it. Kerouac's 1957 classic celebrates America, freedom, and the search for "kicks." I became so enamored of On The Road after first reading it that I wrote my graduate thesis on Kerouac. This is one of the few books that I can read over and over. Kerouac has been portrayed by some as a one-dimensional, hedonistic figure. True, my man liked to have a good time, but he also was capable of feeling--and expressing--a wide range of emotions. This book is full of both humor and pathos. It has it all.
Voices in the Mirror, Gordon Parks-- A friend gave me this book before moving to Armenia in 1991. Four years elapsed before I picked it up; when I did, I was blown away. I had heard of Gordon Parks before, but I had no idea his accomplishments and life experiences were so incredible. Parks--who is still alive--has been a photographer, author, actor, musician, Civil Rights Activist, and world leader. Even more remarkable is that many of his biggest achievements occurred during segregation and shortly thereafter. This book is Parks's moving and honest memoir, which I found incredibly engrossing. I am thankful to my friend Dan for giving it to me.
The Chosen, Chaim Potok - I harbored prejudices against this book before reading it because I thought it was going to be too "dense" and I couldn't pronounce the author's name. Also, STA 9th graders complained when they had to read the book in Bible class. Foolishly, I waited until I was 33 years old to read The Chosen ; now, I would place it in my Top Ten All-Time Literary Parthenon. What is The Chosen about? It's about religion, friendship, father-son relationships, growing up, high school, love, dreams...quite simply, it's a great book, beautifully written.
The Harry Potter Series, J. K. Rowling -- So far I have read The Sorcerer's Stone and The Chamber of Secrets and I am not ashamed to say that I enjoyed both of them. Read The Sorcerer's Stone first, as it begins the series and is the more delightful book. Read these books and you will quickly learn what all of the fuss is about (or, perhaps you will hate Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling, and become terribly misanthropic. How sad). I was surprised not only that I liked the Harry Potter books, but how much I liked them.
Night, The Dawn, and Accident, Elie Wiesel--All three of these books by the Holocaust survivor Wiesel are outstanding. Night is Wiesel's first-person account of surviving the concentration camps; the other two books are fiction. I sat with Wiesel at a dinner in the late 1980's and found him to be as sensitive, brilliant, and compassionate as his books. Wiesel, currently teaching at Boston University and writing prodigiously, is a national treasure whose life experiences--and, above all, whose writing--merit our attention.