2012 Summer Reading Guide - Hopkins School

Peet, Mal Tamar: A Novel of Espionage, Passion, and Betrayal
Tamar: A Novel of Espionage, Passion, and Betrayal is the captivating depiction of a 15-year-old girl,
Tamar, deciphering the contents of a box she inherited from Grandfather. The story switches
between 1944 Nazi occupied Holland, and the present as Tamar decodes a series of clues and coded
messages her Grandfather left her. As Tamar unravels her Grandfather’s mysterious past, she finds
that his story is a complex one of passionate love, jealousy, and tragedy set against the daily horrors
of World War II.
Perrotta, Tom The Abstinence Teacher
An honest, balanced look at today’s culture wars, this story centers on a fundamentalist Christian
group’s attempt to influence school curriculum. Spare, realistic prose and a parade of resonant
characters.
Pessl, Marisha Special Topics in Calamity Physics
Widely acclaimed, this dazzling novel chronicles the adventures, at turns rollicking and deadly, of the
brilliant and beautiful sixteen year-old Blue Van Meer.
Plath, Sylvia The Bell Jar
In this novel, the now famous poet tells her own story of the suffocations of sexism, provincialism,
and mental illness that imperiled her growth and talent.
Potok, Chaim My Name Is Asher Lev
Born into an Orthodox Jewish family, Asher Lev is confronted by his intense feelings for the creative
arts and the disapproving elders who try to discourage his interest.
Puzo, Mario The Godfather
The sinister and compelling saga of the Corleone family, which rose from immigrant poverty to
dynastic power as gangsters corrupt in might, money, and arrogance.
Pynchon, Thomas The Crying of Lot 49
Funny, ironic, sexual, and bizarre, this short but dense novel is the best introduction to Pynchon’s
work.
Quindlen, Anna Object Lessons
Young Maggie finds truth and love while learning that her family isn't what she thought it was.
Rand, Ayn The Fountainhead
A long, yet worthwhile, novel about a young, brilliant architect who refuses to lower his ideals for the
masses. Discover Rand’s unique philosophy through one of the most influential books ever written.
Raucher, Herman The Summer of '42
Hermie, Oscy, and Benji, all aged fifteen, innocent and foul-mouthed, obsessed with sex but too
young for it, spend a restless and confusing summer in this alternately moving and funny story.
Rich, Simon Elliot Allagash
Seymour Herson is lonely and ostracized when he meets the wealthy Elliot Allagash while both
attend private school. Elliot decides to reverse Seymour's social isolation through Machiavellian
schemes and callous plots. Seymour’s portentous misgivings are eventually justified.
Robinson, Marilynne Gilead
The winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, this beautiful novel presents the spiritual struggles
and elegiac reflections of the dying Reverend John Ames.
Roth, Henry Call It Sleep
A brutally accurate account of Lower East Side slum life seen through the eyes of a Jewish boy.
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