Required Reading Lists

Our Required Reading Lists Collection features poems, fiction, short stories, and other texts frequently studied in academic contexts. With texts spanning from the ancients, such as Plato, through contemporary literary giants, this well-rounded Collection represents the breadth and enduring appeal of literature and its study.

Johnny Tremain

by Esther Forbes

Publication year 1943

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Safety & Danger, Loyalty & Betrayal, Justice, War, Politics & Government, Self Discovery, Coming of Age, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage

Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Action & Adventure, American Revolution, Education, Education, Military & War, World History, Classic Fiction

Originally published in 1943, Esther Forbes’s Johnny Tremain is a classic middle-grade historical fiction/adventure novel. After a prideful accident ends 14-year-old Johnny Tremain’s promising career as a silversmith, his search for a new trade leads to his direct involvement in the early events of the American Revolution. The novel won a Newbery Medal and explores themes of self-sacrifice, humility, and change. Citations in this study guide refer to the 2018 eBook edition released by Houghton... Read Johnny Tremain Summary

Jude the Obscure

by Thomas Hardy

Publication year 1895

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Marriage, Social Class, Education, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Victorian Period, Classic Fiction, Social Class, Historical Fiction, Romance, British Literature, World History, Victorian Era

English author Thomas Hardy published his final novel, Jude the Obscure, in 1895. Critics deemed it “immoral” and “indecent,” and it became a target of book burnings because of its critique of marriage, religion, education, and class structure. The narrative follows the tragic journey of Jude Fawley, a working-class man striving for education and love, whose aspirations are consistently thwarted by societal barriers, personal setbacks, and internal struggles.This guide refers to the e-book version of... Read Jude the Obscure Summary

Kitchen Confidential

by Anthony Bourdain

Publication year 2000

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Nostalgia, Mental Health, Food, Teamwork

Tags Food, Arts & Culture, Humor

Kitchen Confidential is a nonfiction work by chef, author, and travel television host Anthony Bourdain, based on his 1999 essay, “Don’t Eat Before Reading This,” published in The New Yorker. In part a memoir of Bourdain’s years in the restaurant industry, it is also a candid exposé of New York City’s restaurant scene in the 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s. Bourdain takes his readers on a wild ride through his career journey while providing a realistic... Read Kitchen Confidential Summary

Lady Chatterley's Lover

by D. H. Lawrence

Publication year 1928

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Marriage, Love, Sexual Identity, Femininity

Tags Classic Fiction, Romance, Love & Sexuality, British Literature, Modernism, World History, Historical Fiction

Lady Chatterley’s Lover is a Modernist novel by the English writer D. H. Lawrence. It was written between 1926 and 1928, while Lawrence was living in Italy, and first published privately in 1928. Since it was considered scandalous and obscene, the novel was not widely available in America or the United Kingdom until the 1960s. The novel was controversial because of its explicit sexual content, as well as its depiction of an adulterous affair between... Read Lady Chatterley's Lover Summary

Letters to a Young Poet

by Rainer Maria Rilke

Publication year 1929

Genre Collection of Letters, Nonfiction

Themes Art, Literature, Beauty, Language

Tags Inspirational, Arts & Culture, Education, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

Letters to a Young Poet is a collection of 10 letters written by the Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke to Franz Xaver Kappus, from February 1903 to December 1908. In an introduction to the book, Kappus describes how he came to begin his correspondence with Rilke. At the time, Kappus was a 19-year-old student at an Austrian military school. Though Kappus was set to become a military officer, he held aspirations of instead becoming a... Read Letters to a Young Poet Summary

Living a Feminist Life

by Sara Ahmed

Publication year 2017

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Femininity, Sexual Identity, Power & Greed, Justice, Gender Identity, Race, Equality

Tags Philosophy, Gender & Feminism, Politics & Government, Women`s Studies, Social Justice, Education, Education, LGBTQ+, Philosophy

... Read Living a Feminist Life Summary

Living Downstream

by Sandra Steingraber

Publication year 1997

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Environment, Animals, Food, Place, Politics & Government, Economics, Education, War, Nation

Tags Science & Nature, Health, Politics & Government, Social Justice, Education, Education, Gender & Feminism

... Read Living Downstream Summary

Longitude

by Dava Sobel

Publication year 2005

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Truth & Lies, Science & Technology

Tags Science & Nature, Education, World History, Travel Literature, Biography

Dava Sobel’s best-selling book Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time tells the story of the 18th-century contest to find a precise way to locate a ship at sea, the clockmaker who built the first timepiece that could do so, and his battle with the astronomers whose alternate method competed for the winning prize. Replete with sea disasters, brilliant scientists, and scheming politicians, Longitude won... Read Longitude Summary

Lovely War

by Julie Berry

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Race, Mental Health, War, Beauty, Music

Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, Mythology, Civil Rights & Jim Crow South, Grief & Death, World History, Love & Sexuality, Military & War, Music, Race & Racism, Trauma & Abuse, World War I, World War II, Fantasy

... Read Lovely War Summary