Summer Reading Assignment 2007 During the holidays I would like you to read several books in English. You can read fiction or non-fiction. One of the most enjoyable ways for Program A students to improve their English is to read lots and lots (at least one a week) of books written for second language learners. You can find these in most bookshops that sell English language books (even Loft in Omiya has them!) and you can usually find them in the English Language Teaching (ELT) section. They are known as ‘graded readers’ and all the major book companies publish them. What is a graded reader? A graded reader is a book for second language students (such as you). They vary from very easy (much too easy for you) to challenging. There are basically two types of graded reader: 1) A ‘classic’ work of literature has been re-written to make it easier for second language readers. Be very careful about choosing these. 2) Original stories written especially for second language learners – I strongly recommend these.

How to choose a book Go to a bookshop and have a look at the range of books on offer. Choose something that looks a little easy – read one or two pages. If it is too difficult, try another book. The aim is to enjoy reading in English, so choose a book that is just below your level. That way, you can read quickly and enjoy the story. Remember that short books are not always ‘easy’, and long books are not always ‘difficult’. You may choose to read a mix of graded readers and non-graded readers. If you really prefer, you can, of course, choose to read a book which is not a graded reader. If so, you may find this list of recommended books useful: http://subsite.icu.ac.jp/elp/booklist.html Keep in touch with your section-mates over the summer and get their advice about what they are reading. Are there any books that they have really enjoyed and would recommend? You could also swap books with each other – even if you have to send them in the post, it’s probably cheaper than buying them. After the holidays In the first week of the Autumn term, I would like you to give a short presentation to three classmates about two of the books that you have read. You should prepare brief note-cards and practice speaking about your books. Say why you chose the book. Briefly explain what type of book it is (fiction, horror, etc). Tell your group about your book. If it is a work of fiction, describe the main characters and explain what the story is about. If it is non fiction, teach your friends something you think they would like to know about too. VERY IMPORTANT: Bring the books with you to show your section mates.

ARW Summer Reading List: Recommendations Only (Not incl. graded readers)

The following list is an attempt to give you some direction as you search for a book or books to read during the summer. It includes fiction and non-fiction and covers a wide range of subject matter. It is hoped there is something to interest everyone and something at everyone's level of reading ability. You are free to choose from this list or seek out other books. Remember, choose something that interests you.

NON-FICTION
Education
Why Children Fail J Holt. Early childhood and education. Readable.
Making the Most of College: Students Speak Their Minds. R J Light. Improve your college education.
Closely Observed Children. M Armstrong. Child centred learning in school. A teacher's school diary

Religion
The Buddhist Religion: A Historical Introduction. R Robinson. Slender and readable introduction.
The Hindu World. P Bahree. The cultural context of Hinduism. Very readable.
What Everyone Should Know About Islam and Muslims. S Haneef. A readable reference to Islam.
The Jewish People: Their History and Religion. D J Goldberg and J D Raynor. An introduction.

Philosophy
Philosophy Made Simple. R H Popkin. Readable introduction to philosophy eg. Ethics, knowledge etc.
Philosophy and the Meaning of Life. K Britton.A readable introduction for the beginner.

Politics
In Defence of Politics. B Crick. A readable description of the political process.
World Political Systems: An Introduction to Comparative Government. J & D Derbyshire. An introduction to political systems and ideologies.
The Third Way: The Renewal of Social Democracy. A Giddens. Political philosophy. Readable.
Stupid White Men. M Moore. Humor & political commentary. Modern America.
Plan Of Attack. Bob Woodward. Political commentary on the Bush presidency.

History
Introduction to History. A Marwick. The nature of historical study and the meaning of 'history'.
Exploring the World of the Celts. S James. General introduction to the Celts.
Medieval Civilisation. J Le Goff. Society and culture inmedieval Europe.
The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers. P Kennedy. 698 pages. Five centuries of world history.
The People's Peace: British History 1945-1990. K O Morgan. Britain after World War II.
The Unfinished Journey: America since World War II. W H Chafe. Changes in society since 1945.
Africa. P Martin & D O'Meara. Introduction to the history and contemporary society of Africa.
Magomero: Portrait of an African Village. L White. A history of David Livingston's African village.
The Near East Since the First World War. M E Yapp.Individual national histories.
The Penguin History of India. R Thapar & P Spear. Two short volumes for the beginner.
Red Star Over China. E Snow. A classic on the progress of the progress of the Chinese revolution.
Visions of the Future. R Heilbroner. 120 pages. Easy reading. Historical views of the future.
Guns, Germs and Steel. Jared Diamond. 425 pages. Demanding. World history/culture

Biography/Autobiography
One of Us: A Biography of Margaret Thatcher. H Young.
The Jail Diary of Albie Sachs. A Sachs. Solitaryconfinement in a South African prison.
An Evil Cradling. B. Keenan. Experiences as a hostage in Lebanon.
Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times. T Hauser. The life of the world's greatest boxer.
Mrs Humphrey Ward. J Sutherland. Charity worker, hypochondriac, and anti-sufferagette.
Some Lives! A GP's East End. D Widgery. A doctor's struggle against poverty in London.
Henry II. W L Warren. One of the most important kings of medieval England.
Gandhi: The Traditional Roots of Charisma. S Rudolph & L Rudolph. A great figure of the 20th century.
Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly. A.Bourdain. Life as an international chef.
Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson. Mitch Albom. Teacher-student relationship, wisdom and courage inthe face of death.
The Goshawk. T S White. One man's attempt to train a hawk. Beautifully written and easy reading.

Japan
The Roads to Sata: A 2000-mile Walk Through Japan. A Booth. 281 pages. Observations on contemporary/traditional Japan
Lost Japan. Alex Kerr. 263 pages. Loss of traditionalculture. A personal witness to 30 years of change.
The Lady and the Monk: Four Seasons in Kyoto. P Iyer. 384 pages. One man's romance with Japan.
The Enigma of Japanese Power. Karel van Wolferen. 592 pages. Demanding. The Social and Political Landscape of Modern Japan.
Japan Pop! T Craig (ed.). 326 pages. Non-fiction. Articles on popular culture in Japan
Embracing Defeat. John Dower. 564 pages. Serious. History of immediate post-WWII Japan.
The Emptiness of Japanese Affluence. Gavan McCormack. Modern Japanese culture
Brrrm! Brrrm! C James. Funny but serious attempt to understand Japanese culture and difference.
Underground in Japan. R Ventura. The harsh reality ofbeing a foreign worker in Japan.

Economics/Business
History of Economic Thought. W J Butler. Guide to changes in economic thought and policy.
Small is Beautiful: A Study of Economics as if People Mattered. E F Schumacher. Alternative view of economic structures for a more human society.
Troubleshooter. J Harvey Jones. Light but serious. A look at businesses in trouble and proposed solutions.
The Zurich Axioms. M Gunther. Readable guidelines to investment and wealth creation.
Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money -That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not. R T Kiyosaki. How to become amillionaire.
How the Other Half Dies - The Real Reasons for World Hunger. S George. International business and the causes of world hunger.
The Third World Tomorrow. P Harrison. Appropriate technology for the developing world.
One Up On Wall Street: How to Use What You Already Know to Make Money in the Market. Peter Lynch. Easy reading on investing your money in the stockmarket.

Language
The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language. S. Pinker. Readable introduction to linguistics.
Language and Society: An Introduction Sociolinguistics. S Romaine. Readable introduction.

The Arts
Impressionism. P Pool. A good basic introduction to the art movement.
How to Look at Modern Art. P Yenawine. Explore your reactions to modern artists. Introductory text.
Bach. M Boyd. Biography.
Romantic Music. L Plantings. Readable introductionto 19th C music.
We Called It Music. E Condon. A funny and insightful view of jazz before World War II.
Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Music and the Sixties. I MacDonald. Analysis of Beatles' songs.
Ballet and Modern Dance. S Au. Great performers and performances.
The Cambridge Guide to Asian Theatre. J Brandon.Excellent short introduction.
Women of Fashion. V Steele. Influential women in the world of fashion.
The Unknown Craftsman: A Japanese Insight Into Beauty. S Yanagi. Valuing craftsmanship.
Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll. Ed. DeCurtis,Henke, & George-Warren. 720 pages. Reference book. Lots of small articles.

Science and Technology
Great Scientific Experiments. R Harre. Twenty experimentsthat changed the world.
Asimov's Guide to Science. I Asimov. Basic principlesof the physical and biological sciences.
Science and Social Change 1700-1900. C Russell.How science affects the social structures of society.
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. T S Kuhn. Replacing old paradigms. Philosophy of science.
The Mathematical Experience. P J Davis. What it is like to be a mathematician. For non-mathematicians.
Mathematics, a Human Endeavour: A Book For Those Who Think They Don't Like the Subject. H R Jacobs. Best seller.
Innumeracy. J A Paulos. Mathematics for the everyday world.
The Particle Garden. G Kane. Introduction to particle physics.
Einstein for Beginners. J Schwartz & M McGuinness. Cartoon introduction to the man and his ideas.
Was Einstein Right? C Will. Accessible guide for the non-scientist.
Relativity for the Layman. J A Coleman. Classic of popular science. Readable.
Success in Chemistry. J Macqueen. An excellent basic coverage.
Usborne Introduction to Chemistry. J Chisolm & M Johnson. Illustrated and simple introduction.
Butter Side Up or The Delights of Science. M Pike. Introducing applied chemistry.
Megaliths, Myths and Men: An Introduction to Astro-Archaeology. P L Brown. Stonehenge, the pyramids and other ancient monuments.
The Astronomical Scrapbook. J Ashbrook. Short readable articles on the history of astronomy.
A History of Japanese Astronomy. S Nakayama. Development of astronomy in Japan.
New Guide to the Planets. P Moore Non-technical introductionto the solar system.
We Are not Alone. W Sullivan. Does life exist on other planets?
Heavenly Bodies: Beginner's Guide to Astronomy. I Nicolson. A simple outline.
The Guiness Book of Astronomy. P Moore. Informative guide to the solar system.
History of Life. R Cowen. Palaeontology.
Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Guides: Volcano. S van Rose. Phenomena associated with volcanoes.
The Double Helix. J D Watson. The story of the discovery of the structure of DNA.
The Red Queen Hypothesis. M Ridley. Readable. Sex and the evolutionary battle between men and women.
The Origin of Humankind. R Leakey. Brief and readable view of human fossils.
Human Evolution: An Illustrated Guide. R Lewin. Excellent general review.
How the Leopard Changed Its Spots. B Goodwin. Genes and an alternative view of human development.
The Body in Question. J Miller. Exploration of thefunctioning of our bodies.
Nature and Nurture in Psychology. R Plomin & G McClearn. Readable account of the debate.
Bugs in the System: Insects and Their Impact on Human Affairs. M R Berenbaum. Simple introduction to insects.
The Private Life of Plants. D Attenborough. Readable account of the different aspects of plant life.
Carnivourous Plants. A Slack. Plants that eat living creatures.
Life: An Unauthorised Biography. R Fortey. 371 pages. Natural history-the life of the earth.
The Diversity of Life. E O Wilson. Thebiodiversity crisis.
1001 Ways to Save the Planet. B Vallely. A practical guide to a cleaner environment.
Why Big Fierce Animals Are Rare. P Colinvaux. Readable guide to how the living world works.
Introduction to Physical Anthropology. R Jurmain & H Nelson. An introduction to physical differences between peoples.
Science: Good, Bad, and Bogus. M Gardner. Improbable claims and bad science.
The Prevalence of Nonsense. A Montagu & E. Darling. Myths and common fallacies exposed.
The Mismeasure of Woman: Why Women are Not the Other Sex, the Inferior Sex, or the Opposite Sex. Carol Tavris. Bad scienceand myths about women.

Ethics
Philosophical Medical Ethics. R Gillon. General introduction to medical ethics.
Life's Dominion: An Argument about Abortion and Euthanasia. R Dworkins. Two critical ethical issues.
A Question of Life. M Warnock. Readable book on the ethical problems of human fertilisation, embryology, and the ethics of assistedreproduction.
When Did I Begin? N D Ford. Ethics. When does anembryo become a human being?
Animal Rights. A Linzey. The case for animal rights. Short and readable.
How much is Enough? A T Durning. Rising consumptionversus environmental protection.

Travel/Adventure
Around the World in 80 Days. M Palin. Readable and amusing journey around the world.
Quest for Adventure. C Bonington. Descriptions of great adventures e.g. Apollo 11, climbing Everest etc.
Inside the Third World. P Harrison. Travel and experiences of development in Africa.
Riding the Iron Rooster: By Train Through China. P Theroux. An amusing and observant guide to China.
Notes from a Small Island. Bill Bryson. 352 pages .Funny insights travelling around modern Britain
Travels in Small Town America. Bill Bryson. 293 pages. A humourous view of small town USA.
No Full Stops in India. Mark Tully. 336 pages. History/Politics/ Travel. Observations on modern India.
In the Land of Oz. Howard Jacobson. Humour and travel in Australia.
My Family and Other Animals. Gerald Durrell. True and hilarious adventures with animals.

FICTION

Human Interest
A Boy's Own Story. E White. Family and society unableto cope with a boy who is 'different'.
The Periodic Table. P Levi. Life and death in a Nazi concentration camp.
Midnight's Children. S Rushdie. A masterpiece. Life, love and intrigue. The story of India since independence. Not an easy read but certainly rewarding.
Kitchen. B Yoshimoto. Novella. Themes of food, trans-sexuality and family life in contemporary Japan.
Man and Boy. Tony Parsons. 344 pages. Medium. Human relationships. Love between father and son.
The Woman who Walked into Doors. Roddy Doyle. 226 pages. Serious. Inner city life in contemporary Ireland. Family violence (battered wives)
The Run of the Country. Shane Connaughton. 247 pages. Serious. Family relationships, sectarianism, coming-of-age in contemporary Ireland.
The Cider House Rules. John Irving. 587 pages. Abortion, human nature.

Science Fiction
The Foundation Trilogy. I Asimov. The long galactic future.
The Day of the Triffids. J Wyndham. The day the plants takeover the earth. Light reading.
2001: A Space Odessey. A C Clarke. A science fiction classic. Man and machine in outer space.
Sphere. M Crichton. Spaceship beneath the Pacific.
The White Mountains. J Christopher. 21st century adventure as three boys explore a world. Light.
The Invisible Man. H. G. Wells. Science fiction classic.

Fantasy Fiction <br> The Lord of the Rings. J R R Tolkien. Adventure, romance, good versus evil in mythical world.
The Hobbit. J R R Tolkien. An introduction to the world and themes of The Lord of the Rings.
Little, Big. J Crowley. A novel of change and transfiguration.

Children's Literature
A Wizard of Earthsea. U K LeGuin. First book in a quartet. Explorations of magic and the gaining of wisdom. A real classic of children's literature.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. C. S. Lewis. Short. Light. Very popular child fantasy adventure. One of a series of 7 books.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. J. K. Rowling. First book in a series of 5 to date. Light. Modern children's classic. Schoolboy wizardry.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. R Dahl. 155 pages. Classic of children's fiction. Very easy reading.
Danny the Champion of the World. R Dahl 205 pages. Classic children's fiction. Very easy reading.
Shane. J Schaefer. 160 pages. Western.

Romantic Fiction
Advances. A Burgh. Romance in the world of publishing.
A Better World than This. M Joseph. Heart-warming novel of a woman seeking her dream.
The Chatelaine. C Lorrimer. Powerful story of a girl's early love.
Csardas. D Pearson. Epic story of love and struggle in Hungary.
Bridget Jones's Diary. Helen Fielding. 307 pages. Light. Comedy. Satire on modern human relations.
Secrets. D Steel. Romantic Hollywood novel.

Crime Fiction
Murder On The Orient Express. A Christie. Light. Hercule Poirot investigates murder on train.
A Fatal Inversion. B Vine. Psychological thriller.
The False Inspector Dew. P Lovesy. A readable and clever murder mystery.
Points and Lines. S Matsumoto. Detective story.
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Readable classic.

Adventure/Thriller
The Eagle Has Landed. Jack Higgins. Light. War and Adventure. A daring mission during World War II
Where Eagles Dare. Alistair MacLean. 219 pages. Medium. World War II rescue mission.
The Day of the Jackal. F Forsyth. Thriller. An attempt on the life of the president of France.
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. J LeCarre. Superbly plotted spy story.
From Russia With Love: a James Bond novel. James Bond, British spy, saves the world.
The Firm. John Grisham. 512 pages. Legal thriller.
Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less. J. Archer. 320 pages. Victims plan to get even.
The Hunt For Red October. T Clancy. Cold war drama at sea. Fast action.
When the Lion Feeds. Wilbur Smith. Classic thriller set in Africa.
Rangers of the Lone Star. Zane Grey. Classic Western.
Lonesome Dove. Larry McMurtry. Classic Western.
Da Vinci Code. Dan Brown. Investigative thriller set in the art world.
Reflex. D Francis. Light. Thriller.

Short Stories
Time and the Hunter. I Calvino. Short stories inspiredby science.
East, West. SalmanRushdie. 216 pages. Difficult. Short stories. Various themes on culture anddifference in India and the
West.

Poetry
The Rattle Bag. S Heaney & T Hughes (ed). Avaried collection for young readers. Great fun.
The Oxford Book of Comic Verse. J Cross (ed). Varied and humorous collection.
The Nation's Favourite Poems. BBC. The 100 best loved poems in Britain.
Song of Lawino and Song of Ocol. Okotp'Bitek. Two brilliant long poems by a Ugandan poet. African woman with traditional values versus man with modern ideas. Woman wins. Beautifully written.

Film Scripts
Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels. GuyRitchie. 145 pages. Comedy & crime. Murder and mayhem
Nottinghill. Richard Curtis. 196 pages. Love story/humour.Bookshop owner falls in love with Hollywood goddess.

Novels Mentioned in the ELP Reader
The Boys From Brazil. I Levin. Detective thriller. The political exploitation of cloning.
Brave New World. A Huxley. Science fiction. A disturbing view of future society
Nineteen Eighty-Four. G Orwell 325 pages. Science fiction. Serious. Totalitarianism in a future society (also see AnimalFarm 129 pages by Orwell)
Galapagos. Kurt Vonnegut. 269 pages. Science fiction/satire. The future of humankind.

Note: Many of the above authors have written other books which are equally interesting. Additionally, some of these books are part of a series, for example, books about James Bond or Harry Potter. If you enjoy one book by an author, do seek out other books.