Elsewhere, by Gabrielle Zevin (Young Adult)

This book is about what happens after you die. When the main character dies, she finds that the dead journey to a land called Elsewhere, where they wait for their time to return to Earth. In Elsewhere, people age differently, growing younger each day instead of older, until they are sent back to Earth as children. This book follows one girl's acceptance of her own death and how she found love in a life lived backward.

The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand (Adult Fiction)

The Fountainhead is a novel that takes a philosophical look at the difference between good and evil, and what it means to stay true to a vision. Ayn Rand, the author, has a peculiar and particular outlook on life and those who live. Essentially, this book is a love story that serves as the back drop for a novel of philosophically huge, but physically small, proportions.

Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi (Adult/Young Adult Nonfiction)

Persepolis is Marjane Satrapi's wise, funny, and heartbreaking memoir of growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. In powerful black-and-white comic strip images, Satrapi tells the story of her life in Tehran from ages six to fourteen, years that saw the overthrow of the Shah's regime, the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, and the devastating effects of war with Iraq. The intelligent and outspoken only child of committed Marxists and the great-granddaughter of one of Iran's last emperors, Marjane bears witness to a childhood uniquely entwined with the history of her country.

Review from Barnes and Noble

The Realm of Possibility, by David Levithan (Young Adult)

This book contains twenty different stories in twenty different young voices that together create one picture of one high school. Each teenage character has a unique voice and style, using his or her own kind of verse to say something about his or her life. The different characters do not all know each other, but they all act and interact and react to one another. There is something or someone in this book for everyone to identify with, and some kind of poetry that everyone can find beautiful or memorable. The situations aren't always exceptional, nor are they incredibly mundane. They strike a balance of ordinary and extraordinary that is extremely realistic and can make anyone feel. The book reminds teenagers like us that they are surrounded by other people, whose minds are just as full of meaningful, interesting, bizarre thoughts and emotions as their own.

Seabiscuit: an American Legend, by Laura Hillenbrand (Adult Nonfiction)

An all american fairy tale.
An underdog who becomes a great hero.
Teamwork.
Human teamwork.
Beating adversity.
Aspiring to be the best.
The 1930’s.
Morals that can be used in everyday life.
Confidence booster.
Love.
Animals.
Never losing hope.
Seabiscuit.

Seabiscuit is a compelling story about a champion thoroughbred race horse in the U.S.A. It’s a captivating story about the love between this horse and its trainer. If you like a page turner, winning, suspense, love, hope, and obviously horses, then this is the book for you. If you don’t like those things then you are just missing out. It’s a really great book and i hope if anyone reads it, you enjoy it just as much as i did.

A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini (Adult Fiction)

The story covers three decades of anti-Soviet jihad, civil war and Taliban tyranny through the lives of two women. Mariam is the scorned illegitimate daughter of a wealthy businessman, forced at age 15 into marrying the 40-year-old Rasheed, who grows increasingly brutal as she fails to produce a child. Rasheed takes another wife, 14-year-old Laila, a smart and spirited girl whose only other options, after her parents are killed by rocket fire, are prostitution or starvation. Against a backdrop of unending war, Mariam and Laila become allies in an asymmetrical battle with Rasheed. Review by Publishers Weekly

"This book gives great insight into the lives of women in Afghanistan (both before & after the Taliban).  It shows the hardships they endured and the strength they had to keep their children & themselves safe."

Note: This book contains some violence, especially against women. Check with your parents before reading it.

Water for Elephants, By Sara Gruen (Adult Fiction)

This historical novel is wonderfully told by the point of view of an elderly man, Jacob Jankowski, who reminisces of his life working with the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth Circus during the Depression. Gruen intertwines the past with the present, as we watch Jacob's nostalgic walk down memory lane and he recounts hilarious, interesting, and often terrifying things that occurred while working for the circus. After his parents' surprising death, he finds himself in search of a job, having almost a Cornell degree as a veterinary. The mysterious and dangerous Uncle Al gives him a job in the menagerie, and his whole adventure begins there. Befriending August, the animal trainer, and his beautiful wife Marlena, he is exposed to the raw and unflattering behind-the-scenes goings-on of the circus industry. A must read for all!

Note:This book has some sexual content. Check with your parents before reading it.

What is the What, by Dave Eggers (Adult Fiction)

This story is about a young refugee boy (one of the Lost Boys of Sudan). The story is relevant to the world today because the unrest in Sudan continues on and everyday more refugees must leave Sudan for Chad. Not only is the plot extremely riveting and moving, but the style is very intriguing. The novel calls itself an autobiography but is actually a novel; Dave Eggers spent a lot of time researching the war and interviewing Valentino Achak Deng (Publisher's weekly calls it a "fictionalized memoir"). Valentino's quest to find both a home and an identity is full of heart-wrenching tragedies and successes. It would be a phenomenal choice for summer reading; it would open Bryn Mawr's eyes to the world outside.

Note: This book contains some violence . Check with your parents before reading it.

White Like Me, by Tim Wise (Adult Nonfiction)

" I recently read a book that I think would be a great choice for Bryn Mawr Upper School's summer reading. The book is White Like Me, by Tim Wise. Tim Wise is an anti-racist activist, and his book is largely about white privilege. He shines a critical light on the deeply-embedded structural inequalities of our society, and also discusses innate racial biases, and how people can only truly keep them in check if they can first recognize them. Although his book discusses white privilege, he doesn't stress guilt about it, but rather resistance. This book also gives a different approach to race discussions because it is written by a white man. He raises questions that I think are especially important for white people to think about, although everyone would benefit from reading his book."