End of summer reading list

Back-to-school means back to reading. Your English teacher will be assigning novels full of complex symbolism and will force you to act out Shakespeare at 8AM. Before you hit the classroom, squeeze in some of our not-so-traditional books for your end of summer reading.

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - Reality TV gone very bad. Set in the future, the United States collapses and falls into twelve competing districts. Each year, two young people from each distrct are sent into a televised competition where they must kill their competitors in order to survive and win the game. Although set in the future, the rules of friendship, war, and survival remain the same.
2. Just Don't Fall by Josh Sundquist - Our very own Do Something Award Winner shares his story. After battling cancer at age 9 and losing his leg, Josh started skiing. He eventually competed in the Paralympic Games. The story will make you feel like determination will help you conquer all obstacles.
3. The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan - Our food hardly looks like something that has come from the earth. Pollan takes you through all of the industrialization of the food industry to make you realize that everything Americans eat is corn and oil. If ever you need to justify to friends why you eat local, vegetarian, or organic, just cite this book.
4. Sold by Patricia McCormick - Lakshmi, a young girl from Nepal, is sold by her stepfather into prostitution slavery in India. The brothel owner traps her there until she can pay off her family's debt. When a man comes to try and help her, Lakshmi wants to accept his offer, but she has heard so many lies that she doesn't know if she can trust him.
5. Philanthropcapitalism by Matthew Bishop and Michael Green - The authors examine how today's billionaires aren't just philantropists - they're philanthrocapitalists. Instead of giving a lump some of money, guys like Bill Gates devote their money to continuous programs that solve world problems. The book also includes interviews with Bill Clinton, Bono, and Angelina Jolie.
6. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides - The reader follows three generations of a Greek-American family through immigration, the Detroit race riots, and finally the discovery that the youngest family was born a hermaphrodite. You'll keep turning the pages as you learn about refugees, racism, and the pressure placed on teens by traditional gender roles.
7. I Never Had It Made by Jackie Robinson - In this autobiography, the famous baseball player writes not about the game but about his struggles. He mentions his challenges with being discharged from the army for not following segregation policy, but he also shares stories about his most supportive Dodgers teammates like Pee Wee Reese.
8. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky - With a Catcher in the Rye type feel, Chbosky introduces Charlie, a shy boy on the brink of adulthood. He struggles with making friends, dating, experimenting with drugs. Charlie must also battle with depression and suicide. You'll be able to relate to the intense feelings that youth brings.
9. Social Entrepreneurship by David Bornstein and Susan Davis - If you think being a young person taking action is hard, this book helps. Each part discusses an aspect of social entrepreneurship, making it clear how you can involve yourself.
10. Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susan - Read this very popular story of three women who struggle to make it in Hollywood during the '40s, '50s, and '60s. Just remember not to emulate these women as diet pill addiction, sleeping pill overdoses, and alocoholism destroy their relationships, their health, and their lives.
11. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin - Follow a mountain climber who is changed by his experiences in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Believing in rights and education for all, the author withstands is threats, estrangements, and kidnapping as he works to establish schools for girls in Taliban territory and improve living conditions in impoverished villages.