The summer is over, and for students returning to school, that often means it’s time to prove they did their summer reading.
Reading a book that’s been assigned to you can go one of two ways — either you’ll love to hate whatever the book is, or you’ll be introduced to a story that you will never forget.
For this week’s edition, we asked for the second type of book — the kind of book, whether classic or unexpected, that you may not have picked up on your own but that you still think of to this day.
Brian Ferguson-Avery, author and tax preparer, Williamsport
Book: "Rebecca"
Author: Daphne du Maurier
In my first semester as a college professor, my department had assigned "Rebecca" to all composition classes. This was my introduction to Daphne du Maurier’s 1938 novel, a book that remains “unputdownable” to this day.
The story is narrated by a shy, young, mousy woman (we never get her name) who meets Maximilian de Winter on the French Riviera. Maxim has recently lost his wife due to a boating accident, and at first, he seems pleased to offer marriage to the narrator. She assumes her presence is meant to pull Maxim out of his grief.
But when they return to de Winter’s ancestral estate in southwest England, Rebecca’s memory hovers everywhere as a kind of ghost.
The servants remain devoted to their ladyship’s prior demands, especially the creepy Mrs. Danvers, who reminds our narrator that she will never meet the standards of the elegant and bewitching Rebecca. Maxim, too, can’t seem to forget his dead wife, as he silently stares out the windows at the sea.
To say “not all is as it seems” does not give too much away.
If you haven’t read the novel, don’t spoil it by first watching the Netflix production or the Hitchcock film. If you are familiar with the plot, re-reading the book can be even more rewarding, as you watch how well du Maurier builds suspense and hints at what is going to happen. It’s not over until the last page.
Patrick Abdalla, English teacher, Scranton
Book: "Flowers for Algernon"
Author: Daniel Keyes
I have loved Daniel Keyes' "Flowers for Algernon" since I first read it as a sophomore at Bishop Hannan High School.
The book is told through the eyes of Charlie Gordon, a man with intellectual disabilities who undergoes an experimental surgery and hopes it will make him smart. Readers follow his progress reports. As a kid, I enjoyed how they started out full of misspellings, bad punctuation and grammatical blunders.
Now, I teach it to students who are often considered advanced, particularly in the sciences. I enjoy watching how they notice his progress when Charlie simply starts putting periods in the right places.
It's not an easy book, because it deals with questions about how we treat people with different abilities, the unintended consequences of our actions and how we deal with science. It's always interesting to see how students interact with the characters and their decisions. I hope that 20 years from now, they still reflect on its lessons.
Roger DuPuis, WVIA News Deputy Editor
Book: "The Color Purple"
Author: Alice Walker
My summer reading pick for this feature is "The Color Purple," the Pulitzer Prize-winning 1982 novel by Alice Walker. It was on my honors high school English class's summer reading list way back in the late 1980s.
Walker's masterpiece follows the life story of Celie, a young Black girl growing up in segregated rural Georgia during the early 1900s. It offers an unflinching portrait of abuse, sexism and racism, but also the decades-long bonds formed between strong women as sisters, wives, mothers, mistresses, rivals and lovers. Running through the tale are thought-provoking questions about God, faith, love, and self-esteem.
I was already a fan of the 1985 movie adaptation, which my mother introduced us to, and so Walker's book beckoned to me among the roster of much more predictable coming-of-age tales and classic literary sagas on the reading list.
Some may find it surprising to learn that a Catholic high school of 35 years ago would assign this book to teens given that it included graphic depictions of domestic violence, rape, and homosexuality. I can only say that our teachers — including nuns — took a broad view on the spectrum of human experience and the American story, and they wanted us to do the same. This was in suburban Rochester, New York, for those who might be wondering.
"The Color Purple" has been a frequent target of book banners, but it also has been made into two feature films and a musical, which speaks to its enduring popularity.
It is a sweeping epic that takes the main characters on a journey spanning roughly from the turn of the century to World War II, crossing continents in the process.
Celie is a hero in every sense of the word. You will cry with her, grieve with her, and — if you have a heart — you will be cheering for her as the wrongs done to Celie are righted in amazing ways that make this book a gripping page-turner.
Renee Hosler, Berwick
Book: "Flowers for Algernon"
Author: Daniel Keyes
This was one of my favorite books I read in school because it was one of the first books I was assigned to read in class that really captivated my attention, and I felt I couldn't put it down.
The story follows a roller coaster of complex emotions and situations that happen to the main character, Charlie, and how he comes to terms with some of those things with the help of a small mouse named Algernon.
As someone who has always loved animals and as an adult who works with them now, "Flowers for Algernon" always sat close to my heart as a story that shows that even in the darkest moments of humanity, an animal companion can be the very thing to bring you back a sense of your own personhood and growth.
Sarah Scinto, WVIA Morning Edition Host and Reporter
Book: “Coraline”
Author: Neil Gaiman
I often wonder how much the books we loved in school shape our tastes as adults. I know “Coraline” has influenced my taste a great deal.
Neil Gaiman’s iconic middle-grade novella follows Coraline Jones after she and her parents move into an old house divided into apartments. The apartments are full of eccentric characters, but Coraline is thoroughly bored with life in the house.
That is, until she discovers a small door that leads to an Other world — full of Other versions of her neighbors and family — all with buttons for eyes. The Other world is run by Coraline’s seemingly sweet Other Mother, who lavishes Coraline with delicious food and fun adventures. But when she offers to let the young girl stay if she accepts buttons for her eyes, Coraline starts to see the horror hidden behind the Other world’s sparkling facade.
I read this in middle school. I remember choosing it out of a handful of books that we would read, then present a group report. My group ended up performing a puppet show of the climactic confrontation between Coraline and the Other Mother which featured a truly terrifying hand-puppet sewn by my mom.
I’m fairly certain the twisted world of “Coraline” led me to be drawn to mysteries and crooked tales for the rest of my life, and I’m grateful to my middle school teacher for offering it as an option.
That’s all for this edition of Bookmarks! Join us again on Sept. 27. I’ll be looking for books that put you in the autumnal mood.
