Don't Be Afraid To Create Your Own Summer Reading Flow-Chart

By Maggie Hellwig in Arts & Entertainment on Jun 15, 2012 7:40PM

Props to teach.com for posting this crazy awesome flow-chart. Those of you who are in school, or have children going through the grades, are more than familiar with the summer reading list. The chart definitely incorporates books likely to be recommended by teachers, but simultaneously recommends some fun reads of the non-classic variety.

Where we waver in opinion is slight, but worth noting. For example, The Color Purple is an easy selection to look to for post-slavery fiction. While Walker's novel is exceptional, Ralph Ellison's The Invisible Man is just as epic and adds in some Existentialist theory to boot. In a similar vein, while Huck Finn is often the go-to for Southern Americana, we can think of plenty of other categories that Mark Twain might inhabit. Might we suggest Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor: it is more contemporary, definitely Southern Americana, and includes all the religious and political commentary you need. Want a good collection of poetry? Poetry 180 is decent, but let's shake things up a bit with The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry. It's a huge collection of poets from the Beat Generation through the present; here are some poems that are actually difficult to put down.

We're not sure what The Metamorphosis is doing in the fantasy section, nor are we certain why neither Don DeLillo nor Haruki Murakami aren't included in the Apocalypse/Time Travel section, but let's place the nitpicking aside. The website did include Persepolis and MAUS in the graphic novel section, which is optimal. Furthermore, they weren't afraid to pick some obscure non-fiction, which we applaud. It's a pretty solid, and snazzy way to go about navigating options. The format of the flow-chart covers all of its bases for your entertainment.

Just don't be afraid to fill in your own blanks this summer, and steer slightly off of the teacher-selected route.

Via Teach.com and USC Rossier Online