Books for the IB

We're always going on and on and on about the books that we've been forced to read for school, so I thought it would be cool to do a post about the books that I've had to study for the IB, grade 11 and 12. For those who don't know, the IB (International Baccalaureate) is a school system, and I take Higher Level English Literature.

Books in Grade 11

Essays by George Orwell ● Goodreads
The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie Goodreads
Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Goodreads
Hamlet by William Shakespeare Goodreads

We also did some poems by Derek Walcott and John Donne. I must say, even though I might have resented them at first, I honestly LOVE the texts I did last year. They were amazing. I must say, my favorite would have to be Hamlet because I'm a higher level theatre student as well. I really got exposed to so many authors this year, particularly with a focus on the diversity of nationalities, and this really helped to understand contextual details as well, with the conflict in some of the countries represented, either within one or with others. Or, y'know, even just an uncle and a nephew that have it out for each other.

Books in Grade 12

Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel García Márquez Goodreads
Ghosts by Henrik Ibsen Goodreads
Paradise of the Blind by Duong Thu Huong Goodreads
The Awakening by Kate Chopin Goodreads

(Upcoming)

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison ● Goodreads
Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut Goodreads
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy Goodreads

It's only been two-ish/three-ish months into school, and we've ALREADY covered 4 novels! Pretty impressive huh? But yeah, I LOVE the range of novels we get to study this year– it's two units, we finished reading and studying the novels for the Works in Translation unit (the top three books) and now we're onto the Art of the Novel, staring with The Awakening. We have three more examination texts to go though, so it seems like a lot of work.
Some of these I initially didn't like, and I still can't really get into Paradise of the Blind, but my English teacher is absolutely AMAZING with convincing us into liking these novels. It's crazy. I swear, even though I'll say that I hated some of these before reading, I will warm up to them inevitably.

These texts are really different from what we studied in grade 9 and 10 – The Great Gatsby, Educating Rita, Animal Farm, and Julius Caesar – but it's been an interesting two years so far, and I'm excited to delve into the upcoming books!

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thank you for taking the time to comment! I'll try to visit your blog (if you have one) and comment back!