Recommendations for Stuy Students
Questions:
1. What makes this book different from others?
2. How can you relate to this book/the themes?
3. Has this book led you to any new genre or interests?
4. Did you relate to any character? How or how not?
5. Did you learn any lessons from this book? What did this book teach you or inspire you?
A. Sofiya Elyukin-Junior on Debate Team
The Scarlet Letter- Nathaniel Hawthorne
The book provided insight into Puritan life for me, because I haven’t read any other novels that focused on Puritans…I can see that in reality, there are societal bounderies that we have to conform to and there are societal pressures that we all go under at times…not really, because I already like historical fiction…this book gave me a new view on Puritan life, and I wasn’t able to relate to any of the characters much-Dimmsdale and Hester are in love and protecting a dark secret, Chillingworth is obsessed with revenge, and Pearl is blissfully ignorant, and I cant really relate to any of these characters….I learned that you shouldn’t become obsessed with revenge because it will eventually hurt you more than the person you want to hurt.
B. Deborah Kasner-Senior in Jewish Culture Club
As A Driven Leaf-Milton Steinberg
This book is very deeply philosophical while interesting with a story line…the main character questions many things that he grows up on, the same way I do…this book made me more interested in philosophy, and I plan to read more books of this genre…I could relate to the main character, who explores different philosophies to make his own conclusions on what his life should be like…this book inspired me to think and question things around me.
C. Amitav Chakraborty- Senior on Speech and Debate Team
Night- Elie Wiesel
This book shows us situations that none of us will ever be put through, so it offers us a view of something that we can only imagine…we can see the cruelty that exists in people, and I’ve had interactions with that feeling…yes, it definitely made me read more Holocaust books so I could get a fuller idea of the atrocities that they underwent…I could relate to the victims, obviously not in the same way, but nevertheless, my interactions have shown me just how mean people can be…I think a very important moral is that you should never give up; there are always people in worse conditions than you.
D. Sue Chuang-Senior on Cheerleading and involved in Chinese Culture and Dance
Joy Luck Club- Amy Tan
I can obviously relate to this book because of the Chinese culture, and how I’ve gone through and continue to go through a lot of the experiences and emotions that the main character goes through…this book has led me to more cultural and historical genres and more personal writing, which allows me to connect to the author better….yes, I related to the main character because my parents put the same pressures/expectations on me, I can understand how the parents feel (immigration, language barrier, adapting), and I can share the growth of many girls similar to the author’s…I learned more about my background and about my parents because I can now see things in a different perspective.
E. Rammiya Nanaillathan-Senior, Vice President of Tutoring in Arista Honors Society
Uncle Tom’s Cabin- Harriet Beecher Stowe
This book gives hope to those alive during slavery or impacted by slavery, because of the way that the emotion was portrayed, also, the fact that it was written by a white person showed how immoral slavery truly was…I can relate to certain values held by Uncle Tom, such as honesty, trust, and morality…this book led me to more civil issues because I became more interested in them after reading this book….no, I couldn’t really do that…I learned that there are always good people in the world-you’ll find your bad, but alongside them, the just will also exist.
Book recommendations by Stuyvesant students for Stuyvesant students and readers around the world. Also known as Stuy Bookshelf/Book Box. Submissions are open—click on register below!