Welcome to the **2019 BHS Summer Reading Decision Guide**
This summer, you'll be reading two books of your own choice and one book that works to answer the question, "Where do we find joy, even in times of difficulty?"
BHS Teachers and Librarians have worked to choose 11 titles that help answer that question.
This tool is designed to help you find a title that interests you from those options.
One way to think about things is whether you want to read a work of [[fiction->Fiction Home]] or [[non-fiction->Non-Fiction Home]] this summer.
Another way to think about things is by answering the question yourself. **[[What brings you joy?->Joy Question]]**Great, fiction it is! Even fictional characters can experience joy!
Were you thinking about [[realistic fiction->Realistic Fiction Home]] or [[science-fiction->They Both Die at the End]]?Okay, a true story. We've got a variety to choose from.
It's probably easiest if you choose based on what brings **you** joy.
So: What brings you joy?
*[[Television. For sure. ->Television Books]]*
*[[Heading into nature.->Wild]]*
*[[To be honest, it's hard for me to find joy.->Finding Joy]]*Okay, something a bit more grounded in reality then.
Were you thinking about [[adult characters->General Fiction]] finding joy or [[someone more your age->Young Adult Fiction]]?***They Both Die at the End* by Adam Silvera**
<img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1494333138l/33385229.jpg" alt="They Both Die at the End Cover">
On September 5, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: They’re going to die today. Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but, for different reasons, they’re both looking to make a new friend on their End Day. The good news: There’s an app for that. It’s called the Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventure—to live a lifetime in a single day.
If this book sounds good to you, learn more about [[it here->They Both Die Goodreads]].
Or, you can try [[starting over->Home]].
Or, you can view [[a non-interactive list of all titles->Main List Link]].Alright, something that doesn't fall under that "Young Adult" banner.
Well, we've got [[a much loved contemporary read->A Man Called Ove]] for you...
Or maybe you were thinking of [[a challenging classic->War and Peace]].Okay, we're in the area of Young Adult Fiction, then.
We've got some great options here!
Quick question: How do you feel about novels in verse? (You know, like a novel-length story being told through poetry.)
[[Yes, I LOVE poetry!->The Poet X]]
[[Sounds good, that's usually shorter, right?->The Crossover]]
[[A regular novel is better for me.->On the Come Up]]***The Poet X* by Elizabeth Acevedo**
<img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1498766234l/33294200.jpg" alt="The Poet X Cover">
Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood. Ever since her body grew into curves, she has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking. But Xiomara has plenty she wants to say, and she pours all her frustration and passion onto the pages of a leather notebook, reciting the words to herself like prayers—especially after she catches feelings for a boy in her bio class named Aman, who her family can never know about. With Mami’s determination to force her daughter to obey the laws of the church, Xiomara understands that her thoughts are best kept to herself. But still, she can’t stop thinking about performing her poems. Because in the face of a world that may not want to hear her, Xiomara refuses to be silent.
If this book sounds good to you, learn more about [[it here->The Poet X Goodreads]].
Or, you can try [[starting over->Home]].
Or, you can view [[a non-interactive list of all titles->Main List Link]].***The Crossover* by Kwame Alexander**
<img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1390427593l/18263725.jpg" alt="The Crossover Cover">
Josh Bell and his twin brother Jordan are awesome on the court. But Josh has more than basketball in his blood, he's got mad beats, too, that tell his family's story in verse, in this fast and furious novel of family and brotherhood. Josh and Jordan must come to grips with growing up on and off the court to realize breaking the rules comes at a terrible price, as their story's heart-stopping climax proves a game-changer for the entire family.
If this book sounds good to you, learn more about [[it here->The Crossover Goodreads]].
Or, you can try [[starting over->Home]].
Or, you can view [[a non-interactive list of all titles->Main List Link]].***On the Come Up* by Angie Thomas**
<img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1518828924l/35887567.jpg" alt="On the Come Up Cover">
Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least make it out of her neighborhood one day. As the daughter of an underground rap legend who died before he hit big, Bri’s got big shoes to fill. With bills piling up and homelessness staring her family down, Bri no longer just wants to make it—she has to make it. This is a story of fighting for your dreams, even as the odds are stacked against you; of the struggle to become who you are and not who everyone expects you to be; and of the desperate realities of poor and working-class black families.
If this book sounds good to you, learn more about [[it here->On the Come Up Goodreads]].
Or, you can try [[starting over->Home]].
Or, you can view [[a non-interactive list of all titles->Main List Link]].***A Man Called Ove* by Fredrik Backman**
<img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1405259930l/18774964.jpg" alt="A Man Called Ove Cover">
People call Ove the *bitter neighbor from hell*, but is Ove bitter just because he doesn't walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time? Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove's mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents' association to their very foundations.
If this book sounds good to you, learn more about [[it here->A Man Called Ove Goodreads]].
Or, you can try [[starting over->Home]].
Or, you can view [[a non-interactive list of all titles->Main List Link]].You've Found the **BIG BOOK CHALLENGE**!
***War and Peace* by Leo Tolstoy**
<img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320425198l/3774496.jpg" alt="War and Peace Cover">
Challenge yourself this summer by taking on one of the most famous “big books” in the world. War and Peace broadly focuses on Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in 1812 and follows three of the most well-known characters in literature: Pierre Bezukhov, the illegitimate son of a count who is fighting for his inheritance and yearning for spiritual fulfillment; Prince Andrei Bolkonsky, who leaves his family behind to fight in the war against Napoleon; and Natasha Rostov, the beautiful young daughter of a nobleman who intrigues both men. For those taking on this challenge, we’ll offer an optional check-in meeting during the summer and a party to celebrate our successful literary journey when we come back together in September.
If this book sounds good to you, learn more about [[it here->War and Peace Goodreads]].
Or, you can try [[starting over->Home]].
Or, you can view [[a non-interactive list of all titles->Main List Link]].We've got a couple of options for books that talk about how two stars of the television world got to be where they are now.
So are you more into *[[The Daily Show->Born a Crime]]* or *[[Grey's Anatomy->Year of Yes]]*?***Wild* by Cheryl Strayed**
<img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1453189881l/12262741.jpg" alt="Wild Cover">
At twenty-two, Cheryl Strayed thought she had lost everything. In the wake of her mother’s death, her family scattered and her own marriage was soon destroyed. Four years later, with nothing more to lose, she made the most impulsive decision of her life. With no experience or training, driven only by blind will, she would hike more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State — and she would do it alone. *Wild* powerfully captures the terrors and pleasures of one young woman forging ahead against all odds on a journey that maddened, strengthened, and ultimately healed her.
If this book sounds good to you, learn more about [[it here->Wild Goodreads]].
Or, you can try [[starting over->Home]].
Or, you can view [[a non-interactive list of all titles->Main List Link]].We get that. It can be tough to find joy. The authors of two of our books found the same thing.
One presents her experiences through [[a laugh-out-loud comic memoir->Hyperbole and a Half]].
The other takes us on [[his journey with mindfulness and meditation practices->10% Happier]].[[Start over.->Home]]
(open-url: "https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uZD4GLvS_gGqVvPS7g1Yk0luMS5yNXdmNZMdL_3Y3bI/edit")[[Start over.->Home]]
Or, you can view [[a non-interactive list of all titles->Main List Link]].
(open-url: "https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35887567-on-the-come-up")[[Start over.->Home]]
Or, you can view [[a non-interactive list of all titles->Main List Link]].
(open-url: "https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18774964-a-man-called-ove")[[Start over.->Home]]
Or, you can view [[a non-interactive list of all titles->Main List Link]].
(open-url: "https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3774496-war-and-peace")[[Start over.->Home]]
Or, you can view [[a non-interactive list of all titles->Main List Link]].
(open-url: "https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18263725-the-crossover")[[Start over.->Home]]
Or, you can view [[a non-interactive list of all titles->Main List Link]].
(open-url: "https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33294200-the-poet-x")[[Start over.->Home]]
Or, you can view [[a non-interactive list of all titles->Main List Link]].
(open-url: "https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33385229-they-both-die-at-the-end")***Born a Crime* by Trevor Noah**
<img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1473867911l/29780253.jpg" alt="Born a Crime Cover">
Trevor Noah’s unlikely path from apartheid South Africa to the desk of *The Daily Show* began with a criminal act: his birth. Trevor was born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison. Living proof of his parents’ indiscretion, Trevor was kept mostly indoors for the earliest years of his life, bound by the measures his mother took to hide him from a government that could, at any moment, steal him away. Finally liberated by the end of South Africa’s tyrannical white rule, Trevor and his mother set forth on a grand adventure, embracing the opportunities won by a centuries-long struggle.
If this book sounds good to you, learn more about [[it here->Born a Crime Goodreads]].
Or, you can try [[starting over->Home]].
Or, you can view [[a non-interactive list of all titles->Main List Link]].***Year of Yes* by Shonda Rhimes**
<img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1458219457l/29540318.jpg" alt="Year of Yes Cover">
Hollywood's most powerful woman, the mega-talented creator of *Grey's Anatomy* and *Scandal* and executive producer of *How to Get Away with Murder* and *Catch*, reveals how saying YES changed her life - and how it can change yours too. With three hit shows on television and three children at home, Shonda Rhimes had lots of good reasons to say no when invitations arrived. Then, Shonda's sister Delorse muttered six little words at her: You never say yes to anything. Profound, impassioned and laugh-out-loud funny, in *Year of Yes* Shonda Rhimes reveals how saying YES changed - and saved - her life.
If this book sounds good to you, learn more about [[it here->Year of Yes Goodreads]].
Or, you can try [[starting over->Home]].
Or, you can view [[a non-interactive list of all titles->Main List Link]].***Hyperbole and a Half* by Allie Brosh**
<img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1409522492l/17571564.jpg" alt="Hyperbole Cover">
Adding new material to previous postings from her successful webcomic/blog, Allie Brosh offers personal and often hilarious stories from her life. Her work deals directly and candidly with her battles with depression and suicidal thoughts. It will also have you laughing out loud with every page you turn.
If this book sounds good to you, learn more about [[it here->Hyperbole and a Half Goodreads]].
Or, you can try [[starting over->Home]].
Or, you can view [[a non-interactive list of all titles->Main List Link]].***10% Happier* by Dan Harris**
<img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1451446393l/18505796.jpg" alt="Born a Crime Cover">
After having a nationally televised panic attack on Good Morning America, news anchor Dan Harris knew he had to make some changes. He then embarks on an unexpected, hilarious, and deeply skeptical odyssey through the strange worlds of spirituality and self-help, and discovers a way to get happier that is truly achievable, and it's something he always assumed to be either impossible or useless: meditation. Harris takes a deep dive into the underreported world of CEOs, scientists, and even marines who are now using it for increased calm, focus, and happiness.
If this book sounds good to you, learn more about [[it here->10% Happier Goodreads]].
Or, you can try [[starting over->Home]].
Or, you can view [[a non-interactive list of all titles->Main List Link]].[[Start over.->Home]]
Or, you can view [[a non-interactive list of all titles->Main List Link]].
(open-url: "https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29780253-born-a-crime")[[Start over.->Home]]
Or, you can view [[a non-interactive list of all titles->Main List Link]].
(open-url: "https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29540318-year-of-yes")[[Start over.->Home]]
Or, you can view [[a non-interactive list of all titles->Main List Link]].
(open-url: "https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18505796-10-happier")[[Start over.->Home]]
Or, you can view [[a non-interactive list of all titles->Main List Link]].
(open-url: "https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17571564-hyperbole-and-a-half")[[Start over.->Home]]
Or, you can view [[a non-interactive list of all titles->Main List Link]].
(open-url: "https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12262741-wild")Okay, so what brings you joy? Pick from the list of options below!
[[Reading!->War and Peace]]
[[Building new friendships->Friendships]]
[[Sports->The Crossover]]
[[Nature->Wild]]
[[Television->Television Books]]
[[Music->On the Come Up]]
[[Poetry and Writing->The Poet X]]
[[Meditation->10% Happier]]
[[Laughing->Hyperbole and a Half]]
*[[Honestly, I find it hard to find joy...->Finding Joy]]*
*Actually, I want to look at things sorted by [[fiction->Fiction Home]] or [[non-fiction->Non-Fiction Home]] instead.*Great! We've got a few different friendship stories.
First, there's the [[friendships you make with someone who is going through the same difficult experience that you are->They Both Die at the End]].
On the other hand, there are [[friendships with people who are really different from you, those friendships that might actually start in disagreement->A Man Called Ove]].