#39 Native Son by Richard Wright

Fear is a curious emotion.  It can make you do terrible things.  For instance, fear can make you murder the daughter of your generous employer. At least, that is what fear makes Bigger Thomas do.  Bigger is a young, black man who lives on the south side of Chicago in a one-room apartment with his mother, younger brother and sister.  He is caged by the close quarters, poverty and by the color of his skin.  Bigger must choose:  take a job as a chauffeur for a rich white family, steal or starve.  Bigger takes the job, because he’s damned if he doesn’t; but this unfortunate man is condemned when he does.

            

#38 A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen

At first Nora was afraid, she was petrified,

kept thinking she could never live without Torvald by her side

and then he found out about the money she borrowed to save his life

and he said she was a liar and the cause of all his strife!

He called her low, and a disgrace,

said he no longer loved her, but outside he'd show a happy face,

and when the lender then decided that blackmail he would not pursue,

then Torvald turned to little Nora and said, “My Darling,  I love you!”

 But she said, "No!" 

"Now I will go!"  She turned around then and walked out and slammed the door...

 

#37 Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Avast, me hearties!

 Capt Flint, th' most feared buccanneer on th' high sea be dead, an' Billy Bones, his first mate knows 'ere Flint buried his booty. Bones be a buccanneer who loves his rum an' when he drinks hisself t' Davy Jones' locker, 12-year-old Jim Hawkins comes upon Flint’s map.  Jim an' his shipmates Doctor Livsey an' Mr. Trelawny, set sail fer riches an' adventure. But shi'er me timbers, thar’s treachery afoot. Long John Silver, th' one legged buccanneer wi' a heart as black as a bilge rat’s belly, be plottin' a mutiny. Jim an' his shipmates must look sharp an’ fight t' stay alive on Booty Isle, arrr!

#36 Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

 What does it mean to be a “catcher in the rye”? For 16-year-old Holden Caulfield, it means catching kids who are running through a rye field before they fall over a cliff at the end of the field. But Holden himself needs to be caught.  He swears a lot and smokes too much, while falling more deeply into isolation and depression after his brother’s death.    Unable to stand the “phonies” in his prep school, he flunks out and leaves in the middle of the night.   After two cold and lonely days in New York City, Holden allows himself to be caught by an unlikely person whose childish innocence gives him hope. 

 

#35 Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

Black lacquered hair. White face.Red lips fixed in a knowing smile.  We have all seen pictures of the beautiful geisha. But what lies behind the make-up?  This book gives an intimate portrait of one geisha’s heartbreaking journey.

 Chiyo Sakamoto’s father sells her into an okiyo, a geisha house, where her unusual grey eyes attract the jealousy of the top geisha, Hatsumomo.  The two women fight it out with bitter gossip in the tea-houses of Kyoto, until Chiyo becomes Sayuri, the city’s most celebrated geisha. But her success does not buy her the freedom to follow her heart.  In the world of the geisha, love is the luxury that costs too much. 

#34 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Being eleven isn’t easy. Your body betrays you and your world seems to be changing faster than you can make sense of it all.  This is especially true if you receive a letter informing you that you are actually a wizard, which is what happens to eleven year old Harry Potter.  Harry is an orphan living with his detestable aunt and uncle, who constantly remind him that he is unwanted in their home.  He gets the letter and his whole world changes, as if by magic. It’s exciting to discover the magic world with Harry. An enchanted castle, flying broomsticks, unicorns and centaurs would certainly make being eleven loads more fun. 

#33 A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams

Blanche Dubois is the houseguest from hell.  She arrives at her sister Stella’s cramped New Orleans apartment and showers contempt on the humble surroundings. She ties up the bathroom for hours, drinks all the liquor in the house and covers lightbulbs with paper lanterns to escape the harsh glare that reveals her fading beauty.   No wonder Blanche and her brother-in-law Stanley Kowalski don’t get along. Stanley is part man, part beast, and his very existence offends Blanche’s delicate sensibilities.  But Blanche is not as pure as she seems. As the summer wears on, the sordid details of her past come to light, and the paper lantern is savagely ripped off.