HIT: SEC: Literature Help - Female Main Characters

[John York <yorkj@SD5.K12.MT.US>]

Thanks to all who responded.

Several folks requested I post a hit on this request so here it is.

A few authors and titles appear numerous times in the responses received.

Toni Morrison - _Beloved_ and others
Barbara Kingslover - _Poisonwood Bible_ or _The Bean Trees_
Alice Walker - _Color Purple_
Amy Tan - _Joy Luck Club_
Margaret Atwood - _The Handmaid's Tale_
Jane Austen - _Sense and Sensability_
Kate Chopin - _The Awakening_
Louise Erdich - _The Beet Queen_


Here are the specific replies:

In the Time of the Butterflies, (author: J. Alvarez??) about the Mariposa
sisters who were, with the exception of one, killed on the orders of the
dictator Trujillo in the Dominican Republic.

Monkey Bridge by Lan Cao, about a Vietnamese refugee (around 16-17 years
old) who comes to the US right before the fall of Saigon in 1974, followed
shortly by her mother.

Both books, in addition to having strong female main characters, delve into
important historical/social issues, and would surely generate a lot of
discussion.

     [Rena Deutsch, Librarian
     High School for the Humanities
     New York, NY
     renadeutsch@worldnet.att.net]


Are "The Handmaid's Tale" and "Sophie's Choice" already on your list?

Have you seen the list of titles that appear most frequently on the AP
test?

If you can use nonfiction, I would suggest Beryl Markham's "West with
the Night."  What an amazing woman!  An adventuring pioneer regardless
of gender and a very readable book.  Even complies with the currently
popular buzzword "multicultural."  What more could you want??!!

Using Alice Hoffman's "Here on Earth" in conjunction with "Wuthering
Heights" can be done very successfully.

     [Diane Freeman, Library Information Specialist
     Arvada West High School         phone  (303) 982-1287
     11325 Allendale Drive           fax       (303) 982-1305
     Arvada, CO 80004                email dfreeman@jeffco.k12.co.us]


How about The Awakening/Kate Chopin or The Color Purple/Alice Walker of
Spring Moon/Bette Bao Lord (quite long)

     [Maureen S. Irwin
     Middle School Librarian
     Roland Park Country School
     Baltimore, MD  21210
     irwinm@rpcs.pvt.k12.md.us
     or  msirwin@umd5.umd.edu (for listserv)]



The Awakening, by Kate Chopin
Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston
Antigone (play), by Sophocles
A Doll's House (play), by Heinrich Ibsen
Pride and Prejudice (and other Jane Austen books)
Beloved, by Toni Morisson
Sula, by Toni Morisson
The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
The Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan
The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell

...just to name a few.  Hit the internet and you'll find lists generated by
libraries and other institutions.  Good luck.

     [Dan Paese
     Dominican High School
     120 E. Silver Spring Dr.
     Whitefish Bay, WI  53217
     djpaese@aol.com]


We use The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver in Am Lit and Kay Gibbons
"Ellen Foster".  Our AP used Chopin's The Awakening, but that's a little
sophisticated for regular classes.  AP also uses "The Beet Queen" by
Erdrich and The Color Purple as well as Smiley's 1000Acres.

     [Lizbeth Messing

     lmessing@tcnet.org
     Library Media Specialist
     Traverse City Central High
     Traverse City, MI]


Strong Female Lead Titles:

The Color Purple-Walker
The Bluest Eye-Morrison
She Walks These Hills-McCrumb
Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man- Flagg
The Midwife's Apprentice-Cushman
Sense and Sensibility-Austen
Jane Eyre-Bronte
Where the Heart Is
The Poisonwood Bible - Kingsolver


I've used these in various classes for 10-12.  The reading levels vary
vastly, and some books contain elements that might be difficult for or
offensive to sensitive or younger readers.

     [Cwahoff@aol.com]


I don't know if they are universal, but I have found that the English Advanced
Placement tests administered here in Michigan contain a number of wonderful
authors that may not necessarily be well known. I would heartily recommend
Jean Rhys' _Wide Sargasso Sea_, which is considered a prequel to _Jane Eyre_,
and anything by Louise Erdrich (_Tracks_, _Beet Queen_, etc.), who features
strong female Native American protagonists.

     [Chris Turner <turner@glps.k12.mi.us>
     Grand Ledge High School]


_The Mists of Avalon_ by Marion Zimmerman Bradley [author's
name is from memory--hope it's correct :-) ]

     [Nina Jackson
     Franklin MS, Long Beach, CA
     njackson_lib@lbusd.k12.ca.us]


How about the Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, Sense and Sensibility, Pride and
Prejudice, Emma, even to Kill a Mockingbird...?

     [Nancy W. Body, Librarian
     The Hill School
     Pottstown, PA  19464
     610-326-1000
     nbody@thehill.org]


Here are some of the titles/authors our teachers use:

Kingsolver, Barbara (Animal Dreams, Bean Trees, Poisonwood Bible)
Allende, Isabel (House of the Spirits -- South America)
Alvarez, Julia (In the Time of the Butterflies -- Dominican Republic)
Walker, Alice (Color Purple)
Dorris, Michael (Yellow Raft in Blue Water -- Native American in WA and MT)
Gibbons, Kaye (Ellen Foster)
Naylor, Gloria (Women of Brewster Place -- African-American)
Tan, Amy (Joy Luck Club -- Chinese-American immigrants and US citizens,
conflict between generations)

     [Julie Anderson, Librarian
     Liberty High School, a National Blue Ribbon School
     Renton, WA  (425) 837-4901
     andersonj@issaquah.wednet.edu]


how about---

maya angelou, dorothy parker, amy tan, anne tyler, gail godwin.
Pope Joan is a wonderful historical fiction (can't remember the
author's name)

     [diana caswell, lms
     whitesboro high
     marcy, ny  13403
     dcaswe@whitesboro-high.moric.org]


Some great novels I came across in my honors and AP courses were:
Anna Karenina   Leo Tolstoy
Song of Solomon Toni Morrison
Beloved                 Toni Morrison
In Lane Three, Alex Archer
Macbeth         William Shakespeare
Rebecca
Bridges of Madison County
A Doll's House

     [Michelle Nieman
     Bowling Green State University]


Even though this is a YA title, the book Shabanu, Daughter of the Wind
certainly meets the criteria of strong female protagonist, but also
presents interesting cultural themes. I could see lots of ways to use it!
Might have to really stretch it for honors or AP, but it is a great book.
Also, what about My Antonia by Cather or O Pioneers. Endless
possibilities!!

     [Marylou <maryloub@rams.fremont2.k12.wy.us>]

The Duke of York

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