Upper School Summer Reading

Welcome to ninth-grade history!

Welcome to United States History 2022-2023!

The 10th grade U.S. History course combines a chronological survey with several thematic units to best understand the main ideas and events that have shaped this country. Throughout the year, students will explore American history from a variety of perspectives and think critically about how we learn from the past. As part of this aim, this summer you will read a memoir in order to better see how history is told by those who have lived it. A memoir is a first-hand reflection on a particular experience or subject. The following list includes autobiographical accounts of people’s experiences with a wide range of topics or events from modern American History. As a word of caution: the books on this list are about real-world events and are written by adults and from their perspectives. Some of them cover mature themes and issues. You should read synopses and reviews of the books before you make your selection, as well as discuss them with your guardians.

We hope that you will pick a topic or person that is of interest to you, as there will be numerous opportunities to refer back to these works throughout the course of the year. In addition, you should be prepared for an assessment on your summer reading when school begins in August. As you read, consider the following questions:

• What was this individual’s experience like?
• How was it different from what you previously thought about the event/movement?
• What stylistic elements does the author use that are effective in connecting with you, the reader?
• What potential biases does the author have that might impact how they tell their story?
• How and why are memoirs an important part of how we learn from the past?
• How can stories be told in different ways?
• How does this individual’s experience connect to your understanding of what is meant by ‘the American dream’ and the characteristics you think of as part of American identity?

• Looking Like the Enemy: My Story of Imprisonment in Japanese-American Internment Camps – Mary Matsuda Gruenewald (Japanese-American family impacted by WWII Internment)

• Warriors Don’t Cry – Melba Pattillo Beals (note: the original 1995 version, NOT the abridged version) (Member of the Little Rock 9 during the Civil Rights Movement)

• Learning to Die in Miami: Confessions of a Refugee Boy – Carlos Eire (Cuban Immigrant/Refugee experience during Operation Pedro Pan)

• The Autobiography of Malcolm X – Malcolm X & Alex Haley (Interview with Civil Rights Leader & Activist)

• Lakota Woman – Mary Crow Dog (Native American Civil Rights Activist of the 1970s)

• If I Die in a Combat Zone, Box Me Up and Ship Me Home – Tim O’Brien (Infantry Soldier experience during the Vietnam War)

• Being Heumann – Judith Heumann (Disability Rights Activist and the creation of the Americans with Disabilities Act)

*If there is a memoir that is not on this list that you are interested in reading and that provides a unique perspective and connects directly to a specific modern event in American history, please reach out to the Department Chair, Carla Federman (cfederman@micds) to get official approval to read that book instead.

Welcome to Accelerated 10th Grade History!

To prepare for our year together, please read the book (approx. 100 pages). Before you read, review the annotation hints located at the bottom of this page. In addition, please listen to Hamilton: An American Musical at least once.

Contact Dr. Tanya Roth (troth@micds.org) if you have any questions.

You should complete the reading and have good reading notes prior to the first day of school.

Welcome to History of St. Louis!

This summer, you will be examining a collection of sources on Urban Studies and modern-day St. Louis (a total of roughly 95 pages, plus a podcast). Please read the articles and listen to the podcast in the order that they are listed (PDFs are provided for all but the last two sources). As you read, you should jot down a few notes on each article, as we’ll be discussing them and you’ll complete a writing assignment during the first few days of school. Over the course of the semester, we’ll then be examining the history of St. Louis in order to better understand its current state.

1. The following article provides an introduction to the idea of Urban Studies and the concept of cities. As you read, look for passages that might resonate with what you know about St. Louis.
   • Issitt, Micah L. Preface. The Transformation of American Cities, Grey House Publishing, 2015, pp. ix-xiii. PDF
2. When we talk about “St. Louis,” do we mean the city, the county, or both? The following article provides some historical context around the “Great Divorce” that led to St. Louis’ distinctive political division between St. Louis City as well as the dozens of different municipalities of St. Louis County.

   • Cooperman, Jeannette. “St. Louis’ Great Divorce: A complete history of the city and county separation and attempts to get back together.'” St. Louis Magazine, 8 Mar. 2019, www.stlmag.com/news/politics/st-louis-great-divorce-history-city-county-split-attempt-to-get-back-together/. PDF

3. The city/county separation has created both benefits and challenges. One of those challenges involves inequalities across municipal lines. As you read, pay attention to how the city/county division impacts individuals.

   • Balko, Radley. “How Municipalities in St. Louis County, Mo., Profit from Poverty.” The Washington Post, 3 Sept. 2014. The Washington Post, www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-watch/wp/2014/09/03/how-st-louis-county-missouri-profits-from-poverty/?utm_term=.b1ba42a354a3. PDF

4. St. Louis is not alone in facing issues of a city/county split. The following piece looks at Indianapolis and the impact of its choice to merge the city and the county. As you read, consider whether this solution would work for St. Louis, and what the pros and cons would be.

   • Fentem, Sarah. “Better Together-Style Merger in Indianapolis Created Winners and Losers.” St. Louis Public Radio, 25 Apr. 2019, https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/better-together-style-merger-indianapolis-created-winners-and-losers#stream/0. PDF

5. At one point in history, St. Louis was one of the largest cities in the country; however, St. Louis now struggles in some ways to compete economically with other cities. Read the following short article about the history of St. Louis’ economy.

   • Naffziger, Chris. “Tracing Back through St. Louis’ History to Find the Roots of Its Triumphs—and Failures.” St. Louis Magazine, 13 Dec. 2017, www.stlmag.com/history/tracing-back-through-st-louis-history-to-find-the-roots-of-its-triumphs-and-failures/. PDF

6. Despite the economic challenges, St. Louis has significant economic assets and advantages as well. As your read, think of other resources that could be the focus of economic development.

   • Mariani, John. “St. Louis, Missouri, Is Rebounding from a Long Decline by Focusing on Its Historic Heritage.” Forbes, 7 Nov. 2018, www.forbes.com/sites/johnmariani/2018/11/07/st-louis-missouri-is-rebounding-from-a-long-decline-by-focusing-on-its-historic-heritage/#1acb0c3b24a3. PDF

7. Recently, St. Louis’ national reputation has often been associated with the 2014 protests in Ferguson. The following article discusses the aftermath of Ferguson and assesses some of the attempts to make improvements within the region and the economic impacts of those efforts. As you read, consider the power and/or impact that economic investment can have on a community.

   • Jan, Tracy. “The Forgotten Ferguson.” The Washington Post, 21 June 2018, www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2018/business/is-racial-discrimination-influencing-corporate-investment-in-ferguson/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.74eaadbe1b19. PDF

8. How much do past policies impact the present? Can the legacy of governmental decisions made over 50 years ago directly affect the impact of a pandemic in 2020-2021? This article, by two history professors, an expert on health at the Brown School at WashU, and a community organizer, argues that there’s a direct correlation between historical policies and the impact of COVID-19 in St. Louis.

   • Gordon, Colin, et al. “COVID-19 and the Color Line.” Boston Review, 1 May 2020. https://bostonreview.net/race/colin-gordon-walter-johnson-jason-q-purnell-jamala-rogers-covid-19-and-color-line. PDF

9. Jane Smiley, a novelist and essayist who is also a St. Louis native, recently returned to St. Louis, and wrote about her visit to what she refers to as the “paradigmatic American city, a busy place where history, commerce, art and geography have often connected and often clashed in supremely American ways.” As you read, ask yourself how the parts of St. Louis that you know well are typical of America…and how they may be atypical as well.

   • Smiley, Jane. “Jane Smiley on what St. Louis tells us about America.” The New York Times, 14 October 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/14/travel/14StLouis-Jane-Smiley-tourism.html. PDF

10. In 2021, Tishaura Jones became the first ever Black woman to be elected mayor of St. Louis City. This article outlines the historic nature of the election, Jones’ priorities, and the changes that her mayorship might bring. As you read, consider what direction St. Louis is headed, what the priorities in St. Louis should be, and how best to tackle them.

    • Lippman, Rachel & Jason Rosenbaum. “As Tishaura Jones Makes History, She Promises Change for St. Louis.” St. Louis Public Radio, 20 April 2021.https://news.stlpublicradio.org/government-politics-issues/2021-04-20/as-tishaura-jones-makes-history-she-promises-change-for-st-louis. PDF

11. Part of St. Louis history is understanding how different people can have such vastly different experiences, while still calling the same city home. This podcast (also available as a download by searching for “We Live Here” in the podcast app of your device) explores 6 very different municipalities, all along the same street: Lindbergh Boulevard. As you listen, consider how an individual’s experience living in one of these areas can be so different, while geographically they are so close together.

    • “90 cities, one road and a whole lot of laws.” We Live Here from St. Louis Public Radio & NPR, 8 March 2015. https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/we-live-here-90-cities-one-road-and-whole-lot-laws#stream/0.

12. To continue thinking about and exploring different experiences throughout the greater St. Louis area, your final reading provides short excerpts about some of the many neighborhoods in St. Louis. We hope that you will discover new neighborhoods as well as encounter familiar favorites. Part of the goal of the class is to help us better understand the communities around us, and that starts with knowing where they are and what makes them special.
    • Explore St. Louis. St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission, https://explorestlouis.com/things-to-do/neighborhoods/.

Welcome to AP European History!

Over the summer, all AP European History students should read Ross King’s Brunelleschi’s Dome, which can be purchased from the campus bookstore or online.