AP English Language and Composition
Melissa Weeks Noël
Language Arts Teacher
Nonfiction Bestsellers
One of the things that differentiates AP English Literature from AP English Language is a focus on nonfiction selections. While we will read a lot of essays, memoirs, etc. in class, it's important to read a full-length book that's a nonfiction selection.
For this unit, you will select a book from a list of titles that I'll provide for you. At least three people must pick the same book in every classroom. There aren't any exceptions to this rule.
Our goal is to create book clubs in our class for thoughtful discussions and debates. You are also required to participate with the online discussion with other AP students in other classes. That discussion board is on turnitin.com and I'll tell you more about that later. And, yes, there is a project and an essay involved.
Narrative Nonfiction
There's a new growth in popularity for a genre that's called "narrative nonfiction," and some of our books fall into this category. There are other names for the genre, too, such as literary or creative journalism, but narrative nonfiction is the term that my favorite authors opt for, so I will use that one. I first heard the term in a book talk with Hampton Sides and then again in an online interview with Erik Larson, and it made me sit up and think, "Yes! This is the type of nonfiction that I like. It's approachable to readers of all ages."
This genre involves real people and events, but they are told in a fictional way; the story reads as a narrative instead of like a history book with mechanical details and facts. Instead, these books are full of descriptions and imagery. There is still thorough research, of course, but there is also character development. The authors create suspense and drama, even if some of the "finer" points may be created in order to make the story flow.
Robert Kurson, author of Shadow Divers, explained to our class in a videoconference that a good author follows the "arc of the story" by connecting big events with real incidents that acts as bridges. What can an author do, however, when the smaller details aren't available? Take Erik Larson's bestseller The Devil in the White City, for example. In order to follow the story of H.H. Holmes, it was necessary for him to include (read: fabricate) some of the smaller details because all of the individuals from that story are quite dead. It would be a short book indeed if he only had the major events to write about. His book is a fine example of "narrative nonfiction."
Does that make Larson's work of nonfiction unreliable? Does it make Kurson's work more reliable that his subjects are still alive and relatively cooperative? That's what we'll talk about in class.
Want to know more?
This picture is from My Book is Better Than
Your Book Day:
Picture courtesy of Taylor Buie. The gun
in the picture is not real, and John
Hardin was not injured. I promise.
The assignment is below. If you have any questions, just ask. Please procure your own book
from a bookstore or the library. You are
responsible for the book that you select, so do a little research
before making any final decisions.
Sample Essays
These essays are from February 2008 and are here to give you an idea of my expectations. Your specific instructions and assignment may differ. Ask me if you have questions.
