Undergraduate

Author: David Halberstam Category: Economics What they’re saying in the Prepwise staff room: Daniel: “One of my favorite books, When Genius Failed by Roger Lowenstein, takes the reader inside the rise and fall of a 1990s Connecticut-based hedge fund run by the brightest minds in finance. While a large financial institution’s collapse impacts the macro economy, … Read more

Author:  Daniel Keyes Category: Fiction What they’re saying in the Prepwise staff room: Lisa: “This book is about a mouse receiving medical treatment that increases his IQ. Then a human becomes the test case for the same treatment. It makes the reader think about the ethics regarding medical science. It is also relevant to making … Read more

Author:  Harold Bloom Category:  Poetry What they’re saying in the Prepwise staff room: Chris: “Anything with the word “best” in it is going to stir up controversy.  Are these the best poems?  Maybe, maybe not.  They are, however, important and Bloom’s essay on how to read a poem is a classic.” Ethan: “Bloom offers a … Read more

Author: Lois Lowry Category:  fiction What they’re saying in the Prepwise staff room: Taylor: “This is also a piece of dystopian literature, in which the point of the whole society is “sameness.” When the main character is chosen to be the new Receiver of Dreams, he realizes how horrible the society actually is. He then … Read more

Author: Gayle Forman Category:  growing up What they’re saying in the Prepwise staff room: Taylor: “This book is about a girl, who after getting in a car accident, is having an out of body experience. As she is watching over herself in her hospital bed, she is remembering what had happened to the rest of … Read more

Author:  Ha Jin Category:  Fiction What they’re saying in the Prepwise staff room: Chris: “Be careful what you wish for, especially if it is another person.  You may spend your life waiting for something you, finally, don’t want.  Heartbreaking stuff.” Ethan: “For me, Waiting has always illustrated the difference between expectations and reality. I highly … Read more

Author: William Armstrong Category: Nonfiction What they’re saying in the Prepwise staff room: Daniel: The Kent school educator created a wonderful self-help book for students. Providing order to building study schedules and how to attack various subject matters, Armstrong presents frameworks that are easy to follow. Discipline, order and focus are key themes in this book … Read more

Author:  Moliere Category:  Drama What they’re saying in the Prepwise staff room: Chris: “A comedy of manners that pokes fun at how we behave in public and in private.  Read this and embrace the flawed human you are.” Ethan: “In The Misanthrope, Moliere takes a common archetype, the grumpy and negative person, and makes it … Read more

Author: John Green Category:  Young Adult What they’re saying in the Prepwise staff room: Taylor: “This book is about a teenage cancer patient who has been terminal for her entire life until a miracle happened and she started to get better. One day she falls in love with a boy who had cancer, but is … Read more

Author: Anonymous Category:  Young Adult What they’re saying in the Prepwise staff room: Taylor: This series depicts common occurrences that many teenagers feel peer pressured into trying. Such occurrences include drugs, alcohol, sex, and bulimia. All of the books are written in the actual diary of a teenager who gave into peer pressure but could … Read more

Author:  Chinua Achebe Category:  Fiction What they’re saying in the Prepwise staff room: Chris: “The story of the effect that British colonization and Christian missionaries had on a fictional African town.  It is moving and tender and among the best in African literature.” Ethan: “Things Fall Apart was my (as well as much of the … Read more

Author:  William Golding Category: Fiction What they’re saying in the Prepwise staff room: Lisa: It’s a timeless classic that I believe fits in well with the popular current genre of dystopian young adult fiction. I remember reading this in high school and I really enjoyed it. I also remember it being mentioned later when I … Read more

Author:  Kazuo Ishiguro Category:  Fiction What they’re saying in the Prepwise staff room: Chris: “The ultimate “what if” story.  Two people, in love with both their jobs and each other, make choices that reverberate for years.  One of my favorite novels of all time, this one will stay with you long after you put down … Read more

Author:  Maya Angelou Category: Fiction What they’re saying in the Prepwise staff room: Lisa: Maya Angelou’s first autobiography was one of my favorite books as a teen. She was born into poverty and went on to lead an extraordinary life. It’s a fascinating story.

Author:  William Congreve Category:  Drama What they’re saying in the Prepwise staff room: Chris: “In a time when people married for social standing and money, will love conquer all?  It might, but read this to discover just how far people are willing to go to get both love and money.” Ethan: “Debuting shortly after the … Read more

Author:  Judy Blume Category:  Young Adult What they’re saying in the Prepwise staff room: Lisa: “Judy Blume books have become a right of passage. This book is about first love by a great writer.”

Author:  William Faulkner Category:  Fiction What they’re saying in the Prepwise staff room: Chris: “An extremely difficult book to read, this is the story of a family told from differing points of view.  This is one you have to pay attention to and work at, but the story is worth the effort.” Ethan: “One of … Read more

Author: Charles Kindleberger Category: Economics What they’re saying in the Prepwise staff room: Daniel: “Plain and simple: it’s brilliant. With great detail, Kindleberger touches on the great speculative bubbles of the past. While tulip mania gets a lot of mentions when people think of historical bubbles that seemed rather irrational, he details all the notable … Read more

Author:  Jean Rhys Category:  Fiction What they’re saying in the Prepwise staff room: Chris: “A heartbreaking story about a young woman, raised in the islands, who is forced to survive in England.  This book makes me cry every time I read it.  Don’t miss it.” Ethan: “Voyage in the Dark takes an unflinchingly look at … Read more

Author:  Suzanne Collins Category: Fiction What they’re saying in the Prepwise staff room: Lisa: Suzanne Collins is a talented writer and has created a world that young readers (and adults) can’t seem to get enough of. This book was the first of a trilogy and they are all great reads.