Alabama: ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’
Set in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s, Harper Lee’s Pulitzer prize-winning novel is a staple in middle and high school reading lists across the country. Even though it was published more than 50 years ago, the novel’s themes of race, justice, morality and compassion are as relevant as ever. Check out these classic books that you can read in one day.
Alaska: ‘Into the Wild’
This is Jon Krakauer’s harrowing tale of Chris McCandless, who hitchhikes to Alaska and then into the woods—alone—north of Mt. McKinley. This young man, who came from a wealthy family, had donated a large sum of money and abandoned his earthly possessions prior to his pilgrimage. Four months later, a moose hunter found his body in the woods. In this nonfiction tale, Krakauer explores themes of survivorship and materialisms, and searches for answers as to why McCandless yearned to start a new life.