Background:
I am teaching at a college in P.R. China. My classes are almost entirely female. That is the reason that I am asking about books suitable to young women.
The stated purpose of the English program is to teach English communication. Literature is only one class in a four year program. First I will provide an excerpt from a letter that I sent in response to a question by the school management.
Quote:
This leads to another concern that the foreign teachers have discussed, and, quite frankly, mocked, for years. I am speaking on the reliance of literature that is often over one–hundred years old. While there is no doubt that Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, and Mark Twain , along with other classic writers, have made significant, historical, contributions to English literature, reliance on these works for the purpose of teaching any English class, other than the history of literature, is non-productive and should be stopped immediately.
By way of example, if I were studying the Chinese language, as it is used today, I would be far better served by reading 韩寒 (Han Han) than 孙子 (Sun Tzu). The works of Sun Tzu are significant and should not be diminished; however, they do not inform me, through my reading, of how the Chinese language is used today. The same exists in English; but, as English is a very dynamic language, the time frame is much shorter. The library and campus stores should provide students with a broad selection of books written since the 1980’s and significantly less emphasis should be placed on books written by authors born before the 1880’s.
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The standard reading list is built around the works of Mark Twain, Emily Brombeck, Charles Dickens, and Jane Austen. Particular emphasis is also placed on the venerable work, Gone With the Wind with nearly every student writing their senior thesis on either this book or on Jane Ayer. I emphasize that this is not for the purpose of studying literature. This reading list is intended to aid the students in writing and communication.
The Question:
What books would you suggest for young women about 17-24 years old? Keep in mind, they, as a group, do not like monsters or explicit romance.
They like challenging vocabulary; in general, they think the value in reading is to discover, previously unknown, words. However, as a teacher, what I want them to be doing is to be involving themselves in engaging stories that will aid them in internalizing proper grammar, particularly tense and forms of be (that’s right, throw Twain off the train).
So, no explicit sex, nothing scary, and 17-24; any suggestions?