I've been thinking of books we may like to read as a class or in literature circles. I have been rereading books I read as a youth to see if they are as good as I remember and if they might make good selections for us as a class. Currently, I am reading  A Tree Grows in Brooklyn; it is better than I remember.  Betty Smith has a raw, gritty authenticity to her writing that makes me believe she is telling the story of real people. When she described the incident of the stoning of Joanna not only could I see the scene play out in my head, but I also felt compassion for both the perpetrators and the victim. Ms. Smith humanizes her characters.

What are you reading? What are your book, short story, and poem recommendations?
Mrs. Hopkins