Rachel Baack

Summary: In this autobiography, Michelle Obama recounts her experience growing up on Chicago’s Southside, getting a higher education at Princeton and Harvard, meeting Barack Obama—the man who would become her husband and the 44th president of the United States—seeking purpose in her career, becoming a mother, and taking on the role of First Lady.

When reading this book, I was struck by just how incredibly impressive Michelle Obama is: she is an intelligent, driven woman who has worked to improve the lives of others on a gigantic scale, remained dedicated to raising her daughters well and with love, supported the political career of her husband without ever losing herself, and, through it all, carried herself with grace.

Summary: Ponyboy is a member of a gang called the Greasers. The gang is like a family to him, and he knows they’ll always have his back against their rival gang, the Socs. One night, after Ponyboy has a fight with his brother and runs out of his house, he and a fellow greaser get into more trouble than they ever imagined.

Summary: This book is written from the perspective of a miserable, disillusioned man who lives alone in Russia. It is divided into two parts. In the first part, the man gives an abstract explanation of his views on free will, arbitrary actions, alienation, and other ideas. In the second section, he describes a series of interactions that he had with others at an earlier point in his life that demonstrate his alienation.