The summer reading book for Modern World History is Empire of the Sun, by J.G. Ballard (Simon & Schuster ISBN: 0-7432-6523-8). It will be helpful [though not required] for you to read a little on what was going in in China in the 1930s and early 1940s. Please go to ABC-CLIO (www.worldhistory.abc-clio.com); New students and returning students who have forgotten the password: Email Mr. Ladd (bladd@williamsschool.org) for login information. Click on "Select a Research List," and then click on "Empire of the Sun Background." There are short pages of background information and two maps to help get you started.

WRITING ASSIGNMENT

In place of a journal, answer the following questions. Please type your responses and bring them to class on the first day of school. This assignment is weighted as two quiz grades.

1. Are novels relevant to a history class? Is this particular novel relevant? Why or why not? Please explain your reasoning (and yes, you are allowed to answer either way).

2. How is Jim's life affected by the outbreak of World War II? How is Shanghai transformed?

3. Describe Jim's capture and his long journey. What is life like for Jim in Lunghua prison camp? What individuals are most influential to him?

4. What crises threaten Jim in the final section of the novel as war comes to an end?

5. What observations can you make about human nature in wartime and in the struggle for survival? How did Jim survive? Has he changed?

6. Most novels and movies depicting World War II focus on soldiers and battles. What perspective does Empire of the Sun give you for the impact of the war on civilians?

BONUS: Write a short comparison of the novel and the movie version of Empire of the Sun.