<p>I’m an international student and am going to self study for this exam. I haven’t done much of the recommended reading, will this hurt?
Also, what books do you recommend?</p>
<p>just from what my AP lit teacher has told me, it really helps if you do read the recommended reading.
I can’t really remember all the books she told us to read, but read a lot of American classics- the scarlet letter, the great gatsby…</p>
<p>I took the class last year, and we read: Their Eyes Were Watching God, Frankenstein, Hamlet (the AP exam may let you get away with a long poem), The Stranger, Jane Eyre, and etc. I would suggest reading what many consider to be the classics. Authors like Steinbeck, Hawthorne, Shakespeare, and Hughes will often find a way to show up on the suggested topics list when you are writing your essay about a famous work.
The essays really require you to know about atleast one famous work, so I would pick two or three great novels, one Shakesperean work (optional/just to be prepared), and one epic poem (really really optional) that you adore, so no matter what kind of leniency the question allows for, you’ll be ready.</p>
<p>Thank you for your help!</p>