Grade 7-8 Story by Gish Jen. A Chinese-American girl admires a beautiful white umbrella at piano class. She knows that if she asked for one, her mother would say: “All you want is things, just like an American”. Her kind teacher gives her the umbrella. Shortly afterwards, she throws away!
Short Story by Andrea Barrett. A celebration of the life and work of renowned biologist Carl Linnaeus. The dying scientist has his coachman take him to his country estate where he reminisces about his life and the fate of the “apostles” he sent around the world collecting biological specimens.
Short Story by Premchand. Father and son Chamars (one of India’s Dalit or “untouchable” sub-castes) receive donations to buy a funeral shroud for the son’s deceased wife. The lazy but likeable pair will do anything to shirk work, and end up spending the money on a boozy night in town.
Novelette by Stephen Crane. An inspiring story of the real-life ordeal of four men whose ship sinks, leaving them alone in a small life-boat to face a stormy sea. A defining feature is the way men from such diverse backgrounds were able to maintain their self-discipline and work together.
Novelette by Ivan Bunin. An overweight, fifty-eight-year-old industrialist who had grown rich off the sweat of Chinese immigrants treats himself and his family to a two-year trip around the world. He only makes it as far as Capri, where he dies of a heart attack.