Resources There are many resources available for each of the three titles. The books and Web sites that follow will help you get started. Although some of the books are now out of print (op), your library may still have them in its collection. You may also want to use this opportunity to update your library's collection of books about the Russian Revolution, World War I, and other topics explored in Our Town; Goodbye, Mr. Chips; and Doctor Zhivago. Our Town | Goodbye, Mr. Chips | Doctor Zhivago | Book Clubs Our Town Books Blank, Martin, et al., eds. Thornton Wilder: New Essays. West Cornwall, CT: Locust Hill Press, 1990. Bryer, Jackson R., ed. Conversations with Thornton Wilder. Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi, 1992. de Koster, Katie, ed. Readings on Thornton Wilder. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1998. Haberman, Donald C. Our Town: An American Play. Boston, MA: Twayne, 1989. Harrison, Gilbert A. The Enthusiast: A Life of Thornton Wilder. New Haven, CT: Ticknor & Fields, 1983. (op) Note: Companion editions of Our Town are available from HarperCollins (hardcover) and Perennial (paperback). Web Sites Thornton Wilder Society Offers an illustrated Wilder biography, a "Wilder and Film" essay, current articles of interest, and an extensive bibliography of articles and books about Thornton Wilder and Our Town. Modern British, Irish, and American Drama: A Descriptive Chronology, 1865-1965 A chronicle of British, Irish, and American drama by a Binghamton University professor that can be accessed by decade and by year. Information about Our Town can be found under the year 1938. The Uncommon Decency Behind Wilder's Books This article, by Washington Post staff writer Philip Kennicott, explores facets of Wilder's writings and personality. Digital History Supports the teaching of American history in elementary schools, high schools, and colleges. Includes Resource Guides by Period for 1900-1929; summaries of progressivism, immigration, and World War I; and links to other readings, online texts, and primary sources. The Small Town Setting Use the list below to compare and contrast Our Town with other works set in small towns. Many contemporary young adult books are also set in small towns, such as The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier. Ask your young adult librarian for additional suggestions. Films All the Right Moves American Graffiti Groundhog Day Footloose It's a Wonderful Life La Bamba The Majestic Pleasantville Sounder That Thing You Do The Truman Show Television Dawson's Creek Everwood The Gilmore Girls Smallville Books The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain The Crucible by Arthur Miller A Death in the Family by James Agee A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers Mama Day by Gloria Naylor My Antonia by Willa Cather Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson back to top Goodbye, Mr. Chips Books Adams, Simon. World War I. New York: Dorling Kindersley, 2001. Ashton-Warner, Sylvia. Teacher. New York: Touchstone Books, 1986. Edmundson, Mark. Teacher: The One Who Made the Difference. New York: Random House, 2002. Fraser, George MacDonald. The World of the Public School. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1977. (op) Nieto, Sonia. What Keeps Teachers Going? New York: Teachers College Press, 2003. Ogilvie, Vivian. The English Public School. London: B.T. Batsford, LTD., 1957. (op) Shreve, Porter, and Susan Richards Shreve. Tales Out of School. Boston: Beacon Press, 2000. Taylor, A. J. P., ed. The First World War: An Illustrated History. New York: Perigree, 1972. Winter, Jay, and Blaine Baggett. The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century. New York: Penguin, 1996. (See also the companion series PBS Web site.) Web Sites The World of English: English Public Schools Features a short description of life in an English public school written by an alum. BBC Homepage Contains a selection of essays, maps, and statistics on the cultural, technological, military, and economic history of Great Britain. The World War I Website Acts as a comprehensive portal with links to other Web sites about World War I, organized by country. School Stories Films Blackboard Jungle Dangerous Minds David Copperfield Dead Poets Society Election The Emperor's Club Fame Fast Times at Ridgemont High Ferris Bueller's Day Off Finding Forrester High School (documentary by Fred Wiseman) The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby The Miracle Worker Mr. Holland's Opus Music of the Heart The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie Stand and Deliver To Sir with Love Television Beverly Hills 90210 Boston Public Freaks and Geeks My So-Called Life The Wonder Years Books Best Intentions by Robert Sam Anson Black Ice by Lorene Cary Boy by Roald Dahl The Day I Became an Autodidact by Kendall Hailey Tom Brown's Schooldays by Thomas Hughes A Separate Peace by John Knowles Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane Christy by Catherine Marshall Hunger of Memory by Richard Rodriguez Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger Almost a Woman by Esmeralda Santiago A Hope in the Unseen by Ron Suskind Many young adult books also use the school setting, such as The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier and Nothing but the Truth by Avi. You may want to ask the young adult librarian for additional suggestions. back to top Doctor Zhivago Books Barnes, Christopher J. Boris Pasternak: A Literary Biography. London: Cambridge University Press, 1998. Bolt, Robert. Doctor Zhivago: The Screenplay. New York: Random House, 1965. (op) Fitzpatrick, Sheila. The Russian Revolution. London: Oxford University Press, 2001. Fleishman, Lazar. Boris Pasternak: The Poet and His Politics. Boston: Harvard University Press, 1990. Gifford, Henry. Pasternak: A Critical Study. London: Cambridge University Press, 1977. Hingley, Ronald. Nightingale Fever: Russian Poets in Revolution. New York: Knopf, 1981. Hingley, Ronald. Pasternak: A Biography. New York: Knopf, 1983. Hughes, Olga R. The Poetic World of Boris Pasternak. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1974. Perkins, Pamela, and Albert Cook. The Burden of Sufferance: Women Poets of Russia. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1993. Note: The companion edition of Doctor Zhivago is available from Pantheon books. Web Sites Boris (Leonidovich) Pasternak (1890-1960) Includes information about Pasternak, a list of selected works, and links to biographies of other Russian writers such as Tolstoy and poet Anna Ahkmatova. Literature, Arts, and Medicine Database Contains a plot summary and a brief commentary about the themes in the novel. back to top Book Clubs Books Dodson, Shireen. The Mother-Daughter Book Club: How Ten Busy Mothers and Daughters Came Together to Talk, Laugh and Learn Through Their Love of Reading. New York: HarperPerennial, 1997. Jacobsohn, Rachel. The Reading Group Handbook: Everything You Need to Know to Start Your Own Book Club. New York: Hyperion, 1998. Slezak, Ellen, ed. The Book Group Book: A Thoughtful Guide to Forming and Enjoying a Stimulating Book Discussion Group. Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 2000. Web Sites The ALA Public Programs Office Provides leadership resources, training, and networking opportunities that help librarians nationwide develop and host cultural opportunities for adults, young adults, and families. The Nuts and Bolts of Book Groups The Lucius Beebe Memorial Library offers resources and suggestions for creating a successful book group. 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