The Great Santini by Pat Conroy

Eighteen-year-old Ben Meecham, a born athlete, struggles to reconcile his feelings about his father, Bull, a Marine officer whose standards and expectations for his family, and especially his firstborn son, are nearly impossible to meet.

Recommended by Mr. Rubin, Principal: “Honest, frank, and vivid, this book takes us into the life of a military family with their larger-than-life pilot father. It is one of the best novels I have ever read.”