A Modern Reading List for High School?

[AceLuby]

I would get rid of Shakespeare all together. Personally it was ridiculous to try to get to the point w/out some sort of cliff's notes.

One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest was one of the best books I read in HS.

Ender's Game is a great choice.

The Things They Carried is also excellent, but I think it would hit home better for 12th graders (as the story is about an 18 yr old in Vietnam).

The Hobbit would be good (and it's short, LOTR is uber long)

Hyperion is a good book regarding religion, politics, and literature. It's a sci-fi book by Dan Simmons. He has a lot of really good books that I think a 10th grader could handle. The Invisible Man is another that's quite a bit shorter, but more of a fun read as opposed to deep issues.

[MrWookie]

Personally, I think the idea that books written by people 200 years dead are no longer relevant is total bunk. One of the most memorable books I read in high school was Plato's Republic. The ideas in this book are still relevant (and brilliant) today, even if they've been built upon and amended by most of modern philosophy.

For me, a lot of what made school-type books (as opposed to fun-type books) pleasurable to read were great IDEAS, not just great writing. That's why the most memorable books for me were the idea books, not just the writing ones: the Republic (12th grade), The Things They Carried (11th grade), Man's Search For Meaning (12th grade) and my ultimate favorite, The Brothers Karamazov (12th grade).

Now, I hadn't really thought about this before, but I just had an idea of my own. One of the things I think hampered my development through HS English was that often the work we'd do about a book didn't pair well with the books we read. By and large, we wrote only analytical essays on just about any book we read, a mining these books for their ideas. And usually, we were pigeonholed into what we were supposed to think about these ideas, but that's another issue. However, the first book I read for my 9th grade English class was Old Man and the Sea, by Hemmingway. Now, the ideas in this book basically boil down to an (arguably contrived) idea that this guy is some sort of hero for wrestling in the fish, and that's the sort of essay we had to write -- demonstrating that this guy was a hero. I guess it was kind of enlightening to start looking for the hero myth archetype even when there's not an obvious hero, but I don't think a discussion of heroism is really why OMatS is a great book. It's a great book for the writing. Hemmingway's use of words in there is incredible, and that's why it's worth reading. And yet, outside of class discussions, we didn't really have to examine what made the writing itself great. If I was to redesign that part of the course, I'd go back and have us write about some elements in Hemmingway's style, find examples, and talk about what makes them so effective. We learn analytical writing by doing that, we learn creative writing by doing that, and we examine the book for the reason it's great.

On the other hand, if you take a book like the Republic, mining that for its ideas using an analytical essay is a rich learning exercise. There are so many complicated and beautiful ideas to talk about in that book that discussing the overarching message is what counts and why that book is considered great. The writing leaves much to be desired, often, but the ideas are still important.

That's I think the key as to how I'd fundamentally rework my English lit education. A lot of the exercises and essays didn't really match what we did, and often times we missed the boat as to why the book we were reading is good. I think there might be a little more enjoyment from the students if they were assigned books to read, and figuring out why they are great books is the central focus, you might get a few more students agreeing with you that the book is great, rather than simply being convinced that the old man is a hero.

Consequently, I'd want to design a course that featured books that were great for a mix of different reasons. The three big reasons for why books are great that come to mind are:

1. Big ideas, philosophy, etc. This is where the Bros. K, Man's Search for Meaning, Animal Farm, etc. fit in. These books are important for the overarching themes they present.

2. Beautiful writing. Part of any English course is not just reading, but also learning to write. A lot of the time it'll be analytical writing instead of creative writing, but students need to study good creative writing, and learning by example is a good thing. Shakespeare fits in here, along with Hemmingway and plenty of other guys.

3. Cultural relevance. Why is the Odyssey important? The writing is pretty good, but it's still fairly archaic. Philosophically, it's not the deepest thing out there, either, unless you want to talk about how a guy can sleep with various minor dietys on his way home, finally make it there, and still tell his wife that he was faithful to her. However, the story and the plot in the Odyssey are pretty pervasive in Western culture, as evidenced by O Brother Where Art Thou. I think that studying some of these sorts of books concurrently with modern examples of their relevance could be very effective.

Naturally, there will be some overlap here, and if you can find books that are examples of all three will be great. However, different students will enjoy books in different categories, so its important to have all the bases covered.

[diebitter]

Oh hell yes for 'To Kill a Mockingbird'

[ohioguy218]

[ QUOTE ]
(8) Glance through the Odyssey and watch O Brother Where Art Thou This is probably my "most clever" addition to the list. I agree with Shannon Hale that the story is what is important for The Odyssey. There are references to it in literature all over the place. And hey, there happens to be a movie that loosely parallels the story. I include the movie also becuase I think a lot of people in this (midwest) aren't exposed to something that is so rich in southern beauty (the landscapes and the music).

[/ QUOTE ]

We did this in 11th grade english. It was one of the more interesting things we did that year.

I also agree with the poster that mentioned Lord of the Flies. That makes for excellent discussion. I'd also add The Crucible. That was one of the more enjoyable and interesting works we read in High School English.

[SoloAJ]

dcasper, I will definitely look into that book. I figured it was something business related (which is a slight turnoff for me, shrug). It sounds really interesting. And I like you as a poster, so I'll trust my gut that I like your reading recs.

peter, length is an issue yes. But also, the objective for this was to try and modernize a little bit. Personally, I still think that DQ, RC and the likes would be entirely useful for todays youth (disclaimer: I haven't read those, but it extends to other very old texts I HAVE read).

The problem is moreso that you can't just teach those because the kids probably will get bored of reading the same "dense" material that they aren't interested in. I figure I could choose one or two, but I can't use up half my list on books they won't ever crack open. I guess?

DB, during one of the OOT or Lounge book clubs, that I always want to join and never got around to reading, I had Old Man and the Sea and never opened it. For some reason, it has little appeal to me off the top. Hopefully, your rec and other peoples praise will get me to read the dang thing.

[SoloAJ]

Knowledge,

As I said, I'm only 22 and in college. So your insight actually is something I value too, just to see how we differ despite similar situations. I don't really have much in response to your post because it is well-constructed and I agree with or understand a lot of what you're saying.

Definitely appreciate the input though, especially since you REMEMBER your high school assignments. The truth is, I can't name more than six things we were assigned in high school, and that was 5-8 years ago. [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

[SoloAJ]

Does anyone else have input on the Handmaid's Tale? I was recommended it in a class I had when I told the teacher I like dystopian novels. That and we were discussing Children of Men I think.

Has anyone else read it and can give som einsight? It is part of the long list of books I own that I haven't gotten around to reading yet.

[SoloAJ]

Wook, I read your post and love it. That said, I'm going to let it simmer, the rest of the thread, for a few hours or something. I feel like I'm coming guns blazing too much, and I hate the idea that I always kill my own threads with too much of my own input.

[Kimbell175113]

SoloAJ,

I read Handmaid's Tale senior year of high school. It's very good, with a sly, under-the-radar sense of humor. What are you looking for when you say 'insight,' though?

AceLuby,
depends on the Shakespeare, I think. Romeo and Juliet or A Midsummer Night's Dream are quite easy to get into compared to, say, Hamlet or Henry V.

[SoloAJ]

Basically just about that. I meant general insight as in, is it worth my moving to the top of my list and reading it or should I wait. I figured I would see what other readers had to say about it, I don't know. It is a book I haven't heard TOO much about, hence I picked it out.