First, let me start by saying I didn't go to the most prestigious high school, so there were a lot of books I was never assigned that most of my peers from other high schools were (e.g. The Great Gatsby, The Catcher in the Rye, any complete play by Shakespeare, etc.). But, there were a few commonly assigned books we did read, including:
Of these, I loved Night! (There I go with my sad books again.) I also enjoyed The Hobbit, but I had read it before for pleasure. (So, truth be told, I probably didn't even reread it when it was assigned haha.) To Kill a Mockingbird is, of course, a beloved classic. I was pretty eh on the other two. Instead of any of these books, though (except Night), I would have much rather been assigned one of these classic books that I've read on my own at one point or another:
And finally, I think these three books should be added to all junior high and/or early high school required reading lists:
Yes, I know they are considered "controversial" by some groups, and that's part of the reason I picked them. :) But more on that next week when The Book Chat discusses books that cover tough topics and controversial issues! I hope you can join us.
P.S. — I just wanted to say while searching Goodreads for ideas for this post, I realized people have very strong opinions about the books we read in school, including whomever created the list "Read These in School - Would Have Preferred a Root Canal." Ha!
P.P.S. — In case you missed it last week, check out my photo a day challenge for Banned Books Week here. (Details are at the bottom of the post.)
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*All images in this post via Goodreads.
