The best book your school made you read?
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Another one for "to kill a mockingbird" and "animal farm". Those books were just so perfect, they seem so timeless.
Grade School: The Giver by Lois Lowry. Wasn't my favourite at the time but it has stuck with me all these years and I still find myself recalling scenes from the book even today. Just last week I remembered the conversation Jonas? Jason? Jessie? whatever-the-hell-his-name-was had with the titular Giver regarding "seeing beyond" and how he was able to see the colour red when most everyone else only had monochrome vision.
Honourable Mention: Hatchet by Gary Paulsen.
High School: Toss-up between We by Yevgeny Zamyatin and what I think was Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl. The former, like The Giver, I didn't much enjoy while reading it but it has haunted me for years since, while the latter I immensely enjoyed at the time as well as now. Problem is I'm not sure whether it was Dahl's short story or a knock-off, though I have little reason to suspect the latter.
Honourable Mention: Inherit the Wind by Robert E. Lee (not the confederate commander, the other one).
Dishonourable Mention: The Mayor of Casterbridge by Tom Hardy (not the man who played Bane, the other one).
Honourable Mention: Hatchet by Gary Paulsen.
High School: Toss-up between We by Yevgeny Zamyatin and what I think was Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl. The former, like The Giver, I didn't much enjoy while reading it but it has haunted me for years since, while the latter I immensely enjoyed at the time as well as now. Problem is I'm not sure whether it was Dahl's short story or a knock-off, though I have little reason to suspect the latter.
Honourable Mention: Inherit the Wind by Robert E. Lee (not the confederate commander, the other one).
Dishonourable Mention: The Mayor of Casterbridge by Tom Hardy (not the man who played Bane, the other one).
In my junior year of high school, I was in AP Literature, and I had to read Doctor Zhivago, Doll's House, Antigone, and several other books and plays I can't remember. I hated it so much it turned me off casual reading altogether.
For my senior year, I dropped down to regular literature. That year I read One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Slaughterhouse-Five. I loved both of them, with Slaughterhouse-Five being the favorite book I've ever read. If I hadn't dropped down to regular literature I wouldn't have read those books and I probably would've given up reading as a hobby.
For my senior year, I dropped down to regular literature. That year I read One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Slaughterhouse-Five. I loved both of them, with Slaughterhouse-Five being the favorite book I've ever read. If I hadn't dropped down to regular literature I wouldn't have read those books and I probably would've given up reading as a hobby.
The Outsider by Albert Camus. Book changed my whole view on life rather profoundly and was simply a masterpiece. My teacher was fairly awesome as well.
I also done King Lear with an edition of Burial at Thebes by Seamus Heaney. Burial was good but King Lear was unbelievably good, the same teacher had done her Phd in Shakespearean studies so it was some high quality and very awesome reading
I also done King Lear with an edition of Burial at Thebes by Seamus Heaney. Burial was good but King Lear was unbelievably good, the same teacher had done her Phd in Shakespearean studies so it was some high quality and very awesome reading
A Cather in the Rye is mine. If you had told me before reading this that someone could make an interesting story about what someone does for two days to avoid his parents I would have laughed at you. I think the reason I really love it is because it's such a down to Earth story: no goals, no forced lessons, and it is completely serious about it's plot revolving around the relatively mundane.
Our school made us read Animal Farm by George Orwell. I'm sure I would have enjoyed it if I wasn't an annoyed, pubescent, asshole 12 year old at the time (I've also read it since and actually enjoyed it).
Primary/Middle School:
Shakespeare's "Hamlet"
I read "The Drawing of the Three" by Stephen King for a book report, that was pretty awesome but I chose it myself.
Secondary School:
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
University (So Many I loved, hard to choose the best):
"Dry Lips Oughtta Move to Kapuskasing" by Tomson Highway
"The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven" by Sherman Alexie
"Billy Bishop Goes to War" by John MacLachlan Gray and Eric Peterson
"All Quiet On The Western Front" by Erich Maria Remarque
"Maus I & II" by Art Spiegelman
"Regeneration" by Pat Barker
"Fun Home" by Alison Bechdel
"A&P" by John Updike
There are more but I can't recall the rest at this moment.
Shakespeare's "Hamlet"
I read "The Drawing of the Three" by Stephen King for a book report, that was pretty awesome but I chose it myself.
Secondary School:
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
University (So Many I loved, hard to choose the best):
"Dry Lips Oughtta Move to Kapuskasing" by Tomson Highway
"The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven" by Sherman Alexie
"Billy Bishop Goes to War" by John MacLachlan Gray and Eric Peterson
"All Quiet On The Western Front" by Erich Maria Remarque
"Maus I & II" by Art Spiegelman
"Regeneration" by Pat Barker
"Fun Home" by Alison Bechdel
"A&P" by John Updike
There are more but I can't recall the rest at this moment.
The abridged version isn't nearly as good in my opinion, you might want to get your own if they have you reading the 300 page one.Jaeke said:
I've always quite liked Shakespeare, if you understand his writing it's actually quite beautiful.
"The path of true love never did run smooth."
I've seen a lot of his plays. I studied both both English and Perfomrning Arts so I had no choice but to like it xD
I've never read Of Mice And Men but I've seen it and thought it was pretty good.
I loved Wuthering Heights, Little Women, Frankenstein, The Handmaids Tale, Death Of A Salesman and most of the books I read in primary school.
"The path of true love never did run smooth."
I've seen a lot of his plays. I studied both both English and Perfomrning Arts so I had no choice but to like it xD
I've never read Of Mice And Men but I've seen it and thought it was pretty good.
I loved Wuthering Heights, Little Women, Frankenstein, The Handmaids Tale, Death Of A Salesman and most of the books I read in primary school.
"The Morte D'Arthur" by Sir Thomas Mallory. I had an awesome English teacher. Otherwise "The Count of Monte Cristo" even if it was a translation was a good read. I read a lot on my own but of the books I was assigned those are the two that stick out the most.
In my senior year in High School I read Beowulf. The rest of the class hated it, but they were morons anyway. In college, we read Generation: Kill for an anthropology class.
I quite enjoyed Lord of the Flies, very interesting book - imagine it was quite controversial in its time too, a book that explores the idea of children having the capability of turning into murderers without the authority of society intervening? cool stuff.
An inspector calls was pretty good too, the even took us to see the theater show in London.
An inspector calls was pretty good too, the even took us to see the theater show in London.
I'd say The Oustiders. It wasn't too deep or literary or anything, but it was really well written, was exciting, and had a good story. (Read it in 7th grade)
Edit: Also I really liked The Odyssey. The translation could get pretty hard to read at times but it was a great book. (9th grade)
Edit 2: And Animal Farm, insightful but also very funny. (8th grade)
Edit: Also I really liked The Odyssey. The translation could get pretty hard to read at times but it was a great book. (9th grade)
Edit 2: And Animal Farm, insightful but also very funny. (8th grade)