Samo required reading ranked!
Throughout their school careers students engage in some form of required reading. These books can be classic or contemporary literature, and students’ opinions of the books vary. Here is one student’s thoughts on district readings from 7th to 12th grade.
Juliet Swimmer, Staff Writer
“The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton: Fourteen-year-old Ponyboy Curtis and his older brothers Soda and Darry Curtis struggle to find a home when most of their family is gone and their friends are in gangs. They have to stick together through all the many challenges they encounter. They try to find hope in their seemingly hopeless world. I loved this captivating, thrilling and emotional rollercoaster of a story and it is one of my all time favorite books.
“Lord of The Flies” by William Golding: A group of British boys get stranded on a deserted island and have to survive. The tale exhibits the worst and best instincts in human nature. This story was so fun and explored natural human dynamics within groups, how people come to leadership positions and how humans are wired to fight for survival.
“The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald: Follows Jay Gatsby, a man whose life revolves around his one true desire: to be reunited with Daisy Buchanan, the love he lost five years earlier. Over the course of Gatsby’s quest, he escapes poverty and sails into wealth, into the arms of his beloved, and eventually to death. Jay embodies the worst excesses of American capitalism which drive him to become insane. The way Gatsby pursues wealth so vehemently and succeeds but simultaneously loses all sense of value and the ability to connect with people makes him a very interesting character to read about. Daisy Buchanan’s character, although heavily sought after, seems lost within her life and depicts the negative side of people coming into wealth.
“To Kill a Mocking Bird” by Harper Lee: A Black man named Tom Robinson gets wrongly accused of raping a white woman and the leading protagonist, Atticus Finch defends him in court in his racist town. The chances of him winning are dismal, and though Finch knows it, he continues to fight for his beliefs despite public opinion. This story depicted an important time in American history and showed the evolution of racial discrimination within the country. With strong protagonists and an interesting story line, the story made for an enjoyable read. “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller: Tells the story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony during the late seventeenth century. It explores human nature’s struggles with faith, loyalty and truth through a plethora of characters. The characters in the story made it especially interesting and explored the inner struggles the characters face created by the trials.
“Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave” by Fredrick Douglass: This narrative tells the story of Fredrick Doouglass’ life, from growing up in slavery to eventually becoming free through graphic stories and inspring sucesses. This inspiring yet grueling story has captured many audiences throughout history, exposing the hard, indigestable realities of slavery.
“Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare: Shakespeare’s 16th-century-star-crossed-lovers play features the true power of love and hate when Romeo and Juliet meet at a party and fall in love. Their rival families and eventually their love leads them to their death. Although I did enjoy the story’s enticing, romantic plot, the way we over-analyzed the symbols and motifs in this story drew away from the story.
“Beloved” by Toni Morrison: Toni Morrison’s “Beloved” tells the story of a slave, Sethe, and her young daughter Denver, who live in Cincinatti. They are presented with a ghost in their home who is thought to be the spirit of Denver’s deceased sister. When an old friend of Sethe’s arrives, Sethe revisits her past experiences as a slave. The story then switches between the past and present of Sethe’s life exposing nail biting realities of slavery and her life living with the ghost. This beautifully worded novel has been a celebrated American classic for over three decades, and for very good reason. Morrison’s way with words along with the crueling, captivating story created a beautiful work of literature.
“The Best We Could Do” by Thi Bui: The illustrated memoir tells the story of Thi Bui’s parents’ life before and during the Vietnam War, how they escaped from Vietnam when Bui was a child and their prolonged migration to the United States. The story was not particularly captivating but the successes and graphic adversities made it more enjoyable. Graphic novels can be harder to consume in general; unfortunately, this one was no exception.
