What books would you like to be taught?

[Shaun]

If you were to change the curriculum for your middle school, high school, or college English classes, what books would you have them teach?

For me I'd like to see more controversial books be taught because I believe kids in high school are perfectly capable of grappling adult issues in literature. So:
Catcher in the Rye
Lolita
Ender's Game
Octavia Butler's work, and some Samuel R. Delany.
Philip K. Dick, because his work is fantastic and would offer a lot of discussion about humanity and reality.

You?

[Squint]

"The Battle for God: A History of Fundamentalism" by Karen Armstrong

That book in a Catholic all-girls school will wreak havoc. Yay.

[Shaun]

Haha! Any others you'd like to mention?

[phobophile]

the most beautiful woman in town by charles bukowski. he is a perverted hemingway.

[Starry]

We read Catcher in the Rye! It was pretty awesome.

Anyways, for me specifically, I'm in an "international" magnet program, which basically just means European. We always say that all of the books we read are written by "old dead white European guys," as most students and plenty of teachers say. Also, most of our books are translated from another language, which is annoying, because how do you interpret the author's words if you're already being subjected to the translator's opinion?

So anyway, I would love to see:
1. books originally written in English (it is English class, after all)
2. books from places other than Western Europe
3. books written less than one hundred years ago

Essentially, I would just like to read something other than traditional "classics." I understand that there's a lot to be learned from classic novels, but there's so much more out there. Sci fi, historical fiction, realistic fiction, something different from the books we've always read!

[Nyx]

I second Ender's Game!

[Carraka]

I was taught Ender's Game in 5th grade ... except not really. All I remember having to do is read it -- we didn't write any essays on it, thank goodness. That might've ruined the experience. Ender's Game probably opened the entire sci-fi genre to me, so I'm gonna thank my 5th grade English teacher now.

[...]

Damn, I miss elementary school.

I care more about the way something is taught than what is taught. I'd like a breather from classic novels, but if I know myself, the only classic stuff I'm ever going to read is the stuff that's forced down my throat. So I'm just going to just take advantage of the school system. I wouldn't mind reading the books that are being recommended in this thread, but neither would I mind reading what's already been lined up for us. (Considering that Catcher in the Rye is lined up ... )

EDIT: I feel paranoid, but did someone edit this post?

[Shaun]

Ender's Game is actually on the list of acceptable titles to teach. It just doesn't get taught everywhere. The year I graduated high school was the year before they introduced that book into the senior English class. It sucks...

I think something really interesting to do in schools would be to introduce controversial books. The problem with that is that there are far too many uptight, completely anal parents (religious and not), who are incapable of acknowleding that their kids are being exposed to filthy language and sex every day at school anyway. If any parent honestly believes they can isolate their children from those things, then maybe they shouldn't be parents.

Catcher in the Rye would be a really interesting thing for a high school course...

[Lykaios]

What's Catcher in the Rye about?

I'd like to be taught some more recently published books too. I'm doing Lord of the Flies for the second time and our teachers had an option of a load of 'classics' to choose from.

Or some other classics we don't usually get to do, like Tess of the D'Urbervilles or Peter Pan; something different.

[phobophile]

it is a book that explores the conscience of most young men. this is done in a simple way. still a good book though.

[Hannah_Scotland]

We're being taught 'To Kill A Mocking Bird' right now. A pretty good book I'd say. 'MacBeth' and 'Lord of the Flies' on the other hand...

[Starry]

I liked Lord of the Flies and Macbeth!

...not that I remember them all that much. I'm too overwhelmed by this year's English curriculum to remember previous years'.

One other thing I thought of later: lessen up on the Shakespeare, all right? I get that he's a literary genius, but he's not the only literary genius out there, you know? We've gotten at least one, if not two, Shakespeare plays in English every year since the fifth grade, and I feel like we're missing out on so much other stuff.

[Lykaios]

Lord of the Flies . . . I hate it.

Good writing but an awful story, and twice is too much for me.

One of my friends in in a class that's doing Macbeth, I'd so swap. :(

[ElephntFalingOffClif]

I would like to be taught "The Mists of Avalon" by Marrion Zimmer Bradley. The amazing story of King Arthur.

[appleofmyeye]

I liked analyzing Lord of the Flies, but not so much reading it.

I think they should teach Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. Because those situations do happen way too often with teenagers. Maybe it would help if teens could see the repercussions of drinking underage at parties. I would love to be taught Speak in English class.

[Shaun]

I agree, apple. You'll probably see a lot of resistance though, particularly from parents who don't want to acknowledge that their children are already discussing and being exposed to such things as underage drinking, sex, etc.

I also agree with Elephnt that it would be interesting to see more exposure to King Arthur, although I'm not sure if Bradley would be a good introduction.

[Starry]

Yeah, there are plenty of good King Arthur books (and plenty of not-so-good King Arthur books) that are a lot closer to being considered school-appropriate. I've never actually read The Mists of Avalon, but I have several friends who have, who warn me against reading it due to being ridiculously sketchy and full of sex and other such things that I am sure parents woul object to.

[Alex]

We had Catcher last year... I hate it. I get why people like it but the idea behind it is completley wrong in my opinion, but that being said it needs to be taught for the impact it had.

Catcher in the Rye

Death of a Salesman

Twelve Angry Men

Jane Eyre (it should be taught for its use of social commentary no matter how pedantic the book itself is)

Slaughterhouse V (a much better book than Ender's Game quite frankly, more to analyze, a great writer at his best)

One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest

The Rebel (I don't like Camus but hes influential and The Rebel is a nice, although biased, commentary of the times)

Lolita (I agree, although I question most students' ability to understand it enough for it to be effective. It shouldn't not be taught because of the obvious sexual themes, but it should not be taught if students won't be able to take anything from it)

Lord of the Flies (bad book, great book to analyze and pick out specific themes from and build upon them)

Macbeth (the only Shakespeare I enjoy and I feel at least 1 piece by shakespeare should be taught)


I'm sure there are others, but I can't think of them right now

[Shaun]

I think the problem with that list, Alex, is that it falls prey to what hurts literature courses in schools right now: lots of books that most people are going to find incredibly dull. Perhaps a good idea would be to mix some of those books with books that might be more accepted among a wider range of people (say put Lolita in and then Ender's Game, or some other more popular work that has serious themes to discuss). That's my thought though.

[phobophile]

We had Catcher last year... I hate it. I get why people like it but the idea behind it is completley wrong in my opinion, but that being said it needs to be taught for the impact it had.

Catcher in the Rye

Death of a Salesman

Twelve Angry Men

Jane Eyre (it should be taught for its use of social commentary no matter how pedantic the book itself is)

Slaughterhouse V (a much better book than Ender's Game quite frankly, more to analyze, a great writer at his best)

One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest

The Rebel (I don't like Camus but hes influential and The Rebel is a nice, although biased, commentary of the times)

Lolita (I agree, although I question most students' ability to understand it enough for it to be effective. It shouldn't not be taught because of the obvious sexual themes, but it should not be taught if students won't be able to take anything from it)

Lord of the Flies (bad book, great book to analyze and pick out specific themes from and build upon them)

Macbeth (the only Shakespeare I enjoy and I feel at least 1 piece by shakespeare should be taught)


I'm sure there are others, but I can't think of them right now

- catcher in the rye is an easy read that doesnt need to be taught, but it is reasonable to teach it. death of a salesman is a great story, miller is a great playwrite. my favorite kurt v. book is cats cradle. camus is a literary genious and is in no position to be judged by the likes of us. he was a better writer than all of us and always will be. i can only hope to someday have the literary mind of that man. everyone is biased whether we like to beleive it or not. lolita is also an amazing book. at the high school level, one should be able to handle the sexuality of the book. most students dont take anything from it because they either dont care about literature or are too incompetent to understand it. lord of the flies- obviously a decent book seeing as how it is still taught so regularly and because the basic archetypes of the novel are pretty solid and tought provoking.

[Alex]

Nathaniel Hawthorne is a much better writer than I will ever be as well but that doesn't mean I don't hate Scarlet Letter or Rapuchini's Daughter

also, I don't know about you guys but I was enthralled with Slaughterhouse (didn't really enjoy cat's cradle) until he goes and damn cocks it up with Kilgore Trout. I found it an enjoyable read. I felt One Flew was a nice read as well, although the dialect made it rather slow I will admit.

[phobophile]

you can find exceptions in pretty much everything. not only that but that is just one persons opinion about hawthorne. i like his work.

[Crocolyle]

Nathaniel Hawthorne is a much better writer than I will ever be as well but that doesn't mean I don't hate Scarlet Letter or Rapuchini's Daughter

also, I don't know about you guys but I was enthralled with Slaughterhouse (didn't really enjoy cat's cradle) until he goes and damn cocks it up with Kilgore Trout. I found it an enjoyable read. I felt One Flew was a nice read as well, although the dialect made it rather slow I will admit.

LISTEN:
I personally loved Kilgore Trout in this as well as in The Breakfast of Champions. Slaughterhouse 5 is an excellent, if at times a little confusing novel. I liked the discussion of free will vs. determinism, and how there always seems to be war. Makes me think of a song that goes something like this:

My name is Yon Yonson
I was born in Wisconsin
I worked in a lumber mill there
The people I meet when I walk down the street,
They ask me my name and I say:
My name is Yon Yonson,
I live in Wisconsin...

and so forth, until infinity.

---

Books that should be taught:
The Moon Is Down
The Razor's Edge
The Scarlet Letter (The Best Book I Ever Read)
A Clockwork Orange
Some Carver short stories. I love me some Ray Carver.