GHS Required reading: are we what we read?

You are what you eat. The question is, can the same be applied to reading? 

There’s no question that the required books in the GHS curriculum are depressing, to put it lightly. Take, for example, the books students read during their freshman year (freshmen, skip ahead to the next paragraph). Of Mice and Men: A man is forced to kill his best friend to save him from an incoming mob. Antigone: Only one central character survives, having outlived his wife, son, and niece, all because of his stubbornness. The Nickel Boys: A boy witnesses the horrific murder of his pseudo-brother. The Catcher in the Rye: Perhaps not as depressing as the others in the traditional sense, but Holden’s grief over his brother and pessimistic viewpoint tear at anyone’s heartstrings. 

Sophomore year books are a bit less saddening--after all, Huck Finn is primarily a satire at its core--but they’re still not “uplifting” or “cheerful.” Our main example: Macbeth. Enough said, truthfully. 

Of course, one can’t really apply the same knowledge to the juniors and seniors, as it all depends on what class they choose to take. Regardless, it seems that, ultimately, regardless of  what class you take, you are bound to read something bleak. Is this impacting students’ reading habits? 

Although this varies from person to person, there are many who simply don’t read outside of school. It might be a result of a lack of time, or a lack of interest. Is it possible that reading such bleak books at school is further discouraging them from reading? Would more kids read if it wasn’t for the required curriculum? Is part of the problem the books we’re reading?

According to junior Miyu Ito, “The school required readings are usually boring and not very fun to read. I know for me, having assigned reading discourages me from reading in my free time because required reading takes up a lot of the time I would otherwise put aside to read books that I like or browse the library...I don’t enjoy reading books when they’re assigned as homework.”

On a similar note, junior Hamin Shin believes that having required books discourages reading, stating, “I feel like there’s so many books out there that are better, and we only read historical books that are important to culture. But they’re all grim, tragic, and sad.”

Does this have to do with the depressive nature of the books?

Some believe that it’s only natural that the curriculum requires books of a bleak nature, as they teach us the most about real life. As sophomore Anya Nadel expressed, “I think that many great works of literature tend to have darker themes about life and society, so I don’t think it’s excessive necessarily… Although there are certainly minor consequences to reading depressing books, I think the benefits of learning how society truly is outweigh any brief moments of sadness that would result from reading such books.” 

Shin was of a similar opinion, saying , “No, I don’t think it’s excessive. It’s just that there’s always that one book in every class that just makes everything feel bleak…and they're all kinds of tragedies, you know? The happiest ones aren’t really happy, they’re just tragedies… I don’t think it’d directly affect mental health. But it could influence it.”

The discussion of mental health is a constant throughout our lives, especially in school. GHS offers many resources for students struggling with their mental health, from Anonymous Alerts to the presence of psychologists and social workers in every house. However, it might be a possibility that a significant source of mental health struggles comes from within students’ classes. 

“I know for many, this probably isn’t an issue,” said an anonymous student, “But for me, what I read has a huge impact on my mindset and my mental health. Especially during junior year, when I’m already so stressed from colleges and standardized tests, reading stories where a parent abuses their child or a man kidnaps a teenage girl just makes me feel worse. I love reading, but only reading negative things takes a toll, and having to analyze so many bleak stories, without a happy one in between, makes it difficult to have motivation and to enjoy some much-needed relaxation at the end of the day.” 

Ito added, “When teachers require reading that’s consistent, and at a certain level of difficulty, it’s discouraging for people who read books to relax, without feeling like they’re actually actively reading. It’s also discouraging for students when they’re embarrassed by their taste in books because then they feel too scared to read things they actually enjoy,” explaining that people’s mental health could still be affected, even if it doesn’t have to do with the tone of the books. 

Of course, some would argue that independent reading projects require students to pick any book and read it during a marking period. Required by many English classes, the projects are a way for students to read anything that they’re interested in, allowing them to have more control over what they read. 

Despite this, students say that the projects tend to do more harm than good. 

As another anonymous student explained, “There’s just no time for it. Between homework and any extracurricular activities that someone might have, be it sports, theater, or even just a club, there’s just no time to read. I’m too mentally exhausted to read at the end of the day. It’s the last thing anyone needs when they’re already exhausted. I want to read on my own time, but independent reading projects just take up more of my time, and I feel like I spend more time on a single book than I would otherwise. Normally, I’d finish the book and move on to the next one, but the independent reading projects make me tied to the book for the whole marking period. There’s no time to read anything else.”

“Despite the benefits that they [the books] may offer to some students, many end up feeling as though reading as a whole is just a school assignment and wouldn’t want to read, making their feelings towards reading worse than they may have been previously,” said Anya. 

Ultimately, it seems that most students agree that the required reading can cause more consequences than benefits. Whether it be from the distressing nature of the book, or the time commitment it requires, or even just the lack of interest that can reduce the desire to read even further, it’s clear that assigning books is a difficult thing to navigate. So, what should GHS do? 

Hamin believes that GHS shouldn’t change anything, stating that “There isn’t anything the school can do, really. Nobody likes reading anymore.” 

A possible solution could be to update the independent reading projects. For instance, in middle school, some teachers assigned documents that students had to update weekly, indicating how much they had read during the week. Personally, I saw the impact that this had on my classmates. Many students were motivated to read, without feeling like it was a chore, as there wasn’t a deadline to finish a book, and students could stop reading something if they weren’t enjoying it. 

Of course, there are many books that everyone should read during their lifetime, as Anya Nadel explained, and many of them happen to be “bleak,” as it represents the reality of life. There truthfully isn’t much that can--or should be--done regarding the required reading, so it might be effective if teachers consider adopting other independent reading projects. Perhaps the students themselves can create their own unique projects, or the teachers and students can collaborate in order to determine what course of action should be undertaken.  Who knows? Something so simple could create a big impact that could encourage more reading throughout the school.