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“What Should High Schoolers Be Reading? Book Recommendations From Your English Teachers (and Librarians)” by Troy Smith
As streaming giants like Netflix dominate the entertainment space, many people exclusively experience stories in the form of movies and shows. While such options are extremely accessible, there are many alternatives to choose from when one is in search of entertainment. One of these alternatives is frequently overlooked, but has made a resurgence for many during the pandemic of the past year. While many sat idle at home, they found that a good book could bring just as much, or even greater, enjoyment than what they could watch on Netflix or Hulu. As many discover the enjoyment brought by indulging in a good book, some novice readers do not know what they should choose next. This is why I have compiled a list of books that high schoolers should be reading, a list that has been written by the school’s trusted literary guides: the English department and one librarian. The list encompasses all genres, and the teachers were not limited in their choices beyond the stipulation that they provide a classic work. So, without further ado, here is our list:
Classic Works
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass By Frederick Douglas
Born a slave circa 1818 (slaves weren't told when they were born) on a plantation in Maryland, Douglass taught himself to read and write. In 1845, seven years after escaping to the North, he published Narrative, the first of three autobiographies. This book calmly but dramatically recounts the horrors and the accomplishments of his early years—the daily, casual brutality of the white masters; his painful efforts to educate himself; his decision to find freedom or die; and his harrowing but successful escape.
“It is a nonfiction story that focuses on the power of literacy in order to enact change in one's life. Frederick Douglas is a slave who learns to read and write, enabling his later freedom from oppression.” - Mrs. Black
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A Tale of Two Cities By Charles Dickens
A Tale of Two Cities is Charles Dickens’s great historical novel, set against the violent upheaval of the French Revolution. The most famous and perhaps the most popular of his works, it compresses an event of immense complexity to the scale of a family history, with a cast of characters that includes a bloodthirsty ogress and an antihero as believably flawed as any in modern fiction. Though the least typical of the author’s novels, A Tale of Two Cities still underscores many of his enduring themes—imprisonment, injustice, social anarchy, resurrection, and the renunciation that fosters renewal.
“This not only gives students a look into the French Revolution, but it is an interesting story that twists and turns. Dickens is a writer that you don't want to miss.” - Mrs. Kain
“The language is beautiful among the historical backdrop of London and Paris. It also contains one of literature's best villains and Christ-like figures. To put it simply, there is no better fiction novel.” - Mr. Tuttle
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1984 By George Orwell
Among the seminal texts of the 20th century, 1984 is a rare work that grows more haunting as its futuristic purgatory becomes more real. Published in 1949, the book offers political satirist George Orwell's nightmarish vision of a totalitarian, bureaucratic world and one poor stiff's attempt to find individuality. The brilliance of the novel is Orwell's prescience of modern life—the ubiquity of television, the distortion of the language—and his ability to construct such a thorough version of hell. Required reading for students since it was published, it ranks among the most terrifying novels ever written.
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Brave New World By Aldous Huxley
Brave New World is a dystopian novel by English author Aldous Huxley, written in 1931 and published in 1932. Largely set in a futuristic World State, inhabited by genetically modified citizens and an intelligence-based social hierarchy, the novel anticipates huge scientific advancements in reproductive technology, sleep-learning, psychological manipulation and classical conditioning that are combined to make a dystopian society which is challenged by only a single individual: the story's protagonist.
“These books are classic dystopias that offer criticisms of both the time in which they were written and our own world. They are works that will ask you to think critically about the way the world works and how we, as a society, want it to work.” - Mrs. Sanders on 1984 and Brave New World
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Hamlet By William Shakespeare
First performed around 1599, Hamlet tells the story of a prince whose duty to avenge his father’s death entangles him in philosophical problems he can’t solve. Shakespeare’s best-known play is widely regarded as the most influential literary work ever written.
“Very eye-opening and well-written. A great read if students like Shakespeare.” - Mrs Stowell
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The Divine Comedy By Dante Alghieri
The Divine Comedy describes Dante's descent into Hell with Virgil as a guide; his ascent of Mount Purgatory and encounter with his dead love, Beatrice; and finally, his arrival in Heaven. Examining questions of faith, desire and enlightenment, the poem is a brilliantly nuanced and moving allegory of human redemption.
“Read Dante's Divine Comedy to consider your own ideas of evil and goodness and to better understand human nature.” - Mrs. LeMoine
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Fahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury
Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden. Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television “family.” But when he meets an eccentric young neighbor, Clarisse, who introduces him to a past where people didn’t live in fear and to a present where one sees the world through the ideas in books instead of the mindless chatter of television, Montag begins to question everything he has ever known.
“It asks readers to consider your own views on censorship and what role other people should play in the distribution of information.” - Mrs. Shovlain
“I loved how the author explored the danger of conformity, the quest/thirst for knowledge and the power of books.” - Mrs. Flohr
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Crime and Punishment By Fyodor Dostoevsky
Raskolnikov, a destitute and desperate former student, wanders through the slums of St Petersburg and commits a random murder without remorse or regret. He imagines himself to be a great man, a Napoleon: acting for a higher purpose beyond conventional moral law. But as he embarks on a dangerous game of cat and mouse with a suspicious police investigator, Raskolnikov is pursued by the growing voice of his conscience and finds the noose of his own guilt tightening around his neck. Only Sonya, a downtrodden sex worker, can offer the chance of redemption.
“This novel is nonstop, intense drama. The story describes perfectly what happens when a person commits a wrong and the pathway to setting it right.” - Mr. Thomas
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Lord of the Flies By William Golding
At the dawn of World War 2, a plane crashes on an uncharted island, stranding a group of schoolboys. At first, with no adult supervision, their freedom is something to celebrate; this far from civilization the boys can do anything they want. Anything. They attempt to forge their own society, failing, however, in the face of terror, sin and evil. And as order collapses, as strange howls echo in the night, as terror begins its reign, the hope of adventure seems as far from reality as the hope of being rescued. Labeled a parable, an allegory, a myth, a morality tale, a parody, a political treatise, even a vision of the apocalypse, Lord of the Flies is perhaps our most memorable novel about “the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart.”
“It shows the author's view of human nature and civilization, inspired by what he saw during WWII. Also, the character Piggy breaks my heart.” - Mrs. Sanders
“It connects to larger themes around humanity and the nature of human beings who are put into situations of survival. It opens for discussions around working with different types of people, the flaws of human beings, and the individual choices we make that can have a greater effect on those around us.” - Mrs. Boliek
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Romeo and Juliet By William Shakespeare
In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare creates a violent world, in which two young people fall in love. It is not simply that their families disapprove; the Montagues and the Capulets are engaged in a blood feud. In this death-filled setting, the movement from love at first sight to the lovers’ final union in death seems almost inevitable. And yet, this play set in an extraordinary world has become the quintessential story of young love. In part because of its exquisite language, it is easy to respond as if it were about all young lovers.
“Romeo and Juliet is a tragic tale of the importance of logic, patience, and trust. It is a gateway to Shakespeare that is full of figurative language and dramatic schemes, all in the name of love. There are also plenty of free resources to make it the text more approachable, like No Fear Shakespeare.” - Ms. Wilkins
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In Cold Blood By Truman Capote
On November 15, 1959, in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas, four members of the Clutter family were savagely murdered by blasts from a shotgun held a few inches from their faces. There was no apparent motive for the crime, and there were almost no clues.
As Truman Capote reconstructs the murder and the investigation that led to the capture, trial, and execution of the killers, he generates both mesmerizing suspense and astonishing empathy. At the center of his study are the amoral young killers Perry Smith and Dick Hickcock, who, vividly drawn by Capote, are shown to be reprehensible yet entirely and frighteningly human. In Cold Blood is a seminal work of modern prose, a remarkable synthesis of journalistic skill and powerfully evocative narrative.
“It should be read because it set a precedent in writing by creating a completely new genre -- the "non-fiction novel." If you enjoy true crime fiction or podcasts, this is the book for you!” - Mrs. Shepson
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Big thanks to Mrs. Sanders, Mrs. Kain, Mr. Tuttle, Mrs. Stowell, Mrs. Black, Mrs. LeMoine, Mr. Thomas, Mrs. Shovlain, Ms. Wilkins, Mrs. Shepson, Mrs. Flohr, Mrs. Boliek, and Mrs. Brown for providing their insights.
Book descriptions from https://www.goodreads.com/
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