# Books that should have been read in high school **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [September 4, 2025, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-should-have-been-read-in-high-school/1022741 "2025-09-04T11:06:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2025, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-should-have-been-read-in-high-school/1022741/1 "2025-09-04T11:06:53Z")
Inspired by the “Books you read in high school that you absolutely hated” thread, what do you think are books that should be read in high school? I’d like to see _The Long Walk_ taught. The way Stephen King makes the characters sympathetic, builds tension, and turns what could have been a story into a thriller novel, should teach the students about writing as a craft, not just an assignment. _1984_ by George Orwell. Should engender a lot of class discussion. What is the dividing line between what the state wants us to think, and what we actually do? (Remember, Winston has doubts about what he puts down the memory hole.) I’ve got a lot to say about _1984_, but I’ll leave it there for now. _The Handmaid’s Tale_ by Margaret Atwood. This will make students think about what lies ahead for them if they like that sort of thing, and I’ll stop here on that. What books would you like to see today’s high school students read? ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2025, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-should-have-been-read-in-high-school/1022741/2 "2025-09-04T11:56:45Z")
“The Brave Cowboy”, Edward Abbey. Enough story to involve young readers with ample artistry and issues for meaningful discussion. The poetry of Robinson Jeffers. Perhaps the Poet Laureate of the United States. The earthy approach of these writers makes meaningful issues accessible to young readers. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2025, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-should-have-been-read-in-high-school/1022741/3 "2025-09-04T12:10:46Z")
_Parable of the Sower_ and _Parable of the Talents_ by Octavia E. Butler. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2025, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-should-have-been-read-in-high-school/1022741/4 "2025-09-04T12:14:55Z")
_Mediaspeak: How Television Makes Up Your Mind_ by Donna W. Cross. I had to read it in 9th grade as part of the Communications/Humanities magnet program I was in, but it should be required reading for everyone. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2025, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-should-have-been-read-in-high-school/1022741/5 "2025-09-04T14:22:24Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > The way Stephen King makes the characters sympathetic, builds tension, and turns what could have been a story into a thriller novel, should teach the students about writing as a craft, not just an assignment. I haven’t read “The Long Walk”, but I have read other Stephen King works, and I wholly agree that he’s as much of a master of the writing craft as any other writer, and there’s no good reason why his works shouldn’t be used in English classes. In fact, students might be more engaged than they are reading older, dustier stuff that is so popular among English teachers. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2025, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-should-have-been-read-in-high-school/1022741/6 "2025-09-04T14:27:51Z")
We _did_ read Orwell’s **1984** in my high school. I loved it. I’m not sure which books I’d list as “should reads”. Tastes vary, and I wouldn’t want to impose books that were too long. I’d be okay with excerpts in many cases. So in the list that olows, imagine “all or excerpts” **The Odyssey** – Fitzgerald or Fagles translation, for choice. **Candide** – it’s short, so read the whole thing **Gulliver’s Travels** **Life on the Mississippi** or **A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court**. Could be excerpts. If you want to assign _Huckleberry Finn_ because it’s “The Great American Novel”, only do excerpts. **Some Shakespeare Plays** – **MacBeth, The Tempest, A Comedy of Errors**. Don’t make them read _Hamlet_. If you do _Taming of the Shrew_ or _Othello_, expect a lot of side-issue discussion. **Dr. Jeckyll and Mister Hyde** or **Kidnapped** or **Treasure Island** – Robert Louis Stevenson in a helluva read. **The Rime of the Ancient Mariner** – ought to get a WTF reaction out of the kids, but worth it. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2025, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-should-have-been-read-in-high-school/1022741/7 "2025-09-04T14:37:43Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > **Dr. Jeckyll and Mister Hyde** Seconded (though it’s “Jekyll”). It’s said that horror stories involving bodily transformation tend to resonate with teens, for not-so-subtle reasons. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2025, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-should-have-been-read-in-high-school/1022741/8 "2025-09-04T15:25:00Z")
Every boy should be required to read **All Quiet on the Western Front** before their 13th birthday. Nip that almost genetic enthusiasm for war in the bud. ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2025, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-should-have-been-read-in-high-school/1022741/9 "2025-09-04T15:35:41Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > **The Odyssey** – Fitzgerald or Fagles translation, for choice. Many years ago, my older brother was very pleased with himself for finishing the Odyssey. When he reported this accomplishment to my father (who attended Boston Latin), the response was, “in the original Greek, right?” ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2025, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-should-have-been-read-in-high-school/1022741/10 "2025-09-04T15:52:10Z")
As I noted in the other thread, we had 1984 assigned, too, and did not hate it. (I have a lot of issues with the details in the world of Winston Smith, which I outlined in my HS paper, but in general it is a good book. ) I think, now that I am here in this thread, I remember that we also were assigned Animal Farm, which is another good choice. One of my favorite books is The Little Prince, but it might be too poetic or even boring for HSers. Dune might be a good one for HSers. It’s complex, has a great world building, and you can get a lot of discussion out of whether the Fremen are actually the bad guys. ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2025, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-should-have-been-read-in-high-school/1022741/11 "2025-09-04T16:38:09Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > **The Rime of the Ancient Mariner** – ought to get a WTF reaction out of the kids, but worth it. We read this in high school as well as listened to the iron Maiden song. It helped a bit with class engagement. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2025, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-should-have-been-read-in-high-school/1022741/12 "2025-09-04T16:41:34Z")
Honestly, I think the average teenager is already busy and crammed enough with stuff to read that they should only be assigned books in high school that have direct practical relevance to modern life or today’s world. Yes, this would mean missing out on classics, but time is always a finite resource, and something has to be sacrificed. So I’d ditch all the Shakespeare, Hemingway, etc. I would assign: Books about personal finance, especially investing and credit card debt Books about healthcare, insurance, personal health Books about contemporary politics. Books like _Escape from Camp 14_ (by a North Korean defector,) books about Ukraine, the Middle East, the ongoing AI revolution, climate change, etc. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2025, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-should-have-been-read-in-high-school/1022741/13 "2025-09-04T16:47:00Z")
So no fiction at all? There’s a lot of evidence that reading fiction is strongly correlated with compassion for others, because it requires the reader to imagine being a different person. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2025, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-should-have-been-read-in-high-school/1022741/14 "2025-09-04T16:50:21Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > _Mediaspeak: How Television Makes Up Your Mind_ by Donna W. Cross. I had to read it in 9th grade as part of the Communications/Humanities magnet program I was in, but it should be required reading for everyone. For similar reasons, I’d recommend _After the Fact: The Art of Historical Detection_ by James Davidson and Mark Lytle. The stated subject is examining historical evidence but the principles it discusses have much wider application. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2025, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-should-have-been-read-in-high-school/1022741/15 "2025-09-04T16:53:59Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > _1984_ by George Orwell. This was required in my high school. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2025, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-should-have-been-read-in-high-school/1022741/16 "2025-09-04T16:55:18Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > Seconded (though it’s “Jekyll”). It’s said that horror stories involving bodily transformation tend to resonate with teens, for not-so-subtle reasons. Nobody can read _Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde_ in the way that people read it back in nineteenth century. What was written as a shock twist ending has been spoilered by the story entering popular culture so deeply. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2025, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-should-have-been-read-in-high-school/1022741/17 "2025-09-04T16:56:38Z")
The average high school teen will be reading plenty of fiction on their own for recreation, with or without a high school telling them to. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2025, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-should-have-been-read-in-high-school/1022741/18 "2025-09-04T17:00:10Z")
I don’t know about that - I know an awful lot of people who have never read any book that wasn’t assigned in school. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2025, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-should-have-been-read-in-high-school/1022741/19 "2025-09-04T17:02:21Z")
Really? I know a lot of current high school students. Most of them don’t do much pleasure reading at all. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2025, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-should-have-been-read-in-high-school/1022741/20 "2025-09-04T17:04:12Z")
OK, I stand corrected. But - forcing someone to read fiction that they are going to find old and stuffy is likely to backfire by making them dislike reading fiction. It’s like introducing someone to music but the first thing you make them hear is a dozen old boring Bach pieces. It could actually '“vaccinate” them against reading fiction in the future. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-should-have-been-read-in-high-school/1022741.md?page=2)