# 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:** 2
**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, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-should-have-been-read-in-high-school/1022741/21 "2025-09-04T17:05:50Z")
> [@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. > [@Velocity](#): > > 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. > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > 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. I guess I wasn’t quite as clear as I could have been in my OP. I should have titled it, “Books that should have been read in high school English Lit class.” Nothing wrong with the others that have been stated or implied, but if they are to be read in high school, they belong in other classes. I was inspired by the other thread that dealt with books we read and hated in English Lit, after all, so if we can stick with English Lit here, great. ---
**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, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-should-have-been-read-in-high-school/1022741/22 "2025-09-04T17:08:48Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Books about personal finance, especially investing and credit card debt _Madame Bovary_ ought to scare them straight. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2025, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-should-have-been-read-in-high-school/1022741/23 "2025-09-04T17:10:33Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > ’d like to see _The Long Walk_ taught. No horror. > [@Spoons](#): > > _The Handmaid’s Tale_ by Margaret Atwood. Bah. > [@Crane](#): > > “The Brave Cowboy”, Edward Abbey. Nothing by a terrorist, please. > [@DCnDC](#): > > _Mediaspeak: How Television Makes Up Your Mind_ by Donna W. Cross. Good choice, or something like it. A class on how to watch the news with cynicism/ > [@CalMeacham](#): > > **Life on the Mississippi** Good choice. > [@CalMeacham](#): > > **A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court**. Way too dark and violent at the end. > [@Velocity](#): > > Books about personal finance, especially investing and credit card debt . Yes, a basic econ class- how to balance a checking account, credit cards, basic scams, and how to do a basic tax return. Explain about inflation at least a little. > [@suranyi](#): > > So no fiction at all? Huckleberry Finn for older kids- high school. Steinbeck. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2025, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-should-have-been-read-in-high-school/1022741/24 "2025-09-04T18:08:35Z")
**Catch-22**. Permanently changed my life for the better in 1970, wish I’d read it five years earlier in High School. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2025, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-should-have-been-read-in-high-school/1022741/25 "2025-09-04T19:28:46Z")
Agreed. I did read it in high school but only because we had an independent project where we could choose from a list of books to read on our own. Still one of the best books I’ve ever read. I’m not sure the content would fly in the average high school classroom, though. ---
**Author:** ![We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/We_re_wolves_not_werewolves)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2025, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-should-have-been-read-in-high-school/1022741/26 "2025-09-04T19:44:14Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > 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. lol, nope! ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2025, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-should-have-been-read-in-high-school/1022741/27 "2025-09-04T19:47:09Z")
Yeah. For starters, any talk about Nately’s whore in high school is totally going to upset the apple cart. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2025, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-should-have-been-read-in-high-school/1022741/28 "2025-09-04T20:58:08Z")
_Maus_, the graphic novel by Art Spigelman about his father’s experience in the Holocaust. It’s accessible, devastating, and people need to understand. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2025, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-should-have-been-read-in-high-school/1022741/29 "2025-09-04T21:44:11Z")
I read down this thread to make the same recommendation. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2025, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-should-have-been-read-in-high-school/1022741/30 "2025-09-05T03:59:26Z")
Thirded, Maus is a wonderful set of books. However, their being a graphic novel might make them a hard sell to English teachers. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2025, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-should-have-been-read-in-high-school/1022741/31 "2025-09-05T04:19:56Z")
Evolution for everyone Requiem for the American Dream ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2025, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-should-have-been-read-in-high-school/1022741/32 "2025-09-05T04:23:17Z")
I don’t understand why Huckleberry Finn is such a problem. Yes, there are issues with language but I think a good teacher could get some healthy discussion going about the use of the n-word. I expect I’ll be crucified for this position. The World According to Garp or for the squeamish parts of the country A Prayer For Owen Meany. For fun I would suggest one of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels, preferably a Vimes novel. Some Chandler or Hammett could be interesting and possibly engaging for high school kids. Certainly more interesting for them than Moby Dick. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2025, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-should-have-been-read-in-high-school/1022741/33 "2025-09-05T04:28:46Z")
[How to Win Friends and Influence People](https://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/8183227899?crid=1RX9YMQTXTRC6&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.EaX04KFI1Nc_7_-oH8VP-zr7aLss_KhDFxeJvIWMr40aub82Yep8g8KPDkqpY8NUIotaXffnmZAmFGy8oo3WsZECohp1pYRfhreNUndm-4_rFRPiCPhBhNvAuUgK7Jky0DgdJMYZ3PrY2KOyuOq1T_axdwODmsVIcg-0Gln52gxmT1EGFBN_qzqZifiVkJ1clMVGqIcNTyj-3PziGWeMoSooTwKGuL1zQR3cSOpYe9s.oTq3ApPQK5ufIdkH6T6Of2FTvehWh2_Yw3N7ZfHTSx8&dib_tag=se&keywords=how+to+win+friends+and+influence+people+dale+carnegie&qid=1757046411&refinements=p_n_feature_browse-bin%253A2656022011&rnid=618072011&sprefix=how+to+win+fri%252Caps%252C111&sr=8-2) I am not into self-help books at all but this is an early one and a good one. Well worth a read. I read it in high school but not sure why (whether school made me or family or friends). Glad I did though. Perfect time to read it I think. ---
**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 5, 2025, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-should-have-been-read-in-high-school/1022741/34 "2025-09-05T04:46:46Z")
Charles Manson’s favorite book, too. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2025, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-should-have-been-read-in-high-school/1022741/35 "2025-09-05T04:49:42Z")
I guess that shows it works albeit for evil in this case. ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2025, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-should-have-been-read-in-high-school/1022741/36 "2025-09-05T15:04:40Z")
> [@CaveMike](#): > > We read this in high school as well as listened to the iron Maiden song. It helped a bit with class engagement. My teacher did the same thing. Probably what started me listening to metal. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@salinqmind1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind1)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2025, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-should-have-been-read-in-high-school/1022741/37 "2025-09-05T15:20:58Z")
That thing is a tough ‘read’ - it’s over 500 pages! When would highschoolers have time? (It’s like back when the first Dune movie came out and Roger Ebert criticized it for being too long and obtuse, and my husband scoffed: ‘why doesn’t he just read the book?’ … Well, he was a busy movie critic writing his own books on films, writing reviews, and watching a lot of movies in order to do so. Mr. Ebert also had a life outside of his work, was he expected to labor through Dune, too? ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2025, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-should-have-been-read-in-high-school/1022741/38 "2025-09-05T15:24:13Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > The Handmaid’s Tale In a perfect world, every high school in the country would make this mandatory reading. In the real world, it’s probably already banned in a significant number of (if not the majority of) schools in parts of the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![bobsmom101](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobsmom101/32/2867_2.png) [@bobsmom101](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobsmom101)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2025, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-should-have-been-read-in-high-school/1022741/39 "2025-09-05T15:40:52Z")
> [@We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](#): > > > [@Velocity](#): > > > > 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. > > lol, nope! My son (who was in high school around 2000) was adamantly against reading fiction, which he considered a colossal waste of his time. His English teacher assigned them to read a historical novel of their choice and he moped on about it until I suggested E.L. Doctorow’s _Ragtime_. He loved it! The times they sure have changed, but the message of immigrant hope and inclusion in that book might make for some thoughtful discussions today. ---
**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 5, 2025, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-should-have-been-read-in-high-school/1022741/40 "2025-09-05T16:30:43Z")
> [@salinqmind1](#): > > That thing is a tough ‘read’ - it’s over 500 pages! You may have a point! In HS I read 2001 in an afternoon. It took me a month to finish Dune. I have a coworker who wanted to read it, to coincide with the then-new films. I said, let’s both read it, and discuss. I finished it a lot quicker than I did 40 years ago, but he still hasn’t! I think he just gave up. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-should-have-been-read-in-high-school/1022741.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-that-should-have-been-read-in-high-school/1022741.md?page=3)