# What was the most boring book you were ever forced to read for a class? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 22, 2013, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-boring-book-you-were-ever-forced-to-read-for-a-class/656373 "2013-04-22T02:35:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-boring-book-you-were-ever-forced-to-read-for-a-class/656373/61 "2013-04-22T14:43:36Z")
I think **Heart of Darkness** edges out **Portrait of an Artist** narrowly. I’ll toss in an unnamed addition though. **The King Must Die** was by all accounts - read by me yet I retain zero recollection about the book at all. I remember the act of reading it but I remember nothing from the experience, or even what the plot was. I know that it’s a Theseus story but I don’t know if what I remember is from what I already knew or added from the book. This is in stark contrast to reading HoD and remembering the withering agony and glances up at the clock and checking of how many pages are left - which is seared into my brain. ---
**Author:** ![Renifer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71c47a/32.png) [@Renifer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renifer)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-boring-book-you-were-ever-forced-to-read-for-a-class/656373/62 "2013-04-22T14:44:38Z")
The Golden Ass by Apuleius Once getting pass the ribald humor of the title, I read that essentially the book is about the whole town playing a prank on a man to demonstrate how the man is an ass for falling for it. Though I didn’t find it boring, per se, one teacher had assigned us to read Ulysses in three weeks. I just skipped over large chunks. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-boring-book-you-were-ever-forced-to-read-for-a-class/656373/63 "2013-04-22T14:50:21Z")
Another one: **Fun with Dick and Jane**. No plot to speak of, no character development. The characters would have to reach to be two-dimensional. Probably sexist and racist. At least it was short… ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-boring-book-you-were-ever-forced-to-read-for-a-class/656373/64 "2013-04-22T14:58:40Z")
All those damn Steinbeck novels from junior high. _The Pearl, The Red Pony, Of Mice & Men…_ Ugh! ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-boring-book-you-were-ever-forced-to-read-for-a-class/656373/65 "2013-04-22T15:04:24Z")
It’s a tie between The Great Gatsby and The Old Man and the Sea. Christ on a cracker, did I hate those two books! ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-boring-book-you-were-ever-forced-to-read-for-a-class/656373/66 "2013-04-22T15:04:39Z")
> [@Koldanar](#): > > **Madame Bovary.** AP English, the teacher as well as the class was unfamiliar with the book. After reviewing, the unanimous consensus was it was too boring to assign, ever again. That’s funny. And the same thing happened to me. Taking a higher level English class and a new to teaching teacher assigned one of the “classics” (I forget which one). And we spend six weeks doing all the things you can do to a book for an English class. About half way through it everybody was tired of this crap, including the teacher. We finished up her lesson plan as planned but at the end she too was like “gawd, what a piece of crap” 🙂 And like lot’s of other folks here, there was one “classic” that I just had to say screw it, I can’t take this anymore. ATM I can’t recall which one though (pretty sure it has been mentioned though). And thats saying something because I took my grades and assignments very seriously. Billy Budd the movie ain’t half bad though (besides being depressing as hell ending wise IIRC). ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Juicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-boring-book-you-were-ever-forced-to-read-for-a-class/656373/67 "2013-04-22T15:06:58Z")
I don’t remember the name of the book but it SUCKED and I wrote the book report saying how much it sucked. It was about some kids who were abandoned in a car in a mall parking lot by their mother so they set off on foot to find their grandmother. I remember something like 2.5 pages describing how they ate ice cream cones. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-boring-book-you-were-ever-forced-to-read-for-a-class/656373/68 "2013-04-22T15:08:49Z")
I’ll add my vote to those saying _The Old Man and the Sea_, and express my surprise that I’m the first one to mention _Les Miserables_. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-boring-book-you-were-ever-forced-to-read-for-a-class/656373/69 "2013-04-22T15:14:33Z")
In every thread like this **Ethan Frome** catches a beating, I’d like to stand up for the book. It is slowly paced, the end does seem anticlimactic. Still, deep affection completely uncommunicated really spoke to me as a shy nerdy teenager. Like The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock that’s what love was to me and it was far more realistic than all the movies, tv shows and video games we all were bombarded with as teens. **Great Expectations** started strong, but during the middle it became clear Dickens was getting paid by the word and I was tired of being strung along for his meal ticket. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-boring-book-you-were-ever-forced-to-read-for-a-class/656373/70 "2013-04-22T15:33:47Z")
Mine would be **Giants In The Earth**. Boring, boring, boring. There were only two of us that had to read it because we were so far ahead of everyone else in the class. ---
**Author:** ![apollonia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2bfe46/32.png) [@apollonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/apollonia)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-boring-book-you-were-ever-forced-to-read-for-a-class/656373/71 "2013-04-22T15:36:55Z")
> [@Soylent\_Juicy](#): > > I don’t remember the name of the book but it SUCKED and I wrote the book report saying how much it sucked. It was about some kids who were abandoned in a car in a mall parking lot by their mother so they set off on foot to find their grandmother. I remember something like 2.5 pages describing how they ate ice cream cones. Sounds like [Homecoming](http://www.amazon.com/Homecoming-Tillerman-1-Cynthia-Voigt/dp/0689851324) by Cynthia Voigt. Apparently it has a whole bunch of sequels now. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-boring-book-you-were-ever-forced-to-read-for-a-class/656373/72 "2013-04-22T15:38:22Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > That’s funny. And the same thing happened to me. Taking a higher level English class and a new to teaching teacher assigned one of the “classics” (I forget which one). And we spend six weeks doing all the things you can do to a book for an English class. About half way through it everybody was tired of this crap, including the teacher. We finished up her lesson plan as planned but at the end she too was like “gawd, what a piece of crap” 🙂 > > And like lot’s of other folks here, there was one “classic” that I just had to say screw it, I can’t take this anymore. ATM I can’t recall which one though (pretty sure it has been mentioned though). And thats saying something because I took my grades and assignments very seriously. > > Billy Budd the movie ain’t half bad though (besides being depressing as hell ending wise IIRC). Similar experience here, though with a very experienced (and very good) teacher. _Death Comes for the Archbishop_ by Willa Cather. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-boring-book-you-were-ever-forced-to-read-for-a-class/656373/73 "2013-04-22T15:39:39Z")
A couple of people have mentioned Lord of the Flies, which I am honestly surprised by. I remember being really caught up in that book. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-boring-book-you-were-ever-forced-to-read-for-a-class/656373/74 "2013-04-22T15:40:51Z")
The great gatsby. I recently reread it and found it slightly less boring now that I am adult. Still boring in the main, and I cannot imagine what anyone thinks a 16 year old is going to get out of this book about posing and crushed hopes, other than, “it was pretty short.” ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Juicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-boring-book-you-were-ever-forced-to-read-for-a-class/656373/75 "2013-04-22T15:55:16Z")
> [@apollonia](#): > > Sounds like [Homecoming](http://www.amazon.com/Homecoming-Tillerman-1-Cynthia-Voigt/dp/0689851324) by Cynthia Voigt. Apparently it has a whole bunch of sequels now. I knew someone would ID it. Thank you, **apollonia**. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-boring-book-you-were-ever-forced-to-read-for-a-class/656373/76 "2013-04-22T15:59:46Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > A couple of people have mentioned Lord of the Flies, which I am honestly surprised by. I remember being really caught up in that book. I liked it too. If we’re doing an opposite thread then “Mutiny on the Bounty” would be at the top of my list. I loved that book. ETA: [Done.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=688886) ---
**Author:** ![Srsly\_Dad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@Srsly\_Dad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Srsly_Dad)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-boring-book-you-were-ever-forced-to-read-for-a-class/656373/77 "2013-04-22T16:03:42Z")
**Crime and Punishment** for AP English. My essay contained the line “The crime is that this is considered a great novel, and the punishment is that high school students have to read it.” Got marked down for that one. **Return of the Native** was a close second. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-boring-book-you-were-ever-forced-to-read-for-a-class/656373/78 "2013-04-22T16:03:53Z")
I also enjoyed **Lord of the Flies**. I didn’t read it until I was in my early 20’s, and thought, “Hey, did the author go to elementary school with me?” ---
**Author:** ![ataraxy22](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ataraxy22/32/307_2.png) [@ataraxy22](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ataraxy22)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-boring-book-you-were-ever-forced-to-read-for-a-class/656373/79 "2013-04-22T16:04:48Z")
Barchester Towers was really dull. Wuthering Heights was awful. I thought Heart of Darkness was okay though. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-boring-book-you-were-ever-forced-to-read-for-a-class/656373/80 "2013-04-22T16:11:11Z")
I liked a lot of these books. And even the ones I hated (_Lord of the Flies_ I’m looking at you) were not boring. Most boring for me was definitely _Dombey and Son_ by Dickens. You might think other Dickens novels are boring, but then consider that _Dombey and Son_ is one of Dicken’s “lesser” works. Not as good as _Oliver Twist_ or _Great Expectations_ or _A Tale of Two Cities_ or _David Copperfield_. More boring! My high school English teacher assigned it to us, she said, specifically because there were no Cliff Notes available for it like there were for all the other Dickens novels. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-boring-book-you-were-ever-forced-to-read-for-a-class/656373.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-most-boring-book-you-were-ever-forced-to-read-for-a-class/656373.md?page=5)