# What's the worst book you had to read for school? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 11, 2003, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-book-you-had-to-read-for-school/218427 "2003-12-11T20:28:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2003, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-book-you-had-to-read-for-school/218427/81 "2003-12-12T11:00:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by PucksRaven \* > \*\*_Lord of the Flies_ Goldman. Like so many things I think this is badly taught and has potential but teachers need to listen and write this down: It is not a representation of society. Why? Because there are NO WOMEN on the island and women make up over 50% of society. \*\* That’s a bit like saying that it’s not a representation of society because all the characters are children, and most of society is made up of adults. Or that _Animal Farm_ isn’t a representation of society because the main characters are animals, and most of society is made up of humans. ---
**Author:** ![SentientMeat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@SentientMeat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SentientMeat)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2003, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-book-you-had-to-read-for-school/218427/82 "2003-12-12T11:16:05Z")
Yes, several books I found boring and inpenetrable have been mentioned. However, I found that when I read them again with a little wiser and older a head on my shoulders they were indeed excellent books which one should read once in their life. However, one utter literary wankbasket we were forced to endure was called **Welcome Home Jellybean** , a tale of a US schoolkid with a developmentally disabled sister. It was Christing awful. ---
**Author:** ![ReuvenB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc348/32.png) [@ReuvenB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReuvenB)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2003, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-book-you-had-to-read-for-school/218427/83 "2003-12-12T11:57:09Z")
**The Pearl** and **Jacob Have I Loved** stand out in my mind, but by far the worst was **An Hour Before Daylight** , by Jimmy Carter. Just because you’re elected president doesn’t mean your autobiography is interesting. I mean, it’s all about his childhood. He spends pages telling us how to drain blood from a dead pig, for chrissake. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2003, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-book-you-had-to-read-for-school/218427/84 "2003-12-12T12:40:31Z")
**The Sound and the Fury** probably tops my list. I had no freaking clue what was going on in that book. I enjoyed Faulkner’s **As I Lay Dying** , though, so maybe I should give him another chance. In Junior High, we did **Johnny Tremain** , **April Morning** and **Across Five Aprils** , until I was sick to death of the whole “young person comes of age during wartime” genre. Some others I could have done without are **Billy Budd** , **Ethan Frome** , **Tess of the D’Urbervilles**. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2003, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-book-you-had-to-read-for-school/218427/85 "2003-12-12T13:07:19Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Krisfer the Cat_ > For me it has to be Flowers for Algernon also known as Charly. I felt that its ultimate message was that a person is only worth anything if they are super smart and very good looking. At the end when Charley lost his intelligence he returned to his old dead end job, his sexy girl friend had dumped him and his rat was dead. I literally screamed and threw the book across the room. If I may be permitted a slight hijack, my take on this book was completely different. I didn’t think the **book** was saying you’re worthless if you’re not brilliant. I thought the book was saying that a lot of **society** holds this view, which, AFAI can see, is true. And what’s with the votes for **Watership Down**? I loved that book! It wasn’t required reading; my father gave it to me when I was about 14, and said, “read this; you’ll like it”. My father never lied to me about a book. As far as the worst book I was forced to read in high school, my vote would have to be for **The Great Gatsby**. I didn’t detest it, but I certainly didn’t see what all the fuss was about! Of course, my favorite lit course was one I had in 12th grade, where you picked any book you wanted to read, read it, discuss it with the teacher, and move on to the next book you wanted to read. The only rule was “no tear-jerker dying people books”, like **Love Story**. Then, for our final, we read three books by the same author (of our choosing) and gave an oral presentation. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2003, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-book-you-had-to-read-for-school/218427/86 "2003-12-12T13:18:34Z")
**The Glass Bead Game** is **Magister Ludi** by Hesse. **Super Gnat,** glad to be of service. It’s nice to know that my former career as an English teacher still has some utility. ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2003, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-book-you-had-to-read-for-school/218427/87 "2003-12-12T13:34:44Z")
Three books, all from my high school days, listed in order of supposed literary merit: **The Great Gatsby** : In my opinion, it’s a series of ancedotes involving underdeveloped characters, which would have worked far better as a series of short stories. **Lord of the Flies** : I like my symbolism as much as any other man, but not when it’s served by the truckload. **A Separate Peace** : Mediocre tripe about characters that are hard to care about. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2003, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-book-you-had-to-read-for-school/218427/88 "2003-12-12T13:53:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by norinew \* > **And what’s with the votes for _Watership Down_? I loved that book!** I seem to recall an interview with Richard Adams (author of _WD_) on the tube in which the interviewer started quizzing him about all the deep symbolism in the book. Adams’ response was something along the lines of, “I just wanted to write a book about bunny rabbits.” Priceless. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![BIH\_Boy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/49beb7/32.png) [@BIH\_Boy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BIH_Boy)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2003, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-book-you-had-to-read-for-school/218427/89 "2003-12-12T14:44:42Z")
Brave New World - I liked that, boo to the OP. Mines was “Sunset Song” by Lewis Grassic Gibbon. It was the worst thing I have ever ever read. I feel like crying now. painful memories. ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2003, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-book-you-had-to-read-for-school/218427/90 "2003-12-12T14:56:11Z")
I hated anything by Steinbeck that I had to read, especially _Of Mice And Men_. Even the movie was dull. I loved _Jacon Have I Love_, but I read that one on my own. I didn’t like many of my assigned reading books, except Huck Finn, A Christmas Carol, and Candide. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2003, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-book-you-had-to-read-for-school/218427/91 "2003-12-12T15:01:26Z")
I’m torn between Grapes of Wrath which had 3 full pages devoted to a turtle crossing the road, or The Old Man and the sea. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2003, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-book-you-had-to-read-for-school/218427/92 "2003-12-12T15:02:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bottle of Smoke \* > \*\*_The Red Badge of Courage_ > > I know it’s supposed to be a classic, but I had never read anything so boring at that age (14 or so?) \*\* Yes, this was the first book that came to my mind when I saw the thread title. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2003, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-book-you-had-to-read-for-school/218427/93 "2003-12-12T15:31:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SentientMeat \* > \*\*Yes, several books I found boring and inpenetrable have been mentioned. However, I found that when I read them again with a little wiser and older a head on my shoulders they were indeed excellent books which one should read once in their life. > \*\* My thought exactly - many of these are, in fact, excellent books; just not suitable for teens with the attention span of a mayfly. Case in point: in English class I was forced to read short stories by Borghes; I hated them, found them utterly incomprehensible. Much later I picked up “Ficciones”, and on a whim read them again … and now I love them. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Man\_With\_The\_Golden\_Gun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@The\_Man\_With\_The\_Golden\_Gun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_With_The_Golden_Gun)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2003, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-book-you-had-to-read-for-school/218427/94 "2003-12-12T15:58:33Z")
I’m reading **Watership Down** now, and it’s pretty good so far. Rather light reading, but I’m only about 50 pages into it. I got another one for the “Awful Books” list. **Dracula** by Bram Stoker. Boring, poorly-written, and the story doesn’t actually begin until 2/3 the way through the book. To this day, I’ve only read about 5 of the 27 chapters. The first one, which turned me off to the rest, and the middle part. Even worse, I have a make-up test on it later today. Time to do some Draculatin’. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2003, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-book-you-had-to-read-for-school/218427/95 "2003-12-12T16:03:25Z")
**Death Be Not Proud** is marketed as a young adult novel… it’s bad… the excuse of “Read it when you’re wiser” doesn’t apply here… ---
**Author:** ![N.Sane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f19dbf/32.png) [@N.Sane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N.Sane)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2003, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-book-you-had-to-read-for-school/218427/96 "2003-12-12T16:06:36Z")
**PucksRaven** , congratulations. You have just met someone who admits to liking _The Scarlet Letter_. I loved almost all of the books I had to read for school, but I’m kind of a book geek. I can only recall one book that I’ve tried to read and just haven’t been able to make it past the first twenty pages: _Vanity Fair_, by Thackeray. I’ve managed to make it through college without having to read it (and I’m an English major). ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2003, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-book-you-had-to-read-for-school/218427/97 "2003-12-12T16:13:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by KarlGrenze \* > \*\ ***Death Be Not Proud** is marketed as a young adult novel… it’s bad… the excuse of “Read it when you’re wiser” doesn’t apply here… \*\* Then I am damn glad I haven’t read it. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![moi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@moi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moi)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2003, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-book-you-had-to-read-for-school/218427/98 "2003-12-12T16:49:35Z")
In high school, it was William Faulkner’s _Light in August_. Just can’t stand his writing style and felt that every page was overladen with “symbolism.” In college, it was surely overshadowed by _The Musical Ascent of Herman Being_ by Robert Danziger. **Ugggh.** Like others have said, the only good point was that it was short. ---
**Author:** ![percypercy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8baadc/32.png) [@percypercy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/percypercy)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2003, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-book-you-had-to-read-for-school/218427/99 "2003-12-12T16:51:48Z")
I hate, hate, hate Heart of Darkness and the Pearl. I’ll second the recommendation for Crime and Punishment though. I’ve heard it’s important to get the right translation. We read the one by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky. I could barely put it down. -Lil ---
**Author:** ![Bucky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Bucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bucky)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2003, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-book-you-had-to-read-for-school/218427/100 "2003-12-12T16:56:01Z")
We need to ban most English teachers teaching anything that was written for the theatre. They don’t get them. thye’ll have ong conversations about the reasons behind the Porter’s speech in Macbeth and hate to hear that the resident clown needed a bit to do and there was a costume change. “Why does Benvolio vanish?” Because he’s also playing the Friar. They HATE that! (Okay, those aren’t my whole explanations, but we start with the plays as plays for the stage, not as novels read in a quiet study). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-book-you-had-to-read-for-school/218427.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-book-you-had-to-read-for-school/218427.md?page=6)