Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly linkup of book bloggers hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl! This week is a back-to-school freebie! I know the phrase “assigned reading” makes some people break out in hives (there’s something that immediately turns us off about being forced to read a book instead of choosing it ourselves, isn’t there?), but a lot of the books they make us read are actually pretty good! Here are ten books that were required that I actually really loved.
Number the Stars: This book, which I read in middle school, about a young Danish girl whose family works to protect her Jewish best friend during the Holocaust is a well-told, engaging story.
The Giver: Another middle school read. I’d actually already read it before it was assigned in class, and even though it’s pitched towards and able to be understood at that level, I still found it very solid when I re-read it as an adult.
Lord of the Flies: I think this one, about a group of British schoolboys marooned on an island who descend into chaos, was part of our tenth grade curriculum. I recently revisited it on audio and found its message about power and group dynamics still relevant and interesting.
The Great Gatsby: I hated this when I read it as a high school junior, finding it overly simplistic and boring. It wasn’t until I got a little older and had more life experience under my belt that I recognized its elegance and genius.
The Awakening: I think I read this senior year in AP English, but it might have been at the end of junior year? Anyways, it’s a story about a privileged Southern woman who becomes disenchanted with her life and the expectations foisted upon her as a wife and mother and it’s excellent.
Cry, The Beloved Country: My AP English class led me to many wonderful books, including this powerful and poignant story of apartheid South Africa.
The Color Purple: Another AP English gem, this book about a poor black woman in the Jim Crow South coming into her own and finding happiness despite often miserable circumstances won a Pulitzer for a reason.
The Scarlet Letter: Guilt is a theme that gets explored in a lot of books, but I really did like what Hawthorne did with this one, which is much more interesting than you’d probably expect. Read this one in AP English too!
The Secret History: I’ve known almost no one who has failed to enjoy this twisty story of a group of Classics students who kill one of their own. It has something for everyone: it’s well-written, has a suspenseful plot, and does solid character work. And it’s yet another AP English selection.
The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat: This I read in my honors Introduction to Psychology class and was so taken with it that I changed my major and got a degree in Psych instead of Political Science.