Books We Should Have Read in High School

Books We Should have Read in High School

Despite being an avid reader outside the classroom, my least favorite class in highschool was English. I really didn not like this class. While I liked and respected my english teachers, I did not enjoy the circulum. I think the main reason why I didn't like my english classes was because I didn't connect or enjoy the books we were reading. I don't understand why we read so much Shakespeare in school. How is this the epitome of litterary merit? Romeo and Juliet is not a love story. It is the story of a 3 day relationship of a 17 year old and 13 year old that caused the deaths of 6 people. Is that romantic? Because I don't think so. And don't get me started on the Taming of the Shrew! I don't get why we read so many books written by old, dead, white men. There are so many great books out there and honestly, the US School system should really diversify their reading selection. 

Here's a list of books I wish I had Read in School: 

 Becoming by Michelle Obama:  I think this is a amazing book! Becoming is Michelle Obama's memoir, detailing her life as a black women, a mother, a wife, and the 1st lady of the United States. Michelle is an icon and her story is as inspirational as it is relatable. Her story of sucess has helped me, a women of color, make me feel less of a anomaly. I feel like a lot of kids today can relate to her story and feel inspired by her words.  Also, we need more nonfiction in the classroom!

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr:  This book, to simply state, is beauitful. There is a reason why this book won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2015 and it is because it is amazing. This book tells the story of a blind french girl and a orhpan german boy as they both try to survive World War II. This is a haunting story but it is also a complex story. One can easily craft a five page essay from the quotes in this book. 

I am Not your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez:  When I first read this book, I was floored. This book tells the story of Julia, the daughter of immigrant parents, struggling to live up to her parents expectations, especially after the unexpected death of her "perfect" sister, Olga.  I love this book! This book deals with themes of immigration, race, family, and mental health but also so much more. Kids of immigrant parents are especially going to relate to this book. Being Mexican American is different and unique experience from being both a mexican and a america. This book goes into depth on topic such as that and its conversations like these that we should be having in real life. We also need more books written by people of color. Why do we only read books by dead, white men in highschool?! 

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller: I'm not gonna lie. When we had to read the Aeneid in class, I just read the sparknotes version. It just wasn''t for me and it was very diffcult to comprehend even for my brain. However, I always reread this book at least once a year. I love this book!!! It is literally a master piece. There is no other way to put it. This book tells the story of Achilles and the Trojan War through the eyes of Achilles's companion, Patroclus. This book is so beauitful written and has a lot to say but I also love the LGBTQ aspect of this book. We honestly need to read more books that are accpecting of different kinds of love in school. 

The Bluest Eyes by Toni Morrision: This is book is a classic and I don't understand why this book isn't included in school curriculum more. This book tells the tale of a young black girl who wishes that her eyes her blue. This book is very graphic as well as tragic but I think this book is now more relavent more than ever. This book talks about race, racism, systematic poverty, abuse, rape and so much more. This is the type of book that makes you look at the world in a different way and makes you more aware of the problems in your society. This book was published in 1970 but these issues are still occuring everyday. By reading books like The Bluest Eyes, kids can become more aware of the issues that minority groups are facing today and feel empathy throughs them.

We should be reading books like these. Books that are more socially aware of what's going on. Books that shows us different perspectives. Books that we can relate to. Books that we can actually learn from.