I just read "It's Kind of a Funny Story" as a part of my, "Jen will finally enjoy reading again," summer. Before that, it's hard to remember the last time I read a book for fun. So while initially I wanted to make a list of books I've truly loved -- my experience with "fun" reading has been kind of stunted. That's not to say reading school assigned books is all terrible. I can think of homework assignments that are a lot worse than reading 180 pages of Ishmael (although I didn't appreciate the two days we had to read that). Since my recent experience deals only in assigned reading, I thought I'd make a list of the most interesting, influential and truly life-changing books I have had to read throughout my schooling days.
1. "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee
I remember loving this book as a freshman. It was an intricate look at how racism affected a town, a court and a girl coming of age in a new world.
2. "Nineteen Minutes" by Jodi Picoult
Told from the perspective of four different people, it showed the effects of the tragedy not only on the victims, but also the shooter's family.
3. "Ishmael" by Daniel Quinn
This book changed the way I looked at the world. From learning about mother culture, to the taker / leaver society, this book brought up many ethical questions about what it means to be a global citizen.
4. "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
"There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one's safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn't, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn't have to; but if he didn't want to he was sane and had to."
5. "Slaughterhouse Five" by Kurt Vonnegut
Reading this book made no sense at the time, but it taught me how to read literature that doesn't follow the beginning, middle and end structure.
6. "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne
I hated this book in school, but stories like this are important, to teach both how women were regarded in this time and the perils of a repressive puritan culture.
7. "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson
This is a very important book about a topic that affects many young people everywhere. It should be read by everyone. It is very telling of our culture that Melinda's actions and feelings are relatable to many young people's experiences.
9. "Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare
Old English can be really fun -- especially when you get to act it out in class.
10. "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Truly a classic. Characters are not all what they seem...and despite their privilege, the grass is always greener on the other side.
11. "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
It brought up many important ethical issues like should HeLa cells have been sold without the family's knowledge, even though they could be used for cures? Should Henrietta Lack's family be given compensation?
12. "The Panic Virus" by Seth Mnookin
I was not even under the impression that people still thought the MMR vaccine caused cancer until I read this book. It was very informative as to why that's absolutely not the case.
13. "Night" by Elie Wiesel
This was an intensely personal, but incredible moving read of a young man's experience living during the Holocaust.
