You laughed, you cried, you Sparknoted, you fell asleep while reading them, and a lot of times you probably felt like saying this:
Here is a little something to reference on your journey through required reading, all the required reading ranked from best to worst.
DISCLAIMER: These are the books that I have read in my high school career, taking all honors/IB classes. The required reading might have changed or I might not have had the opportunity to read a book that was required for you. Sorry!
ALSO YES, there is a high level of subjectivity because these are my opinions of the books I have read but that being said, I am not alone in my opinion of any of these.
For your benefit, I have rated each work from zero to five on the “Sparknotes” scale. Zero meaning you are so invested that there is no need/want to Sparknotes it, and five being, well, Crime and Punishment.
- The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald: Sparknotes Rating: (0)
The crown jewel of english required reading, The Great Gatsby has something that everyone is sure to enjoy. Fitzgerald’s writing is amazing and imagining Leonardo DiCaprio as Gatsby really helps you get out of any reading ruts, even though you shouldn’t have any while reading this book.
2 – The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger: (0)
Yes, if you mention to ANYONE over the age of twenty that this is your favorite book, you will be met with an eye roll and a sigh, or a mumble that they “could’ve guessed,” but don’t let them deter you! This book is GOOD! Maybe in ten years we’ll all look back and think that Holden was annoying and whiny, but that’s probably because we all will have realized how much we identified with him.
3 – Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston: (0)
Do not be discouraged by the difficult dialect! Once you get into it, this book picks up and you find yourself rooting for Janie and Tea Cake.
4 – To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee: (0)
A classic that actually lives up to all expectations, somewhat of a rarity among required reading to be quite honest.
5 – Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen: (1–you might need help understanding some of the language used)
If you’re a boy then you probably feel like it is a requirement to parade your dislike of Austen’s novel about the halls, but I’m here to say IT IS OKAY TO LIKE PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AS A MALE. Perhaps you might even find yourself identifying with a certain Mr. Darcy….
6 – Lord of the Flies, William Golding: (0)
Although this book is terrifying, and many of its major themes seem to have been beaten into us since our first ever english class (individual vs. nature, individual vs. society, the terrors of human nature etc.), it is worth the read.
7 – Animal Farm by George Orwell: (1–If you haven’t studied the Russian Revolution, you might need sparknotes to help you out a little)
Similar to my comments on Lord of the Flies, you might feel like you’ve already read this satire before you pick it up, but there is definitely something new in there for you!
8 -Hamlet by William Shakespeare: (2–Shakespearian language can be……yeah)
I remember staring at my copy of Hamlet as if it were a bomb about to explode at any point in time and putting off my reading for days and days, until I picked it up. And to my surprise, I actually liked it. My recommendation is to listen to the play on tape as some of the voices supply some nice comic relief to your reading, the part where a certain character says “Oh, I am slain” kills me everytime.
9 – A Separate Peace by John Knowles: (0–don’t sparknote it, okay, just read it)
This glimmer of hope, is the light at the end of the tunnel in terms of 8th grade required reading. After trudging through The Bean Trees and the books who shall not be named (Dandelion Wine), A Separate Peace was a refreshing piece of literature–don’t be quick to put it off Gene and Finny’s characters as stereotypical and static, they will surprise you!
10 – The Sound of Waves, Yukio Mishima: (1–can get a little slow at times)
This novel has been fondly called “The Sound of Boobs” by many students, but once you get beyond acting like a ten year old (this might be harder for some of you than others,) you realize that it was actually an enjoyable book.
11 – Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck and Kevin Hinkle: (0–it’s so short like if you Sparknote this, honestly guys Crime and Punishment will be…..well)
“I can remember the rabbits, George.” George and Lennie, beloved by many readers, this book though short ,drew me in and almost brought me to tears.
12 – Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare: (2–again, with the shakespearian tongue)
This comedy also benefitted from some humorous voices in the book on tape, and many of you will probably notice some parallels with the beloved movie “She’s the Man,” but hey it’s actually a fun read!
13 – The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne: (2–can prove to be a little slow at times)
Going into this book, I felt like I already knew everything that was going to happen, I was happily surprised with the plot and the characters. No, “Easy A” is not an accurate movie.
14 – The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams: (1–it’s so odd that it’ll keep you interested)
Reading this play aloud in Mr. DeFazio’s english class was certainly an interesting experience, as many of us laughed at the characters odd dialogue and attributes, but it’s a good one.
15 – The Visit by Friedrich Dürrenmatt: (0–it’s…..too unique to Sparknote)
There’s no way I can really explain this one so….yeah.
16 – Running in the Family by Michael Ondaatje: (I honestly don’t even think there are Sparknotes for this book)
Once you accept the fact that you don’t really understand what’s happening throughout the book and how there’s no real timeframe for what’s going on, it can be an enjoyable read!
17 – Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller: (2–it can be slow but keep reading)
Depressing, but good.
18 – Library of Babel, Garden of the Forking Paths, Circular Ruins in Short Stories by Jorge Luis Borges (too weird to sparknote) Interesting reads!
19 – Cry, the Beloved Country, Alan Paton: (3–yeah…..)
I mean, it was well written.
20 – Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare: (3–for some reason this book was harder to get through than the other shakespeares)
Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
21 – The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway: (3–once you realize that they get drunk every chapter, you get closer and closer to typing sparknotes into your browser)
So they are all drunk and none of them have genuine relationships with one another. And there’s some bull fighting, cool.
22 – Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe: (3–nothing really happens until the last 70 pages)
It was written in an interesting way, but the plot that everyone discusses didn’t really happen until the last 70 or so pages.
23 – In Our Time by Ernest Hemingway: (I mean they are short stories so…)
How can a short story feel so long?
24 – Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare: (4–you probably think you know everything that’s going to happen. And guess what, you do!)
It was not until we actually read/acted out Romeo and Juliet in english class that I realized how creepy/stupid all the characters in it really are. Not a fan of this one, PSA: Romeo and Juliet are fourteen. I know it was the late 1500’s, but wow? When I was fourteen I wanted to marry Niall Horan of One Direction. On the bright side, there is also a movie version with Leonardo Dicaprio.
25 – The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver: (4–yeah….)
Just not an enjoyable read.
26 – The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (5–I’m sorry but the adventures really weren’t that adventurous)
I really wanted to like this book but, it was a little, slow. Boring
27 – Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (I could not even will myself to sparknotes it)
If a student were to, I don’t know, skip the middle 200 pages of this book and Raskolnikov was still doing what he was doing 200 pages before, aimlessly wandering about St. Petersburg. Would that speak to the quality of the book? Maybe in 20 years, after I have gone through an internal struggle where guilt overtakes me and I meet a few people who are called ten different names, I will understand the appeal of this book a little more. (I finished that thought in a concise paragraph, Raskolnikov doesn’t have a lot of thoughts like that.)
28 – Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury (…sparknotes did not help)
Page 300……where is the plot? He looks at his hand and knows he’s alive….weren’t there other hints at this point like maybe, I don’t know, BREATHING, which can help you figure out you’re alive? Congrats Dandelion Wine, you have earned your spot in dead last.
If you are currently drowning in required reading, hopefully this list was helpful to show you that you should push through it!
