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1saidooer
As I further my education in MSU's teaching program and discuss books with my peers and colleagues, I am realizing just how little I have actually read. In high school, I read the basics: Romeo and Juliet, To Kill a Mockingbird, Macbeth, Frankenstein, etc. Are there books that you know of that take into account similar themes and also happen to be "modern" or contemporary? Are there new books in young adult literature that may incorporate such themes but are written by diverse authors or genders? Are there modern books that take different approaches to ideas of family, right and wrong, trials, love, etc.? I would love to learn of even more books to read and then possibly teach in a high school English classroom. I want my students to feel comfortable with what they are reading, not that they are just "getting through" a book. You could think about what your favorite book is and why. Or what was your favorite book in high/middle school? What did that book contain opposed to your least favorite? I appreciate any and every suggestion. Thanks for taking the time.
2d_perlo
Here are a couple of books:
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang: three stories that are really one about growing up Chinese American in the U.S.A.. Includes trying to rewrite one's own identity. (Graphic Novel)
Pride of Baghdad by Brian K. Vaughan and Niko Henrichon: The story of the lions in the Baghdad zoo during the Iraq war. Studies cruelty and the ideas of bravery and freedom. (Graphic Novel)
Maus by Art Spieglman: This two part graphic novel is the biography of the authors father during the holocaust and after. A wonderful read. (Graphic Novel)
Each of these graphic novels can be appreciated by teen readers (Maus is older teens) and can be integrated into curriculum. (I would check for language or graphic art requirements.)
My favorite books in high school: Assigned - Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens and Medea by Euripides. I loved the epic scope of these works. (I freely admit that I was a geek and mythology nut.)
Unassigned - Frank Herbert's Dune novels and Lazarus Effect, and The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. Again, I liked epic novels and tales of intellect and bravery.
My least favorite books in high school: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Crucible by Arthur Miller. I did not sympathize with any of the characters in The Scarlet letter. All of them were in the wrong. The Crucible just did not interest me by the time I had to read it in high school. I had gone through my interest in witches in middle school and had read it previously. Plus, again, most of the characters did not speak to me.
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang: three stories that are really one about growing up Chinese American in the U.S.A.. Includes trying to rewrite one's own identity. (Graphic Novel)
Pride of Baghdad by Brian K. Vaughan and Niko Henrichon: The story of the lions in the Baghdad zoo during the Iraq war. Studies cruelty and the ideas of bravery and freedom. (Graphic Novel)
Maus by Art Spieglman: This two part graphic novel is the biography of the authors father during the holocaust and after. A wonderful read. (Graphic Novel)
Each of these graphic novels can be appreciated by teen readers (Maus is older teens) and can be integrated into curriculum. (I would check for language or graphic art requirements.)
My favorite books in high school: Assigned - Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens and Medea by Euripides. I loved the epic scope of these works. (I freely admit that I was a geek and mythology nut.)
Unassigned - Frank Herbert's Dune novels and Lazarus Effect, and The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. Again, I liked epic novels and tales of intellect and bravery.
My least favorite books in high school: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Crucible by Arthur Miller. I did not sympathize with any of the characters in The Scarlet letter. All of them were in the wrong. The Crucible just did not interest me by the time I had to read it in high school. I had gone through my interest in witches in middle school and had read it previously. Plus, again, most of the characters did not speak to me.
