Required Novels vs. Selected Reading

August Napolitano

The required reading has been a staple of your English classes for years. In elementary school, you had to pick out books at the school library and record your time spent reading them in a log. Now you’re in high school, and you’ve spent the past few years of your schooling career required to read certain books in English class as part of the curriculum. You’re assigned them, given a deadline, a test, and an essay, but what’s the purpose? Are your English teachers just out to get you, or is it all a necessary part of your education?

“I think that when it comes to a required novel, if I have a selection of possibilities, I am going to pick the one that is either has the most value or the one that I like the most personally. I have trouble teaching an assigned novel that I don’t like or don’t believe has any merit. I only teach things that I believe in,” says Mr. Taylor, a teacher of 12th grade English.

“I think reading books for English is sometimes tedious and not well-executed, but by no means unimportant,” says BAHS Senior Quinn Baumeister. “I think reading novels is essential in education, and therefore I encourage and appreciate it.”

So what is a proper, interesting approach to assigning a novel? Mr. Taylor admits the process is complicated. “Each book is different. For instance, in English 12 I teach Kite Runner and I teach Book Thief. But I approach them differently. I tailor my teaching method to each individual novel,” he says.

But some students admit that the best way to enjoy a novel is outside of a restricted school setting. Madison Krchnavy, another BAHS senior, says, “I really enjoy reading. However, the ‘forced’ aspect of being required to have a novel read and analyzed by a specific date does take the fun out of it, to an extent.”

Despite the mixed opinions surrounding required readings, when approached with an open mind and executed well, they can teach important lessons to their readers. Often times, books are required in order to expose students to new types of genres and important historical information that they might otherwise slip past them.

“I think certain books are required in the school curriculum because they’re classics. I can’t imagine not requiring kids to read The Lord of the Flies, or Romeo and Juliet. They’re the books that have been proven throughout time to be great,” Mr. Taylor says.

To Kill a Mockingbird in ninth grade taught me the principles of a southern gothic, which is now one of my favorite genres. The disillusionment and intrigue of the Jazz Age made The Great Gatsby one of my favorite novels I’ve ever read,” adds Krchnavy.

The Great Gatsby, a required novel in the English 11 curriculum, is a favorite of Baumeister’s also. “I had read [The Great Gatsby] twice before it was assigned to me, and it was so enjoyable to talk to people about the story and the characters. Through discussion with Mrs. Belinko and my classmates I got a whole new perspective and understanding on the novel, and I love it even more now.”