Throughout high school, students read books from many different genres and time periods in English classes, while some books stood out because of their writing style or themes, others stayed with students because of the characters, ideas, or classroom discussions connected to them.
For some seniors, the books that had the biggest impact also had the most relevance to their lives today.
“I liked ‘Brave New World’ the best,” said senior Nicholas Polymeros. “I feel like it’s referenced a lot, in the news and modern culture. For me, understanding it helps you understand what’s happening in our daily lives.”
Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World” follows a futuristic society controlled through technology, entertainment, and social conditioning, topics that many think are affecting the world today.
A favorite book mentioned by multiple seniors is a popular read from the sophomore year curriculum.
“My favorite is probably ‘The Things They Carried’,” said senior Jonathan Wu. “It stuck with me because the book spent so much time building up these characters that you know are going to die, and you end up really caring about them. So it really depicted the horrors of war so clearly.”
Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried”, which tells stories about soldiers during the Vietnam War, blends fiction with reality while exploring fear, guilt, and loss during wartime.
While the content of the novel was the draw for some students, the method of teaching it was also a factor for others.
“Mr. Kelley was a great teacher, and he could tell that I really liked the book. That made it much more enjoyable to read, and it made it really interesting,” said senior Beckett Huber.
The blending of fact and fiction is another aspect of the novel that intrigued readers.
“The book was about a man in the Vietnam War, but the stories he told weren’t always 100% what actually happened,” said Huber. “It was historical fiction, but he wrote about his own experiences and changed the names of himself and his friends.”
Huber’s former teacher also appreciates this blend of fact and fiction, as well as how O’Brien’s treatment of what makes a story “true” creates more impact on readers.
“Tim O’Brien uses a first-person narrator who has the same name and many characteristics as the author, but who is fictional,” said English teacher Mike Kelley. “As a writer, he tries to capture emotional truth more than factual truth.”
While O’Brien’s treatment of a real historical moment generated interest for many seniors, others were engaged by books that present possible version of the future, especially when that future feels relevant to today.
“‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ felt very politically relevant to today,” said senior Sofie Forsythe. “It was sci-fi and dystopian, but there were so many layers to pick apart, so many motifs and images.”
Margaret Atwood’s ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ follows a society in which women lose many of their rights under an authoritarian government. Students said the novel’s political themes and symbolism made it memorable to analyze in class.
Students also enjoyed books connected to modern media and internet culture.
“I loved ‘Yellowface’ because it was really accessible,” said senior Sofia Graupera. “I thought the message was really relevant to today, with social media and technology being so powerful.”
R.F. Kuang’s “Yellowface” focuses on the publishing industry through the story of a writer who steals another’s work but then must face backlash on social media, all with a satirical point of view.
Some books that presented challenges while reading them still emerged as favorites given the feeling of accomplishment they got when they were able to accurately interpret them.
“Another book I really enjoyed was ‘Beloved’, which was a really deep book,” said Graupera. “The way it’s written is nonlinear, so it’s hard to write about and understand sometimes, but putting together the different characters and timelines in a way that was linear made it really interesting.”
The book “Beloved” is written by Toni Morrison, who won the Pulitzer prize for the book. It explores the horrors and deep psychological effects of slavery, and it is the way Morrison exposes those harsh realities through her characters that drew in some readers.
“‘Beloved’ is definitely a very good story, but it is very fragmented,” said senior Jacob Liu. “You jump back and forth in timelines, and then you drop into a character’s mind, so you really have to piece everything together.”
Given the wide range of books students read over four years of high school, it’s not surprising that seniors’ favorite books differ so much. Their English teachers just hope that they can offer books that will enable all of their students to find one that matches their interests or experiences.
“I think [‘The Things They Carry’] resonates with people who have questioned their own bravery or cowardice and who have thought about what they would have done differently,” said Kelley.
