Back-to-school season is upon us and the kids are all getting ready to be taught against their will. None of them want to learn math, apparently. Parents are rejoicing in a return to schedules and a little sibling separation. There are only so many times you can listen to small humans argue about the best Roblox game before considering the merits of an electronic-free lifestyle. And then remembering you can no longer use the bathroom without your phone. (Sanitize those devices!!)
So let’s look back at some books we were forced to read (and maybe didn’t) in school and use this back-to-school season as motivation to learn a few things ourselves. As a bonus, lots of these are on banned book lists now, so you get to feel a little rebellious reading them.
- 1984
Big Brother is watching. Always watching.
As of 2024, 1984 is celebrating its 75th anniversary and is just as relevant today as it was when it was first released. In it, Winston navigates life in the extreme totalitarian regime of Oceania. Everything is controlled and watched by The Party. An absolute masterclass in the consequences of forced conformity and government manipulation of reality, 1984 is something everyone should read. You’ll be terrified, hopeful, inspired, and devastated by Winston’s story and his defiant relationship with Julia.
With a recent novel from Julia’s perspective on sale this September, there has never been a better time to read 1984.
- Huckleberry Finn
Told from the perspective of a young white boy during slavery, don’t let the fact that this is children’s fiction fool you. It is worth reading as an adult if you missed out on it in elementary school. Huckleberry Finn has received its share of criticism throughout the years, including when it was first released, for using foul language. Today, many people take issue with its rampant use of slurs and depiction of the treatment of Jim, a runaway slave. Ultimately, this book explores the meaning of freedom and demonstrates that we can overcome the biases we’ve developed by doing what is right. Huck and Jim forge a bond throughout their adventures that surpasses the societal constraints of the time and is heartening to behold.
Another book with a recent novelization switching viewpoints, I suggest giving this a read before you pick up James, told from Jim’s perspective. James was released on March 19th this year and has already been making waves for its fresh and much-needed perspective. A fantastic book you should pick up, but it does make some changes to the original story, so I’d read that first.
Get The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from bookshop.org here.
- Great Expectations
If you’d have told me at 12 that someday I would recommend reading a Dickens’ novel, I’d have assumed something terrible had happened to my mind. Hit by a car in the head perhaps. I did get a concussion skiing once, and only once, but I don’t think that’s what changed my mind. Ultimately, we put these books in the hands of children too young to appreciate them and without the full understanding of what they’re reading. Just because the protagonist is a child doesn’t mean the book is for children.
In this coming-of-age tale, Pip is an orphan who dreams of a better life. He wants to be educated, wealthy, and marry the girl. He encounters a variety of interesting characters, looking at you Miss Havisham, as he moves throughout society. This book encompasses it all, unrequited love, secret benefactors, police escapades, and the consequences of achieving our ambitions.
Although this was lengthy, complicated, and intimidating when we were young, now’s the time to give it a second chance. I read this in 7th grade and then again in college and was stunned, and a little miffed tbh, to find that I loved it the second time.
- The Bluest Eye
What makes us beautiful?
Beauty standards have always been detrimental in the lives of young women. Desperation to conform and a sense of inferiority when what society says who we should be and who we are don’t match influence our feelings of self-worth.
Pecola believes that she is undeserving of love and compassion because she doesn’t see herself as beautiful. In many ways she feels the harsh realities of her life all stem from her dark eyes and skin. If only she could have blue eyes, then others would really see her and treat her well. Life is difficult for her due to racism and due to the pervasive sexual abuse experienced by herself and those around her.
How we see ourselves has a heavy influence on how we see the world. Pecola’s story is tragic. She wants to be someone else. Systemic mistreatment and violence fill our world as they do Pecola’s. We have all experienced a need to be something different, something we see as better and to be really seen by those around us. Through Pecola’s story we examine our feelings about ourselves but also how our treatment of others, particularly when addressed to an entire group, has a profound impact on them. Society can, and should do better.
- Fahrenheit 451
Fahrenheit 451 is the temperature at which books burn.
Is it? I wouldn’t know because burning books is a travesty! Inspired by the book burnings and bans that were occurring in Nazi Germany at the time, Bradbury creates a horrific world where all books are banned. At a time when books across the nation are being contested, banned, and access to literature is more tenuous than many can remember, the lessons of 451 ring true and incredibly relevant.
Guy is a firefighter who burns confiscated books, and finds himself flouting the very laws it’s his job to enforce. Dissillusioned with the government, he begins to take books he is meant to burn. He finds himself following a path that he could never have imagined.
This is a quick read but full of depth and important lessons about censorship and the power of ideas.
Pick something different to read this fall when the kids are back in school. You might even be able to impress them with your vast literary knowledge when they come home with one of these as required reading. Although, you might impress them more with some up to date memes and slang (or they might be horrified). Read the books anyway.
Happy back to school everyone!
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