"I think I speak for everyone when I say that vegetarian pigs in a blanket are bullshit."

[ninamazing]

As far as high school English class goes, the only books I actually considered classics -- the only ones that were really worth being forced to read -- were To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man.

(My supercool senior-English teacher also had us read Maus and then ran a fake-ish side class with me called "Women and

Comments

[aki]

I love Our Town, it makes me cry, but then, I'm from Vermont. It's practically about my grandparents. I think it's great and would recommend it but okay, I can agree that maybe we should force everyone to. Death of a Salesman, however, I think is an important play to read. There's lots of symbolism, but it's very approachable. That impotence of being old, being imperfect, being useless is not something that other texts cover and when you're 15, you aren't going to think about it on your own.

I'm not sure it's a classic, but my sophomore English class forced me to read "Something Wicked This Way Comes" by Ray Bradbury and I think more people should read that. Barring that, my must reads? Of Mice and Men and/or The Grapes of Wrath (I preferred the former, but I think the latter is more significant. The latter also drags on and lost my attention [I never read the last chapter, oops] and the former's an easier read), Cyrano de Bergerac (translation OK), To Kill A Mockingbird, Macbeth, and one of the three big dystopias: Brave New World (my pref), 1984, or The Handmaid's Tale. I'm sure I'm missing something essential, but I just made myself 15 min late for work writing out this much.

[aki]

Rather, I can agree we shouldn't force everyone to read Our Town

The jungle is deep, but full of diamonds.

[aki]

And other texts don't cover those topics of Death Of A Salesman. Sheesh.

[ninamazing]

I'm sorry I made you late for work!!

That impotence of being old, being imperfect, being useless is not something that other texts cover and when you're 15, you aren't going to think about it on your own.

That's probably true. And my animosity toward Our Town is more motivated by the fact that it made me really, really depressed. It was well-written and interesting ... I guess just not well-written and interesting enough for me to consider it a classic. Maybe in Vermont school districts. :P

I was never forced to read John Steinbeck! Which is sad, as I probably should at some point. And my favorite is definitely 1984. :) I like all your choices, and thanks for the tip on the Ray Bradbury story -- I've never read that, and now I'll be seeking it out.