Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created by The Broke and the Bookish
The Broke and the Bookish is taking a hiatus until August 15th, so I chose to feature some of my favorite book I had to read for school. I know there’s a Back To School freebie later in the month, but I already have something different planned for that. I’m going to share books that I’ve read for different classes through high school and college that I really loved. There’s a mix from short stories and plays to memoirs and classics, so let’s discuss books we read in school.
You can click on the book title to go the the Goodreads page.
The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor
This is a short story collection I read for a Women’s Studies class – and I LOVED IT. We follow seven different black women who live in Brewster Place. We see the women’s strengths and struggles as they live their daily lives in inner city America.
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi
Another Women’s Studies read. Reading Lolita in Tehran is a memoir that shows Azar Nafisi’s teaching her students to through forbidden Western classics. I loved seeing how the stories they were reading in class became intertwined with their own personal stories. The Gatsby chapter was surprisingly my favorite, I loved seeing the students put Gatsby on trial.
The Trial of God by Elie Wiesel
I read this play in a Religion elective about how different religions define the problem of evil and suffering. This class was also during a Maymester so it was like a three hour class, but I did really like it. Inspired from an event that Elie Wiesel witnessed as a boy in Auschwitz, The Trial of God follows a mock trial indicting God for His silence in the face of evil and persecution of the Jewish people. When none of the Jewish people present want to defend Him, a mysterious stranger, Sam, steps in to do the job.
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Probably an unexpected choice for favorite classic, I read this for my American lit class in 11th grade, and I really liked it. I really liked the symbolism and how Hester is held to a double standard, and the themes of alienation and transcendentalism . I also remember having a really great class discussion (and writing a killer paper) for this book too.
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
You know how you have summer reading and have to do a book report when you start school, this was the book I read going into freshman year of high school. I had actually already read, so it was technically a re-read for me, but man does this book leave you an emotional wreck. We follow freshman Melinda, after she’s been assaulted by an upperclassman. Through the course of the novel, Melinda begins to regain her voice, heal, and fight back.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Another Freshman year year, and this book was probably the beginning of my love of sociology. It’s such an important and relevant story that highlights societal expectations of class, race, and gender, and the racism and prejudices present in America.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
I feel like I had to include my favorite Shakespeare play. This was my sophomore year Shakespeare read, and I love the fun whimsy and ridiculousness is so entertaining.
The Odyssey by Homer
I read this for my Classics elective in college. I took the class because I love all things Greek mythology. I found this to be such a fun book, I loved that there are so many greek stories referenced. I just really enjoyed this one.
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
I read this for an ENGL 1102 class and I freaking loved it. This short play is hysterical, filled with mistaken identities and the dramas of young love, this story is beyond entertaining.
The Long Shadow of Little Rock by Daisy Bates
I read this in my American History post-1865 class. This memoir tells the story of Daisy Bates and the Little Rock 9, as they fight for equality and school integration in 1957 Arkansas.
What are some of your favorite books you’ve read for school? Share down below!
Life of a Literary Nerd 
Great post. I read a few of these in school as well-To Kill a Mockingbird, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Scarlet Letter. I really need to reread them though, lol. It’s been long enough now that I couldn’t write a decent review for them. ❤ I see some that I need to add! Very cool post. 😉
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Thanks!
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I read Speak going into freshmen year too! AND OH MY GOSH I LOVE THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST, it was my favorite play I read senior year of high school (I also love the film adaptation with Collin Firth 😍).
My favorite book I’ve read in school has to go to Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, but I also really loved Arthur Miller’s The Crucible.
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wow, the only one from these books i’ve read was “to kill a mockingbird”. and that wasn’t even for school… we did not read many books in school, unfortunately!
great list. gonna look more closer into these books! 🤗
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I feel like I always had a lot of books to read for school, which I mostly didnt mind. I definitely recommend these ones!
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Lovely post.
I can’t remember many books I read for school, sadly. But I remember that some of them very good. If only I knew which ones 😬
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Some of these came instantly, and others took a little more effort, lol.
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Ah required reading. I remember those days. I enjoyed Wuthering Heights in school. I remember hating The Old Man and the Sea and To Kill A Mockingbird though. I had to read The Scarlet Letter as well. It’s interesting to see the differences in what schools made kids read over the years, and the similarities
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I was not a fan of the Scarlet letter but I agree I did like the symbolism and the fact that any paper I had to write on basically anything could use that novel as it’s examples!
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One of my favorite school books was Ethan Frome, I do not know anyone else who liked it!
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