“Martin Fierro” by Jose Hernandez. Me and all my classmates thought it would be the most boring book. We were surprised. And it was full of teachings for soon-to-be adults.
The Demon Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark - Carl Sagan
Animal farm
Personally one of my favorite books
I’d actually add the bible. A lot of people would be more atheist if they actually read through it. It would also be hilarious to see teenagers struggle with that long ass boring shit
Lmao, are you gonna be tested on the genealogy in Genesis 5
1984
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn
Ishmael - Daniel Quinn
Promethea by Alan Moore
I dunno that adding a book would be helpful. I don’t know that it is, but it feels like media literacy is at a bit of a low right now.
I don’t really know how to teach someone to identify the themes in a book, not this specific book but any book. Do you just read a lot and contrast and compare until you’re doing it subconsciously all the time with all books.
I think the main flaw is our actual way we teach literature in schools. I personally hated reading up until doing a “journal club” in college which was more like a book club that we would all read some assigned peer reviewed journals and then discuss them in an open environment. It made it where you couldn’t really participate unless you read the articles and the professor would facilitate the conversation so we would discuss certain things if no one else naturally brought it up. I don’t think that would really be possible in a 30 person class of high schoolers but if you took a smaller group of maybe 10 kids and instead of them just writing about the book had them talk in a group setting about a book like animal farm and which sections they found interesting or what sorts of parallels they see in modern times I think could engage students much more
The Corporation: the pathological pursuit of profit and power by Joel Bakan.
"There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged.
"One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world.
“The other, of course, involves orcs.”
[John Rogers, Kung Fu Monkey – Ephemera, blog post, March 19, 2009]
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I can see you re-read it after. Hope you had a chuckle.
Yeah, it was stupid and I immediately deleted it.
George Orwell - 1984
if only they can read that. they should be reading non-fiction works and doing an essay on that.
If I had read 1984 in school and had to write an essay on it, especially these days, I’d write the essay as a compare and contrast between the dystopian predictions in the book vs actual current events and mass surveillance as things are today. So in that sort of way, it would actually be covering real world events as well as the book at the same time.
Was offered this in high school. I read Brave New World and Island by Aldous Huxley instead. I’d say those.
Same here, Canada?
I love Brave New World, but couldn’t get into Island at all. I still have it though, I should give it another go.
The way into Island is really buying into the paradise that it would be and being willing to learn the ways of the Palanese. Oh, and a healthy disdain for the world you’d leave behind.
I figure that’s only gotten easier with time.
Ha, yes, certainly got plenty of disdain for the world. I’ll give it another go 👍
The novel that never stops being relevant.
It’s a great book. It really awakened me in high school. I think kids should be forced to read it.
There’s something deeply ironic about saying people should be forced to read Orwell…
That’s the joke. From the sitcom Community S3E13 “Digital Exploration of Interior Design”
Ah, I see. Unfortunately online one has come to expect people saying things like this seriously, especially when people discuss anti-authoritan ideas.
Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan. If nothing else, it might help some people learn to recognize scams.
I found this in a bookstore end-cap near the fantasy/sci-fi section. Thought it was going to be a novel when I picked it up. Can’t remember if I read the jacket before I left with it.
Destroyed my faith in religion. I highly recommend.
The Jungle - Upton Sinclaire
Book changed my life in college, but for reasons lemmy will hate.
Never had a shred of work ethic. Reading that book stunned me. “If this man can persevere through that, why am I such a wuss?”
Worked hard at every job since, moved up if there was the opportunity to do so. I soon realized that if you kick ass at your job, you can write your own ticket. Even if it’s not much more money, or a fat promotion, the least you get is a better schedule, acceptance of fuck ups, or whatever it is you want out of the place.
Gain skills and experience, quit, acquire new job, rinse and repeat.
When we moved to Florida 20-years ago, my two friends and I had no family, no jobs, no other friends. One guy started at an oil change place, way below his skill set. He’d work at a place for 6-months or a year, quit when they quit giving him more money, got a better job, rinse and repeat. He finally chilled after 10-years or so and settled into a job as a service manager for a major car dealership, $100K+, probably $150K today.
