Let’s Talk Bookish – Required Reading

Hey there and welcome back to another Let’s Talk Bookish post! Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme, created and hosted by me, where we discuss chosen topics, share our opinions, and spread the love by visiting each other’s posts.

Today’s topic is: Required Reading: A punishment or a blessing in disguise?

Surprisingly, my feelings toward required reading have changed. It doesn’t seem so bad now, but maybe it’s because I’m taking American Literature this year, and the books we’ve had to read so far aren’t too bad.

A few months ago, if you’d asked me this question, I would have told you that required reading was more of a punishment.

I despised having to read centuries-old texts written by authors from long ago, when there were more current and interesting books being published everyday.

This semester in High School, I’m studying American Literature, and to my surprise, I actually don’t mind the books/poetry that we have been asked to read so far. Some of them were even interesting. We read parts of The Great Gatsby, The Scarlet Letter, the play Trifles, The Yellow Wallpaper and many other texts.

And maybe I don’t mind it because of what we have been asked to read this year. We haven’t read any Shakespeare or Jane Eyre or anything like that. It could also be because we don’t always finish the whole book, and only read certain parts of it. It’s easier to bear and even enjoy because I don’t have to worry about reading the whole book.

In a more general sense, required reading creates some resentment, because we don’t have a choice about what we’re reading. Most of the time, these books are old, and as part of the newer generation, we can’t always connect or relate to characters from the 15th century. Being forced to read these books might make some students hate reading which is so much worse.

Learning about the history of Literature is important, and reading books from history can help us see how it evolved and understand what was important to people in those times. I get that, and I appreciate learning about it. However, required reading should also include more recent books, or a study of contemporary novels from today.

Of course, there are some kids that love the books that they are required to read. And that’s okay! This semester has taught me that these books aren’t always bad, and I’m glad that some people enjoy reading them. But for those who don’t, maybe schools should include some contemporary books in their curriculum as well.

This Week’s Participants:

Jane @ Blogger Books | Heran @ Be Frisky | Dani @ Literary Lion | Aria @ Book Nook Bits

That’s it! Today is so dreary and this post seems very lackluster sorry!, so I’m going to blame the rainy weather. I hope you have sunny and dry weather wherever you are!!

What do you think? Is required reading important? Do you think they should be limited to classics or books that are pretty old? Did you like required reading in school? What’s your favorite classic? Chat with me in the comments below!