Americans’ reading has been on the decline for decades, and high school students are no exception. Students today read fewer books than ever before, even though reading is proven to increase academic performance and happiness. As seniors head into the final quarter of the year, here are six books that South Lakes staff members think they should read before they graduate.
Mrs. Schmidt recommended Know My Name by Chanel Miller, which details the author’s experience recovering from a highly publicized sexual assault and the following trial. Schmidt said about the book, “it’s a good story to know, simply because life can be difficult.”
Ms. Keisler recommended My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante, which is focused on the relationship between two friends as they navigate life in post-WWII Italy. Keisler thinks that, “no other author writes interiority and inner thoughts and feelings the way [Ferrante] does. It’s the book that rips me open the most. I feel like it gets at the big things of life in a very true way.”
Mrs. Pellerin said she thinks students should read The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, a book from her IB English SL 2 class. She said about the book, “it’s like a love letter to books. It’s about the importance of her reading, why the world is a better place because of books and what they can do for our society as a whole.”
Ms. Vasili, an English 10 teacher, recommended that students read memoirs, “I really love memoirs. I think memoirs are so profound and powerful because they are based on personal experiences.”
Specifically, she recommended Educated by Tara Westover, a memoir detailing a woman’s experience leaving her survivalist Mormon family, going on to receive a PhD from Stanford after being kept out of school for most of her life.
She also said that she loves Between Two Kingdoms by Suleika Jaquad, because, “it’s about the author who goes through a drastic, life changing event. She shares that experience with the reader in a very profound and emotional way.” The book chronicles the author’s journey after being diagnosed with leukemia, from treatment, to remission, to re-entry into everyday life.
A former Russian studies student, librarian Ms. Frantz thinks kids should read Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, a classic piece of Russian literature that tells the story of a murderer’s internal conflict after committing the crime. Frantz said about the book, “it makes you think, because it’s about an outcast in society and the guilt and social responsibility of that.”
As students approach the final quarter of the year, these books are great options to wrap up their high school reading careers and maybe learn something new before taking their next steps into the world.
