“School Reads”

In light of back-to-school week, Goodreads asks what assigned reading book do you wish you had paid more attention to in school.

Moby Dick: it was too much of a rush to read something that didn’t interest me.
Great Expectations: I wish I read it more earnestly than like fiction.
The Bell Jar: the writing literally drove me crazy

I think as a teenager I lacked the life experiences to appreciate the themes of these monumental works. I took the books for their face value, gauging them just by whether they could keep me engaged. Also I didn’t enjoy the way books were taught in high school, within the constraint of a curriculum. I didn’t like dissecting a book into cold hard facts afterwards for an essay. Sometimes that mad dash to finish assignment ruins the pleasure of reading.

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