Books Every Senior Highschooler Should Read
Reading books can be a great way to acquire more skills, know past events, boost creativity, and spend leisure time productively. They open doors to new worlds and teach us different viewpoints about life. Some of them we take to heart while others, we appreciate and just enjoy the adventure they give us. With millions of copies of books produced, it is a treasure trove not only for the bookworm but also to the uninitiated novice.
Being a senior high school student means that you will be able to better understand serious themes and genres, and maybe discover the enjoyment of reading a good book. Here are some thought-provoking titles that every student should consider reading:
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
A dystopian future where books are outlawed and burned by the government. A great way to entice viewers the importance of literature, especially when the story revolves burning the books literally.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
A good classics book that stood up against time. A book that presents problems of the 1800s still reflect some issues today. The character development of the protagonist was ahead of its time and still be able to relate despite the 200-year-old existence of the book.
The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas by Ursula K. Le Guin
A great short story about conflicting ideals set in a dystopian society. A light read, yet the themes are heavy of concepts of utilitarianism and individuality. The open-ended ending will depend upon the morality of the reader.
Voices from the Holocaust by Jon E. Lewis
One way to avoid a repeat of history is to know what actually happened. The book is about the experiences and suffering of the Jewish people during World War II. The book tells the harrowing tale of real individuals who lived under the brutal concentration camps.
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery
Don’t be fooled with the childish illustrations and the title itself. This is a great book to change the way a reader perceives things. The Little Prince will guide the readers to their eventual self-discovery and looking at things using different lenses.
Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
A book revolving on a traveling salesman who is burdened by his family. After an eventful day, he was unable to work and the family has to fend for themselves. This book is a source of how motivation works.
Odyssey by Homer
The story follows after the great Trojan Wall from the hands of the Greeks, Odysseus now going back home to his wife had multiple setbacks that delayed his travel longer than expected. The adventure is both filled with the thrill and lessons despite the age of this timeless epic.
Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne
Everyone might recognize the loving yellow bear with a strong affinity with honey. Winnie the Pooh is actually from his self titled book. The book presents different lessons on friendship, love, and hardships despite being pictured as a bear with a huge appetite for honey.
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
A book about survival, but most importantly a good subject on how group dynamics work under severe pressure and distress. The book follows boys who were stranded in an island after a freak accident and trying to settle in hopes for rescue. The children thought that the island was to fear, yet it is small in comparison with their heart’s desires.
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
A different kind of knight’s tale. The misadventures of Don Quixote parodies the knight and shining armor yet the trope of the book is actually about disillusionment and failures in life but yet how to still pick up from that mess. Despite its age, it still one of the books that are well read since the humor can still be appreciated until today.
Dune by Frank Herbert
For those with an interest in science fiction, Dune by Frank Herbert would be considered one of the best due to the world-building element. It is by far one of the most successful science fiction printed. The story is set in 20,000 years into the future, wherein Spice is one of the most expensive commodities due to the ability to expand reasoning and thinking. Spice can only be found on one planet, being monopolized by a great family.
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
A dystopian future where women are considered taboo and inferior, the protagonist tries to survive the ordeal by joining the resistance, or risk being a Handmaid.
Final Thoughts
Every high school student can indeed get big learnings from the books presented above. The skills and lessons in every book can be helpful in dealing with scenarios that the student will eventually experience as he or she grows. There will always be joy, sadness, anxiety, fear, and success in those stories. At least knowing the circumstances of how each protagonist did it, despite most of them being fiction, can be a great inspiration.
Books are meant to prepare us by giving us valuable lessons, directly acquiring skills, and motivate us to read more. As the famous Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said, “reading made me dream and more reading made my dreams come true”
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