“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
I gonna add one that I actually read in school and actually Am very grateful I read it.
Its “Der gute Mensch von Sezuan” (The good human from Sezuan) by Berthold Brecht.
The story is, that the gods try to fund a good human in the town Sezuan and disguise themselves as humans seeking shelter. No one wants to give them shelter except a prostitute name Shen-Te. As a reward for being a good person they give her gold in return, which she uses to open her own shop. However, her buisness is not very succesfull, since she wants to help as many people as possible which means a big financial burden. To help her out of this she invents her cousin (?) Shui-Ta who is cold and regularly saves the buisness by not helping people and demanding things. This way the buisness stays open and Shen-Te can continue to help her community.
Basically the book is an analogism for why capitalism can not work, since the force to make a profit forces you to fuck over other people and it is not possible to not take part in this system on an individual level. I hated all other books we had to read in school, but I Am quite great I read that one. It also definitely played a role in my path towards becoming a communist.
Another upside of it is, that its rather short and can be easily read in about 2-3h.
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
“The name of the wind”
It will teach them to deal with frustration and disappointment.
Promethea by Alan Moore
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]
deleted by creator
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.
