If you could make one book required reading...

Miranda Wright

Sun, Nov 12 2023, 10:39 pm

...in all high schools, what would you pick?

(Let's make it two: one fiction and one nonfiction.)

amother

Amber

Sun, Nov 12 2023, 10:58 pm

Atomic Habits

Limitless

The new psych cybernetics

daagahminayin

Sun, Nov 12 2023, 11:12 pm

Middlemarch by George Eliot

How to Take Smart Notes by Sönke Ahrens

GLUE

Sun, Nov 12 2023, 11:15 pm

Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream
might as well learn why they will be spending the rest of there lives in a car

I can't think right now what fiction book high school kids should read.

daagahminayin

Sun, Nov 12 2023, 11:32 pm

GLUE wrote:

Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream
might as well learn why they will be spending the rest of there lives in a car

LOL.

daagahminayin

Sun, Nov 12 2023, 11:33 pm

GLUE wrote:

I can't think right now what fiction book high school kids should read.

Death of a Salesman would pair nicely with that.

amother

Navy

Sun, Nov 12 2023, 11:33 pm

Not along the same lines, but.......Living Emunah Smile

daagahminayin

Sun, Nov 12 2023, 11:37 pm

OP I love this question. It really made me think.

A fun challenge would be to find a connection between the fiction and non-fiction books.

With my answer, Middlemarch has a character who ambitiously wants to write a masterpiece called the Key to All Mythologies but tragically is never able to get beyond the research page and dies leaving stacks and stacks of indecipherable notes.

The book How to Take Smart Notes would have really helped him…

amother

Gold

Mon, Nov 13 2023, 6:23 am

Taharat Hamishpacha. I wish it was normalized as part of high school curriculum!

A fictional pairing would be The Scarlet Letter

Both in 12th grade

amother

Fern

Mon, Nov 13 2023, 6:28 am

amother Gold wrote:

Taharat Hamishpacha. I wish it was normalized as part of high school curriculum!

A fictional pairing would be The Scarlet Letter

Both in 12th grade

Why before marriage?

amother

Gold

Mon, Nov 13 2023, 7:05 am

Everyone needs to know the halachot before marriage.

amother

Fern

Mon, Nov 13 2023, 7:11 am

amother Gold wrote:

Everyone needs to know the halachot before marriage.

Right but why so long before?

amf

Mon, Nov 13 2023, 7:41 am

The giver
Homogeneity is not the answer!

Nonfiction pick for non Jewish kids-an accurate history of Israel

amother

Offwhite

Mon, Nov 13 2023, 8:15 am

"Go my son"

"As long as I live" and "the impact of a long as I live 1 & 2" (older hischool kids like 12 grade)

Neither are fiction.
But I believe that reading stories about beautiful poeple and resilience actually teaches children and adults resilience.
Why make them mandatory to read shtussim?

Let them read something that will enhance their character and actually give them things to think about and develop their character.

I try to tell my kids stories of resilience. It really builds them up.

amother

Gold

Mon, Nov 13 2023, 8:21 am

amother Fern wrote:

Right but why so long before?

We learn all halachot in high school. Boys learn it in Gemara way earlier. I think it's ridiculous that we have to seek out private lessons in the short time between engagement and marriage. These halachot should be normalized.

amother

Purple

Mon, Nov 13 2023, 9:25 am

amother Gold wrote:

Boys don't really learn it before in a real way. They need private lessons too. Most of what they're learning in gemarah about this is very conceptual
We had a basic overview in a class in 12th grade which I thought was productive

amother

Purple

Mon, Nov 13 2023, 9:27 am

They should make To Kill a Mockingbird mandatory reading again.

amother

Gold

Mon, Nov 13 2023, 9:58 am

amother Purple wrote:

They should learn it in 12th grade too, imo. I'm not sure I would recommend it be paired with Scarlet Letter for boys, though. I would pair it with Flowers for Algernon.

That's great! We didn't. Not in seminary, either.