5 Books You Hated In High School (That Should Have Changed Your Life)

Required high school reading almost always produces the same effect — uninterested students who skim some of history’s greatest literature just enough to pass a quiz that asks questions like “what color socks was Captain Ahab wearing on his 188th day at sea?” and miss the entire point of the book. The travesty is that these high school kids move on to the rest of their lives without benefiting from the life-changing lessons of classic literature. Although by no means a fully representative list of high school reading, the following five classics present powerful truths that each college student should have learned years ago. These are some reasons why they warrant a second read — but don’t take my word for it.

1.“The Scarlet Letter”

by Nathaniel Hawthorne

The premise of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter” likely grows more alien to American high school students each year. Whether or not it is the draconian treatment of adultery in Hawthorne’s Puritan village that alienates modern students or the novel’s somewhat-labyrinthine syntax, the loss of interest renders the highly symbolic, ironic twist at the end of the novel much less compelling.

The surprise ending topples the novel’s twin pillars of devout religiosity and duty — the irony that constitutes the big take-away from “The Scarlet Letter.” What high school students should learn from Hawthorne’s tale is that, in the words of Salinger’s Holden Caulfield, life is indeed full of “stinking phonies” who really do win out sometimes, at least temporarily. At the same time, the end of the story underscores the grave consequences of sanctimonious deception. Maybe it’s a little deep for spitball-launching teenagers, but the earlier that this lesson seeps in, the better.

2.“Moby Dick” by Herman Melville.

It’s not difficult to understand why Melville loses his high school readers early on in his maritime masterpiece — the treatise on the minutia of whaling tends to have an exasperating effect, even on adult readers. It certainly takes perseverance to wade through Melville’s esoteric descriptions, but there is a reason why “Moby Dick” is the epitome of the American novel.

The book examines a litany of themes, each one containing much to internalize. What high school students should realize above all else, though, is the link between those themes — obsession, the human struggle against destiny, romanticized adventure — and 19th century America. Melville’s novel became an integral facet of American literature because it spoke to an integral facet of the American people. The important lesson reveals something vital about culture and human nature. The interface of “Moby Dick” and American readers in the 1800s should make students understand the feedback loop between culture and nations — a phenomenon that explains some of the most complicated global issues.

3.“Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe

“Things Fall Apart” is possibly the most disappointing read of the high school experience. Although the title is an obvious warning, Nigerian author Chinua Achebe hooks readers emotionally with simple prose and a compelling tribal paradigm, which makes the conclusion that much more of a letdown.

It doesn’t sound like a book that would illustrate the fun of reading to high schoolers, but it does present something more profound than entertainment value — in itself an important thing for kids to learn. However, the title is a blunt distillation of the book’s major lesson; sometimes things simply don’t work out in the end. Often a forgotten concept in insular communities like schools, the truth that “things fall apart” helps instill in kids the elements of resilience and maturity, encapsulated in Kipling’s exhortation to “meet with triumph and disaster and treat these two imposters just the same.”

4.“Crime and Punishment”

by Fyodor Dostoevsky

“Crime and Punishment” is a long and harrowing trudge through the grimy slums of St. Petersburg and the tortured soul of Raskolnikov, the novel’s criminal protagonist. It is not uncommon for high schools to read abridged versions, as Dostoevsky’s novel contains unending layers of meaning and cultural criticism.

Whatever version high schoolers read, they should take away two realizations from “Crime and Punishment.” The first is a renewed definition of justice, based on Dostoevsky’s demonstration that invoking a “greater good” to rectify small evils is a deleterious way of life. Second, the end of “Crime and Punishment” glimmers with hope, which is a powerful literary tribute to the message of redemption. No one should ever use their past to forgo a new beginning.

5.“1984” by George Orwell or

“Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury

Most high school programs have students read one or the other of these short classics, both of which are explorations of futuristic societies in which learning, reading, and free thinking are prohibited by law. Orwell’s Winston Smith and Bradbury’s Guy Montag are the last bastions of intelligence in their intellectually crumbling cities, and their fight to retain free thought is a potent exposé on the toxicity of mental laziness and groupthink.

The lesson from either of these books is rather blatant and decidedly simple. Whether society loses its right to independent thought willingly or by force, the result is the steady perversion and debilitation of the human race. The sulfuric yet chilling atmosphere of both books is designed to remain vividly implanted on the mind, a perennial reminder to enshrine thinking as an inalienable human right.

1.“The Scarlet Letter”by Nathaniel Hawthorne

The premise of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter” likely grows more alien to American high school students each year. Whether or not it is the draconian treatment of adultery in Hawthorne’s Puritan village that alienates modern students or the novel’s somewhat-labyrinthine syntax, the loss of interest renders the highly symbolic, ironic twist at the end of the novel much less compelling.The surprise ending topples the novel’s twin pillars of devout religiosity and duty — the irony that constitutes the big take-away from “The Scarlet Letter.” What high school students should learn from Hawthorne’s tale is that, in the words of Salinger’s Holden Caulfield, life is indeed full of “stinking phonies” who really do win out sometimes, at least temporarily. At the same time, the end of the story underscores the grave consequences of sanctimonious deception. Maybe it’s a little deep for spitball-launching teenagers, but the earlier that this lesson seeps in, the better.2.“Moby Dick” by Herman Melville.It’s not difficult to understand why Melville loses his high school readers early on in his maritime masterpiece — the treatise on the minutia of whaling tends to have an exasperating effect, even on adult readers. It certainly takes perseverance to wade through Melville’s esoteric descriptions, but there is a reason why “Moby Dick” is the epitome of the American novel.The book examines a litany of themes, each one containing much to internalize. What high school students should realize above all else, though, is the link between those themes — obsession, the human struggle against destiny, romanticized adventure — and 19th century America. Melville’s novel became an integral facet of American literature because it spoke to an integral facet of the American people. The important lesson reveals something vital about culture and human nature. The interface of “Moby Dick” and American readers in the 1800s should make students understand the feedback loop between culture and nations — a phenomenon that explains some of the most complicated global issues.3.“Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe“Things Fall Apart” is possibly the most disappointing read of the high school experience. Although the title is an obvious warning, Nigerian author Chinua Achebe hooks readers emotionally with simple prose and a compelling tribal paradigm, which makes the conclusion that much more of a letdown.It doesn’t sound like a book that would illustrate the fun of reading to high schoolers, but it does present something more profound than entertainment value — in itself an important thing for kids to learn. However, the title is a blunt distillation of the book’s major lesson; sometimes things simply don’t work out in the end. Often a forgotten concept in insular communities like schools, the truth that “things fall apart” helps instill in kids the elements of resilience and maturity, encapsulated in Kipling’s exhortation to “meet with triumph and disaster and treat these two imposters just the same.”4.“Crime and Punishment”by Fyodor Dostoevsky“Crime and Punishment” is a long and harrowing trudge through the grimy slums of St. Petersburg and the tortured soul of Raskolnikov, the novel’s criminal protagonist. It is not uncommon for high schools to read abridged versions, as Dostoevsky’s novel contains unending layers of meaning and cultural criticism.Whatever version high schoolers read, they should take away two realizations from “Crime and Punishment.” The first is a renewed definition of justice, based on Dostoevsky’s demonstration that invoking a “greater good” to rectify small evils is a deleterious way of life. Second, the end of “Crime and Punishment” glimmers with hope, which is a powerful literary tribute to the message of redemption. No one should ever use their past to forgo a new beginning.5.“1984” by George Orwell or“Fahrenheit 451” by Ray BradburyMost high school programs have students read one or the other of these short classics, both of which are explorations of futuristic societies in which learning, reading, and free thinking are prohibited by law. Orwell’s Winston Smith and Bradbury’s Guy Montag are the last bastions of intelligence in their intellectually crumbling cities, and their fight to retain free thought is a potent exposé on the toxicity of mental laziness and groupthink.The lesson from either of these books is rather blatant and decidedly simple. Whether society loses its right to independent thought willingly or by force, the result is the steady perversion and debilitation of the human race. The sulfuric yet chilling atmosphere of both books is designed to remain vividly implanted on the mind, a perennial reminder to enshrine thinking as an inalienable human right.