High School Book Recommendations

Video Transcript

"I'm Jeanna Rock and we're discussing recommended books for high school students. I teach high school and I know that quite often you've got this require novel to read for you English class and you hate it. And sometimes I think the reason that you hate it is because it's required. So this is an opportunity for you to read maybe some of those things on your English teacher's list that you read just because you want to, not because you have to. And it's very, very fun to get together with a bunch of other high school kids and discuss literature without a teacher in the room leading the discussion. Some of the things that my students have really enjoyed discussing are is anything pretty much by Jodi Picoult; particularly My Sister's Keeper. Jodi Picoult writes a lot about ethical issues in our society. And she aims at generally towards a teenage audience even thought adults can enjoy these books as well. There's always a teenage protagonist in her novels. In My Sister's Keeper, we've got two sisters that are inexorably entwined because one sister has to be a donor for the other sister because she has a deadly cancer. And the other sister files for a medical emancipation which creates a lot of problems for the family. And my students were so intrigued. It also has a great surprised ending. Anything by Terry Pratchett, especially if you like science fiction fantasy. Terry Pratchett is a social, writes social commentary in the context of science fantasy. And his books are hilarious. And he criticizes pretty much everything including religion in a very humorous way. The last book that I would like to recommend is Johnny Got His Gun. Now you may have read All Quiet on the Western Front or some other war novel in high school. Johnny Got His Gun is probably not one that you were required to read. It's a tough book to read. And as the story develops, you find out more and more and more until you come to a horrific ending. It's still an anti-war novel. I think is takes place during WWII but it's a fascinating story and I think you will really enjoy it."