Required High School American Literature Reading List is lengthy and can be dry. High School American Literature Reading List looks fairly similar across the United States, but that doesn’t mean they should stay the same. Read the list below and decide for yourself if things need changing.
Required High School American Literature Reading List
Like the American classroom, the list for American Literature hasn’t changed much. The study of the American Dream in 11th grade remains a stronghold for American Literature. The reasoning behind American Literature being taught in the 11th grade is because students learn about American History in their history courses congruous to Am. Lit, which makes sense to a degree. They don’t always learn about the same time period and are quite often learning about war in history, while learning about more modern times in American Literature. It still does make sense for students to learn American Lit. at the same time as American History if it works with their schedules. The High School American Literature Reading List is listed and summarized below. It includes some of the most popular reads. Although it is a great list of books that I love, it is also time to change the reading list for the current high school American Literature classroom.
Required High School American Literature Reading List: A Raisin in The Sun
A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansbury: A Raisin in the Sun is one of the most heartbreaking plays to read. It is about a family that is trying to catch a break, and when they finally do, it is at the expense of Walter Sr. (the grandfather’s death). The break they catch is the check they will receive from the insurance company for his death. Each member of this 5 person family has dreams of what they want to do with the money. Beneatha wants to be a doctor, Walter wants to open a liquor store, Mama wants to buy a new home etc. All of the characters crave the dream so badly that when it falls apart, there is an anger and bitterness that changes each of them forever. The message is that during this time period (post civil war) it was near impossible for African Americans to get ahead. They only experienced “dreams deferred”.
Required High School American Literature Reading List: The Crucible
The Crucible by Arthur Miller: The second of two plays that are often taught on the reading list for high school American Literature. The Crucible captures the horrifying time period of the Salem Witch Trials. The idea of radical religious paranoia didn’t begin with terrorists today. It began years ago, and one example of an intolerant, radical religious group, was the Puritans. Perhaps the most terrifying point of these events is that they were spear-headed by children and continued because of these children. One of the standards for American Literature is to look at the different cultures and contributors to American society, and the Puritan ideals are still prevalent in literature and in religious practice today.
Lunch Box Notes Emojis for Boys and Girls by Teacher for Inclusion (teacherspayteachers.com)
Required High School American Literature Reading List: The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby (Full lesson on Teachers Pay Teachers) by F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Great Gatsby is a contributor to American Culture stemming from the roaring twenties. During this time there were the rich separated from the poor and not a lot in between. If you were poor you stayed poor. The story is told from the perspective of an average Joe named Nick who becomes obsessed with the mysterious Great Gatsby. The Great Gatsby moves into town with the intentions of stealing his prior sweetheart, Daisy, away from her husband Tom. This plan fails miserably when James Gatz (Great Gatsby) is shot and killed in the end due to a misunderstanding. At no point do we see the Great Gatsby happy, which began the thought process that money doesn’t bring happiness. The most important contributor to American culture is the advancement of women’s rights.
The House on Mango Street
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros: (Full lesson on Teachers Pay Teachers). The House on Mango Street is on the High School American Literature reading list, but doesn’t get chosen as much as I believe that it should. It is a book about a young Latina woman whose family moves to a poor neighborhood in a house on Mango Street. The young girl experiences many abuses that are told in a manner as though they are commonplace and these things like being sexually abused happens frequently in poverty stricken neighborhoods. The House on Mango Street contributes to the creation of Latino and Latina American culture which is much different than African American or white culture. For this reason, I believe it should be frequented more often than it is.
Huckleberry Finn
Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain: is an American classic. Although it frequents most of what would be considered the best high school American reading list, it is one that probably isn’t as necessary to teach anymore. I know some of you are probably getting angry at me, but if the aim of the standards is to analyze how different events in history added to the American culture, it just doesn’t fit the bill. In fact at a certain point it becomes downright silly and ridiculous. The major authentic part of the book is the use of the “n” word during this time period in the South. I do not believe the book should be removed from the list for this reason because, it is an awful word, the students hate hearing it, and the point of using it is for them to see how demoralizing it really was. Mark Twain put the word in because it was a reality and it is uncomfortable and it’s supposed to be uncomfortable. I do however, love the book, and think it can be revisited on a college level reading list where it is more appropriate to study higher schools of thought. Mark Twain was very far-sighted and there are many scenes that should be studied and revered at the college level.
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston: I’m going to just say straight out that although I absolutely love this book, I do not think high school level students can appreciate or follow it. To put it quite frankly, they are bored to tears. The story is about a young woman who doesn’t have much choice in a post civil world gets married twice. The first husband she is married off to by her parents and doesn’t love, and the second she runs off with named Teacake who she is madly in love with. The story shows the struggles, trials and tribulations as an African American, specifically an African American woman during post civil war time. The scene where there is a storm is one of the most beautifully written scenes in literature and can be studied independently. Teacake, the love of her life dies from rabies in the end leaving her alone.
Beloved: Toni Morrison
Beloved by Toni Morrison: This is another one of my favorites, but I will state what I mentioned above, I don’t think it is a novel that can be appreciated or digested by students. In the beginning a mom slits her babies throats in an attempt to save them from what she thinks is white men coming to take them into slavery. She has lived such a horrific life that she believes it is better to show her children mercy by killing them. This is a lot for high school level students to process, or connect with even a little. There are a lot of deeply sexual metaphors, such as the cherry blossom tree that aren’t appropriate to get into as a high school teacher, and this book should be left for the college level.
What I would Teach Instead: Brown Girl Dreaming
Typically in an English class, you have time to teach 6 novels per year, three per semester, one per every six weeks. This provides a proper amount of time to analyze the text, write an essay, practice academic skills, learn content and relate it to the American Dream. I would teach: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, A Raisin in the Sun by Loraine Hansbury, The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds, Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson, The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas, and The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden. There are eight on this list because the Crucible, Brown Girl Dreaming (Full lesson on Teachers Pay Teachers) and A Raisin in the Sun are much shorter.
These are my reasonings. We include The Crucible because we have to show where Puritan influences arose from and the dangers of radical religious ideals. I would include the Great Gatsby because it is important to see the women’s movement and how it contributes to American culture. A Raisin in the Sun is important to the struggle of the African American, but doesn’t end there because there has been such a greater struggle for this particular group of people over a long period of time. For this reason I would add parts of Brown Girl Dreaming, the Hate U Give, and Long Way Down to show how the struggle continues. I have included The House on Mango Street. to include the Latin American Struggle. There is so much to this book that I believe it covers a vast amount of issues, and themes that contribute to the Mexican American culture. In addition there is a book on this list called The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden. (Full lesson on Teachers Pay Teachers) My reasoning for include this book is because it is about a young girl who lives with her mother, two brothers, and one baby sister in a trailer that belongs to her mother’s abusive boyfriend. The story takes a look at what it means to be at a poverty level and how you are beholden, like her mother, to a less than desirable situation. The story shows how those living in a trailer with multiple siblings have additional adult responsibilities and for this reason do not do as well academically.
Best High School American Literature Reading List
Do not get me wrong, I love the classics, and I love every single book on the list above. I own them all even some collector’s items. But, just because they are the best books for American Lit. doesn’t necessarily mean they are the best fit for today’s American Lit student.
Let me know what you think in the comments below. What American Lit. books do you teach? and what books would you love to teach if your district was willing to spend the money?
For more book selections, read a blog post on Books to Read for Teens, or for a 10th grade reading list, click Edit Post ‹ Teacher For Inclusion — WordPress.com
Full lessons on Teachers Pay Teachers
I find James Baldwin’s semi-autobiographical novel, “Go Tell it on the Mountain”, to be masterful and appropriate for older teenage readers. James Baldwin is one of the great Harlem Renaissance writers. This novel is raw, gritty and takes on difficult topics: racism, sexuality, abuse, religion, street life, identity, etc. It takes a bit over 4 hours for an average student to read. It’s a good book to use when you’re teaching students about the various approaches to English Literature criticism.
I agree with you… I would not teach “Huckleberry Finn” in high school. This novel has flopped hard in many high school American English Literature classes. The students tend to see this as a “boy’s book” and look down their noses at it. Most high school readers are not sophisticated enough to appreciate Mark Twain’s ironic humor. Instead, I would teach Harriet Beecher Stowe’s “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” only if I could use the Norton Critical Editions (NCE) version. The NCE contains criticism, notes and original historical sources that really breathe life into this novel. It addresses similar issues as “Huckleberry Finn” but in a fuller context that is more approachable. The NCE discusses how Uncle Tom evolved into an offensive trope, which is hugely interesting. The trope Uncle Tom bears little resemblance to the noble, Christ-like character of Uncle Tom as portrayed by Harriet Beecher Stowe. The only fault I have with this novel is its length… but it is a reasonably fast read for its length.
I question whether Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” should remain a staple of high school American English classes. Even though this is a short novel, it has to be read multiple times, at least one time slowly and closely read as if it was a poem, in order to fully appreciate the brilliance of this work. I think Edith Wharton’s “The House of Mirth” is a better choice, for it addresses the same issues with more complex characters. After all, Edith Wharton is writing about what she knows best–New York Society. The years between the wars / Lost Generation brought us an abundance of fine writers: Hemingway, Faulkner, Sinclair Lewis, Willa Cather, Dos Passos, Upton Sinclair, etc.
I would not teach “The Hate U Give” because of it’s over-reliance on tropes. It’s not great writing–and the cannon of African-American literature is filled with masterful writing (I would be hard-pressed to teach a semester course on this topic, because for every piece of literature I would pick, I could easily name at least two other similar pieces I think are just as worthy). However, I would include it on a list of of 100 works students could choose from to do an end-of-year term paper on, because even though the quality of writing does not reach the standards set by classic writers, it does offer a lot of food for thought. (I want high school students to have experience writing the sort of term papers that they will have to write when they are in college.)
I would definitely teach “The House on Mango Street”, because it has passed the test of time and does a good job introducing readers to Latin-American culture. Again, I think this book yields interesting class discussions. (I would teach this book instead of “Catcher in the Rye”, a book that I think is rapidly loosing its relevance.)
I live in Massachusetts, so teaching “The Crucible” is a must, provided that you include source material on the Salem Witch Trials (I have a friend who lives in Salem Village–which is now in Danvers, MA.). I would also teach it in context with the time it was commenting on–1950s McCarthyism intolerance. I think it’s very relevant.
I love the play “Raison in the Sun” and a lot of high school students find it a very touching play. Again, it provides fodder for lively class discussions. This play works well in Adult Education as well.
I would strongly consider teaching “Autobiography of Malcom X”, especially the last part, when Malcolm X goes on the hajj… and it is a life-changing experience. I wish I had known that man–and the collaboration between Malcolm X and Alex Haley is brilliant.
I would strongly consider teaching “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, a Slave”. This autobiography has a real place in my heart. I read it when I was in third grade. The librarian would not let third graders out of the Children’s Library. I snuck out, grabbed the first book I thought looked good after reading a few pages and hid it in the Children’s Library, so that I could finish reading it. I read that book time and time again and it sparked my interest in slavery and admired the courage of all the people, both slave and free, who stood up to the immoral institution of slavery. Fifty years on, he is still a favorite public intellectual and author and his writings have pride of place on my bookshelf.
I would want to teach Kurt Vonnegut’s “Cat’s Cradle”, but that’s for personal reasons. Bernie Vonnegut was a friend of the family. This book made it to my top 100 list but did not make it into the classroom.
I would consider teaching “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood, even though I think this novel is over rated. It’s not a particularly difficult read, nor does it require very close reading (a la Great Gatsby). It lends itself to teaching students about different approaches to analyze literature. However, I think that “Go Tell it on the Mountain” is a better written novel that fulfills a similar purpose in the curriculum and ticks off more boxes.