One thing many books I read in high school had in common was that they were all depressing. (Okay, so maybe not all of them are, but I’d say a good chunk of them are downers). Why do highschoolers need to be subjected to such a low and depressed state? Why not broaden our horizons and expose us to books that are uplifting or interesting? I would have loved to read Jane Austen or something more modern like Brandon Sanderson. Instead, I had to read tales of woe in Romeo and Juliet and murder in Of Mice and Men.

Although there are many I could touch up on, here are just a few of the books I didn’t care for in high school.

Of Mice and Men

Depressing.

That’s a good word for it. Why would anyone want to read about killing small creatures and (spoiler alert) young women?

The Scarlet Letter

Again, depressing. More death, more self-punishment, more loss.

Huckleberry Finn

I know this is probably a strange one to add to the list of books I didn’t like, but it’s here. Reading it actually frustrated me at times, and I found no joy in it.

The Old Man and the Sea

Talk about droning on and on!!! I feel like I’m stuck in a whirlpool of never ending description, and no matter how many pages I get through, it won’t stop. How many ways can you describe a fish?

Ethan Frome

Yikes. You might as well encourage young high school students to commit suicide with this one. Kids that age don’t need to be exposed to something like this. Sure, there is great imagery, there is amazing symbolism, but I’d prefer that if it’s read at all, it should be read on your lonesome or maybe in college. Not in high school.

Of course, there are also books I really enjoyed! Stay tuned for another blog post with the books I actually liked reading in high school.