With so much time on our hands in quarantine, there’s no time like now to drop everything and read! Below are three books every high schooler should read!
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1. The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
I read this book for my high school English class, and it was unlike any other book I’d read before. The narrator Balram Halwai is a self-made entrepreneur in India, who doesn’t hold back when criticizing the corruption among the rich classes of society who are oblivious to the suffering poor of the country. The “Darkness” is where Balram grows up; it’s a place where corrupt party officials buy their voters, and powerful landlords dominate people’s lives.
Balram yearns to break free from this “Darkness” and even risks murdering his employer and stealing a large sum of money to start his taxi business in Bangalore. He has a knack for pointing out the faults of society all while putting a satirical spin on it. Also, his ability to justify his criminal actions like his boss’s murder really blurred the lines between right and wrong. One thing to note about this book, however, is that this is one perspective of Indian society, so I’d encourage readers to keep an open mind!
This was one of the few satirical novels I’ve read, and it really opened my eyes to satire. In my English class, we even explored this further and wrote our own satirical pieces. The White Tiger is, in my opinion, one of the best books I’ve read this year, especially because it introduced some Asian representation into our curriculum, which I feel can be lacking. If you enjoy a good dose of humor, be sure to read this book!
2. A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines
A Lesson Before Dying takes place in the 1940s in Louisiana and is loosely based on a true story. The novel relays the events leading up to a young black man’s death. The man Jefferson was falsely accused of having a part in a shootout at a store in town. At the same time, Grant Wiggins has just returned from university to teach the plantation kids. Jefferson’s godmother persuades Wiggins to talk to Jefferson in the months before his death—to share his pride and “make him a man” she says. In the end, they both learn something about themselves and what it means to be a man.
While reading this book, there were a lot of moments that really stuck with me. Gaines is unafraid to show the degradation and racism that the black community faces and the seemingly inescapable “vicious cycle” that Wiggins and Jefferson realize they are trapped in. With the question, “how should you live when you know you’re about to die?”, hanging over the characters’ heads, this novel definitely provided a unique insight into society at that time.
3. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
When I saw Brave New World was a science-fiction based dystopian novel, I just knew I had to read it. After starting the book, I was shocked by the futuristic society that Huxley portrays. This world depicts a technologically advanced society where books are ironically considered “pornographic,” and also introduces a predetermined caste system from birth (from a test tube). It’s a society built on the idea of completely abolishing the worries and negative emotions that come with being human and human life and instead replacing it with a drug-induced happiness that obscures humanity. The central phrase “everyone belongs to everyone else” promotes promiscuity and abhors the idea of marriage and raising a family. All in all, Brave New World is a fair warning for what society could become or at least a version of society. That’s certainly scary to think about.
Brave New World was a very fascinating read and so wildly different from other dystopias, making it all the more memorable. It was challenging in some parts to understand and digest, but overall, I feel it provided a certainly creative perspective of society. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about dystopias!
And that’s all three! I highly recommend these books for any high schooler. I guarantee these books, although vastly different in plot, time, and place, will be an interesting read.
Liked the books recommended for high schoolers? Check out some middle school book recommendations here!
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