“To Kill a Mockingbird,” “The Great Gatsby,” “Animal Farm,” “Romeo and Juliet,” and “Frankenstein” are among the many works you may remember dissecting in English class—but are they really the ones English teachers truly recommend? It turns out, in many cases, the answer might be no.
“I recommend ‘Demon Copperhead’ by Barbara Kingsolver. […] This book has a lot of heart. Truly bad things happen to the characters, but the main character perseveres. He holds on to his humanity, and his philosophical way of thinking and sense of humor persist,” English teacher Lesley St. James said.
Other books by Kingsolver also catch St. James’ attention.
“I’ve been a fan of Barbara Kingsolver for thirty years, so I’m always on the lookout for her new works. […] I [also] recommend ‘Prodigal Summer’ [by Kingsolver]. It’s about change and how we cope with it,” St. James said.
English teacher Matthew Feldmann has a similar penchant for historical fiction.
“I’d say my favorite book of all time is ‘The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay’ by Michael Chabon. […] If you’re interested in comics or historical fiction or how art evolves, it hits all of those boxes, and I think Michael Chabon is one of our two or three best literary stylists that is still writing today,” Feldmann said.
Meanwhile, English teacher Sarah Oliver still has a soft spot for the classics.
“I recommend that all students read ‘The Great Gatsby’ and read it closely. I think this book has so many references applicable today in society […], trying to sort of be something we’re not to impress someone else, and that’s very prevalent in our culture today, especially in social media,“ Oliver said.
Teaching “The Great Gatsby” to her students has helped Oliver develop such an appreciation for the book.
“I actually read it for the first time when I was a junior in high school […] I loved it then, but I’ll be honest, I didn’t really have as much of an appreciation for it until I started to teach it, because then I started to see my students connecting with it, and that made me love it even more,” Oliver said.
If you are looking for a self-help book though, English teacher Jill Lakey has found a good recommendation in “Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation” by Sharon Saltzberg.
“This is an excellent book to help with stress, anxiety, and overall mental well-being,” Lakey said.
English teacher Julie Skinner found her book recommendation, “The Frozen River,” through Good Morning America.
“It was a Good Morning America book club pick – and lots of my pickleball friends were reading it. […] [It’s a] historical fiction set in Maine in 1789. [The] main character is Martha Ballard – a midwife and healer – who gets caught up in a murder investigation,” Skinner said.
In the end, everyone has different and unique opinions on what books specifically stand out to them. Hopefully, with these recommendations now in mind, they’ve helped find your next perfect read.
