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Given the uphill battle educators face, getting any book at all into the hands of a student can feel like a victory. That being said, there are a few worthwhile novels that your child-s teachers may be overlooking.

Hard Times, Charles Dickens

Sometimes a good book seems to slip through the cracks without attracting much attention, and such is the case with Hard Times. Do not be deterred by its relative obscurity; the novel- s examination of industrialization and family life makes it well worth reading.

Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro

Ishiguro-s thought-provoking and heartbreaking meditation on the pitfalls of modern science was only published in 2005, but will surely become a classic once it has had time to age. The novel poses important questions about the nature of human life, which will no doubt strike a chord with teenagers just beginning to consider their futures.

The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison

Morrison-s novel deals with topics often deemed too sensitive for the classroom”race relations and rape, for a start. The fact is, however, that these are real issues, and it may be easier for your child to encounter them in a book before grappling with them in the world at large.

Wuthering Heights, Emily Bront

Bront-s epic tale of doomed passion is not unheard of in high school classrooms, but it is not read nearly as often as its cousin Jane Eyre. This is a pity, because obsessive love is a topic that seems tailor-made to hold the attention of teenagers.

Don Quixote, Miguel de Cervantes

Don Quixote falls into the category of “books that everyone has heard of but that no one has read.’ Its length makes it impracticable for the classroom, but as a turning point in the history of literature, it definitely deserves a look.The hits keep comin-: sevenstories’ CBR-III Review 35: The Unconsoled by Kazuo Ishiguro

Posted on September 22nd, 2011 by admin
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