What is your favorite book that "they" made you read?

[bryanthompson]

Lord of the Flies, Animal Farm, and Great Gatsby. I hated all of 'em when I was in school, but the summer after I graduated I re-read them for fun and really enjoyed it.

If you liked Lord of the Flies, read Stephen Crane - The Open Boat. It's interesting... but insanely slow moving.

[Rick V]

Dantai's inferno, I believe it was called the devine trilogy. I forget, school was sooooooooo long ago, as my typing skills will attest to.

[dd74]

Originally posted by svandamme
nobody made me read anything... they tried to but i ignored it...

+1. I never had a summer reading assignment. Was this an assignment usually given in high school? If so, considering my deplorable H.S. education, that would explain a lot.

[rouxroux]

Originally posted by onlycafe
roux, they made you read catcher? as i recall that was one of the banned books, at least in boston anyway.

When I was in HS (early 70's) CITR was on a list we could select from. Of course, many of us had heard the "buzz" about it. It was sort of the "forbidden fruit", sort of like reading "The Great Speckled Bird" underground paper we used to buy.

[Rondinone]

Brave New World. Of course, I'm an alpha++

[Tobra]

Originally posted by dd74
+1. I never had a summer reading assignment. Was this an assignment usually given in high school? If so, considering my deplorable H.S. education, that would explain a lot.

I got them from grade school on into HS and College. I always liked to read and have been able to read pretty fast for as long as I can remember. I rarely pick up a book and don't read it right through, except for Dickens or Homer, epic length stuff...

I remember in 6th grade there was a contest to see who could read the most books, I led by like a 50-75% margin for the rainy, crummy part of the year then sort of stopped when it got nice out. Ended up with another guy almost catching up. Ol John got a 1600 on his SAT as I recall

[Joeaksa]

"Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand and "The Source" by Michner.

Had to read the Source for a college course and it addicted me to Michner and his work. Atlas Shrugged was also a required read about that time.

They changed my life. Ever few years I pick up Atlas Shrugged again and go through it. If you have never read it then its well worth the time.

[tabs]

Mad Magazine

[azasadny]

I reread "Atlas Shrugged" and "Catch 22" every few years. Great books!!

[DavidI]

Zen and the Art of Motorcyle Maintenance........

[Jims5543]

Another for The Great Gatsby. I also had to read The Hobbit and found it to be the most boring and slow moving book ever. The Lord of the Rings books were perfect books to make into movies. I would not dare read them after reading The Hobbit.

Fahrenheit 451 was another good read that I might have to go back to now.

If your into SciFi try the Artemis Fowl series of books, especially for your 10-15 y/o son. I have read parts of the entire series with my son at bedtime and they are great books. I would love to see them made into a movie.

[Noah930]

+1 on Catcher and Mockingbird. I also loved Old Man and the Sea.

Gatsby bored the heck outta me, and I absolutely hated Great Expectations. By the end of the book, I was hoping for all the characters to die.

As an aside (and because this is an automotive-themed board), I recently read bits of Burt Levy's "Last Open Road" and "Montezuma's Ferrari." Great for those interested in vintage car racing, and written (at least, IMO) in a similar style to Salinger's Catcher. Maybe not with the deep meanings of a novel like Catcher, but entertaining nonetheless.

[Noah930]

Beowulf was another good one.

[stuartj]

Originally posted by techweenie
Moby Dick.

"Call me Ishmael."

THE great American novel.

Are you familiar, BTW, with the real story of the Nantucket whaler, Essex?

[ledhedsymbols]

1984 and it was Double Plus Good

[wludavid]

A Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood was probably my fave. Catcher in the Rye and The Sun Also Rises have to be on that list, too.

[aap1966]

1984
Lord of the Flies

[Jim Richards]

you guys can read?

[daepp]

Atlas Shrugged - one of the best books of the 20th century - prophetic!

A Catcher in the Rye - drivel, at best. I have no idea how this came to be de rigeur reading in high school. Salinger was crazed, and so was his book.

[jyl]

Halliday & Resnick