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momwise
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I was wondering what popular 20th century books you wouldn't want your dc to miss before the end of high school. I'm looking for the kind of "classics" that show up on secular high school reading lists...I already know there's a whole lot we don't want to include but we've got some time this year for a few. For instance To Kill a Mockingbird...Grapes of Wrath...Great Gatsby...what are your picks?
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Gwen...wife for 30 years, mom of 7, grandma of 3.....
"If you want equal justice for all and true freedom and lasting peace, then America, defend life." JPII
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marihalojen
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I'm getting ready to run out the door, but Homeschool eStore's freebie currently is a guide to classics. It covers To Kill a Mockingbird, Death of Salesman, The Crucible, The Glass Menagerie, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf and the poetry of Robert Frost.
Pick and choose among those. 
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~Jennifer
Mother to Mariannna, age 13
The Mari Hal-O-Jen
SSR = Sailing, Snorkling, Reading
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aiereis
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Well if you are only looking for two or three I would say that To Kill a Mockingbird should be one of them. It was excellent, thought-provoking and clean. It did deal with adult issues, but I think it would be hard to find a 20th century "neo-classic" without them. I would also say that Catcher in the Rye should not be one of them. I couldn't read the whole thing because of all the profanity in it.
For my children, if I were picking only three, I would choose TKaM, Brideshead Revisited and Death Comes for the Archbishop. They are all widely regarded and respected as classics, and the last two are Catholic novels to some degree, but subtle enough that a public high school might still use them.
--Christina
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marihalojen
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Two days later I'm finally back! I downloaded that freebie for the Robert Frost poetry as we like to visit his cottage in Key West. In the garden they play recordings of him reciting his poetry while you wander among the orchids and wish you could plunge into the awesome pool there. He was a bit of a mumbler though so the poems I had Marianna memorize last year were definitely more enjoyable for her to hear.
As for other 'classic' reads, I don't know as I'd look too hard at high school reading lists for info, in FL it's rumored that THE DA VINCI CODE by Dan Brown, MEG by Steve Alten, and A STRANGER IS WATCHING by Mary Higgins Clark are recommended.
CA has a nice search feature here that may be helpful. It is quite amazing what books make the lists, isn't it?
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~Jennifer
Mother to Mariannna, age 13
The Mari Hal-O-Jen
SSR = Sailing, Snorkling, Reading
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SusanJ
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aiereis wrote:
For my children, if I were picking only three, I would choose TKaM, Brideshead Revisited and Death Comes for the Archbishop. They are all widely regarded and respected as classics, and the last two are Catholic novels to some degree, but subtle enough that a public high school might still use them.
--Christina |
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I definitely agree with the first two--haven't read the third--maybe I should!
Brideshead is probably in the top three for both my husband and I. The BBC miniseries is also excellent. It's the only movie based on a book that is as good as the book itself.
Susan
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CKwasniewski
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I second Death comes for the Archbishop.
I have hesitations about Brideshead though. I really think it is an adult only novel. Even most 18 yr olds would not get the full nuance, the full weight, of it. Like life, it's very complicated....
my .02
ck
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Kelly
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Jennifer,
Of the hundreds of times I've been to Key West, HOW did I miss the Robert Frost cottage?????  Between that and Pirate Soul---well, I have two new cool things to look forward to in Key West. Thanks!
Kelly in FL
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momwise
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SusanJ wrote:
Brideshead is probably in the top three for both my husband and I. The BBC miniseries is also excellent. It's the only movie based on a book that is as good as the book itself.
Susan |
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I recently heard the BBC's Silas Marner is an excellent movie as well. Dd has read Death Comes...maybe some more Willa Cather? I remember The Old Man and the Sea and Ray Bradbury stories from high school; anybody recommend those as must reads for typical secular reading lists?
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Gwen...wife for 30 years, mom of 7, grandma of 3.....
"If you want equal justice for all and true freedom and lasting peace, then America, defend life." JPII
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momwise
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marihalojen wrote:
As for other 'classic' reads, I don't know as I'd look too hard at high school reading lists for info, in FL it's rumored that THE DA VINCI CODE by Dan Brown, MEG by Steve Alten, and A STRANGER IS WATCHING by Mary Higgins Clark are recommended. |
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Oh brother  We'll definitely go with the freebie lit guide...thanks for that link!
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Gwen...wife for 30 years, mom of 7, grandma of 3.....
"If you want equal justice for all and true freedom and lasting peace, then America, defend life." JPII
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marihalojen
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Kelly wrote:
Jennifer,
Of the hundreds of times I've been to Key West, HOW did I miss the Robert Frost cottage????? Between that and Pirate Soul---well, I have two new cool things to look forward to in Key West. Thanks!
Kelly in FL |
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We ran through a term of Key West history last spring, we could have kept going for years studying nothing but Key West related stuff. And the literary scene here is phenomenal, how cool is it to read Frost in his garden? Or Shel Silverstein outside his cottage? Or Judy Blume while watching her drink coffee (ok, we might skip some of her stuff for a while but I'm awfully fond of Fudge, what a corker!)
Let me know when you come down next, Kelly, we'll have fun!
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~Jennifer
Mother to Mariannna, age 13
The Mari Hal-O-Jen
SSR = Sailing, Snorkling, Reading
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marihalojen
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Oh, and I thought of another book from High School that made an impact on me, I thought I would hate it and was completely opposed to reading it but I ended up loving it - Fahrenheit 451.
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~Jennifer
Mother to Mariannna, age 13
The Mari Hal-O-Jen
SSR = Sailing, Snorkling, Reading
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CKwasniewski
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I thought Farenheit 451 was great in high school too! Really lots to think about there.
If you're interested in more Cather, Shadows on the Rock is really good. About colonial Quebec, Catholic setting.
I do NOT recommend O Pioneers. Some people RAVE about My Antonia, but I haven't read it. I'm sure somebody else here has.
ck
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aiereis
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I have read My Antonia, but Shadows on the Rock is far, far better. I haven't read O Pioneers but I have seen the movie, and from that I agree with CK. I also do not recommend The Lost Lady.
My husband teaches high school science, but he has the English book list. I looked at the list and the only decent books were The Scarlet Letter, A Tale of Two Cities, The Great Gatsby, and Pride and Prejudice.
--Christina
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Kelly
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I really liked "My Antonia" but it has a very discomfiting part about the father committing suicide---Still, it is a very well-done tale of Nebraska and its settlers.
While I liked "My Antonia" very much, I absolutely LOVED "Death comes to the Archbishop" and "Shadows on the Rocks". Two fabulous books to recommend without hesitation.
Fahrenheit 451 was excellent, too. And "A Tale of Two Cities" would be way up there on my list, as well.
Kelly in FL
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Topic: 2 or 3 can't miss novels?
