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Angie Mc
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ETA: The original title of this topic was "The Well-Educated Mind Booklist." I've changed the title to better reflect it's content.
The Well-Educated Mind booklist on scribd
Love
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Angie Mc
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stellamaris
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I would like to comment that this list is definitely geared toward college-aged students, not only in the difficulty of some of the writings, but most especially in the themes these works discuss. I would not consider this a list appropriate to Christian teens, although some individual books might be fine for the high school level. I certainly would advise parents to read these works themselves first if they are planning on assigning them and also to be sure that you are able to take the time to discuss the questions these books raise with your son or daughter. Many of them are written from an atheistic or agnostic perspective; several are morally problematic. These works have been influential, both for the good and the bad, in Western Civilization, and are important to read for that reason, but they are not all positive, moral, or uplifting by any means.
Please also note that this list is missing several noteworthy Catholic works such as St. John of the Cross and Thomas a Kempis, and, most notably, from the perspective of its significance in the development of Western thought, the works of St. Thomas Aquinas.
This list is basically an abbreviated version of the Great Books of Western Civilization, with a few modern authors added. Here is a list of the works in the 60-volume set of The Great Books of Western Civilization edited by Mortimer Adler. I notice there are links to free online text resources for these works, as well. The same cautions apply to these works as to those in the Well-Trained Mind list.
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Caroline
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Kristie 4
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OH MY! That is quite a list- hard to imagine a teen having any time to even think with a list like that! (Here is hoping that the list is a suggestive guide- could be quite a lead weight otherwise!) (Not to say we don't read some of these- my ds in 9th has read a bunch this year. But there are many there I couldn't imagine him reading, because hey, all kids are different (and all families are different!).
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Donna Marie
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Is there a list somewhere of Catholic books....apologetics or literature...or??... that should be on a teens list? I remember Elizabeth Foss posting what she was using with her son (at one point) and I found that list to be very helpful in getting started. I need a fresh batch of ideas from moms that have been there before me... 
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stefoodie
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You're probably talking about her Transitions booklist? It's in here somewhere... I only have a few minutes to search for it. If I don't find it soon I'll try again later tonight.
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stefoodie
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Found it!
I use the TWEM booklist too, but try to balance it out with Catholic classics. It's a really good resource to have, esp. as the kids approach college. Thanks for sharing, Angie!
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stef
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Angie Mc
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To clarify, The Well-Educated Mind:
School Library Journal wrote:
Adult/High School-Written in a straightforward style accessible to most students, this readable book provides solid, step-by-step advice on how to read some of the world's great books with discipline and comprehension. The first four chapters explain the author's well-thought-out three-step program, how and why it works, and how to prepare to use it. The remainder of the volume devotes a chapter each to analysis of novels, autobiography/memoirs, history, drama, and poetry. The system involves reading each book three times: once for the facts, once for analysis, and once for an informed evaluation of the author's ideas. Readers are encouraged during this process to mark up their books with comments and questions in the margins (or use Post-Its), and to keep a journal of quotes, summaries, questions, and ruminations. The genre chapters include some history, a discussion of important terms used, questions about the books that readers will want to ask themselves, a thoughtful pr‚cis of 25 or so important titles presented chronologically (with discussion of the changes in the genre over the centuries), and recommendations for the best and cheapest editions of each title. Works range from the Greeks to Francis Fukuyama, from Cervantes to Don Delillo, from Homer to Rita Dove. Some Web sites are also mentioned as sources for understanding. While few teens will want or have time to read a book three times, most will find much of value in helping them to understand their reading assignments.
Judy McAloon, Potomac Library, Prince William County, VA
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I posted the scribd link because it is concise . I dig lists!
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Angie Mc
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stacykay
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I have this book, but I bought it for me, not my kiddos. I took all the advanced English I could, in high school, and "read" many "great" novels, but really just read for the tests and retained little.  I hope to put this book to use, this summer.
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Stacy in MI
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stacykay
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Oh, here is the booklist I plan to use, in addition to some of the titles from TWEM, much like Stef wrote.
God Bless,
Stacy in MI
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guitarnan
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It's so interesting to reread books I studied in high school and college and see which ones make more sense to me now that I'm old and "wise." Jane Austen's wit and sparkle are so clear to me now...and I missed out on most of it when I was in high school, reading Persuasion in Ireland.
I have to admit, though, that Charles Dickens is still not my favorite author. Last summer I struggled through A Tale of Two Cities (and I'm a very fast reader) and dh convinced me not to assign it to our son if I couldn't get through it in a reasonable amount of time.
(Side note: Ds chose his current American Literature selection...and he picked The Jungle! Another of my not-so-favorite titles. Was I ever surprised...)
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Angie Mc
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I've changed the title of this topic to better reflect it's content. Thanks so much for your input and suggestions!
Love,
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Angie Mc
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stacykay
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Putting together a reading list for myself, and wondering, from TWEM list, what are your favorites or highly recommended books?
In high school, I read only four of the novels (I've read just two more since,)and a good portion of the poetry. We were never assigned Shakespeare! I am thinking of reading a couple Shakespeare, The Confessions, The Life of St. Teresa of Avila, and then I am stuck. Maybe, if I completely follow TWEM how-to suggestions, just those will take me all summer .
Has anyone read Mein Kampf? I've been intrigued and turned off, but that old adage, "Those who don't know their history are condemned to repeat it," runs through my mind.
I am printing out all book lists that are linked and will stick them in my binder. (I do love lists!  ) I've had the itch to start planning for fall...now I am thinking of summer reading plans for dss and me!
God Bless,
Stacy in MI
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guitarnan
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Reading Mein Kampf is not fun. I've read excerpts for college history classes. Ick. (We had to read The Communist Manifesto, too.)
Some of my favorites from the list are Don Quixote (long, but funny), House of Mirth (Edith Wharton is a favorite author, even though her books are kind of depressing), Lives (I love ancient history and, bizarrely, Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, which will make no sense unless you read Hamlet first. (It's a Dadaist-themed retelling of the story of Hamlet, from the point of view of two extremely minor characters in the original play.)
My son enjoyed The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin very much.
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CrunchyMom
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guitarnan wrote:
| Reading Mein Kampf is not fun. I've read excerpts for college history classes. Ick. (We had to read The Communist Manifesto, too.) |
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I have not read Mein Kampf, but The Communist Manifesto makes me LIVID when I read it. It is the sort of thing I can't imagine assigning and expecting my child to enjoy or even be influenced negatively by, but rather better understand the origins of so much of the prevalent political thought today--and recognize it for the evil it is or the direction it could go.
Obviously, there are scores of people who read it and actually *like* it  , but it never occurred to me that it would be dangerous for a teenager who is already grounded in Church teaching to read it. Is it? I would probably assign it alongside Rerum Novarum for context.
So, Caroline, I understand being cautious in assuming that everything on a given list is "safe," but do you think that works of this nature are actually problematic? I have a LONG time to figure this out, so at this point, the question is purely academic. I'll have to teach my kids to read yet before I worry about whether to let them read Mein Kampf 
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stefoodie
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My favorites:
A Landscape with Dragons
Reading Your Way Through History
Paideia Program
Angelicum Academy's
Kolbe's
Honey for a Child's Heart
Elizabeth Foss's Transitions Trail
TWEM
Read Aloud Handbook (mostly for littles)
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Elena
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CrunchyMom wrote:
[QUOTE=guitarnan]
Obviously, there are scores of people who read it and actually *like* it , but it never occurred to me that it would be dangerous for a teenager who is already grounded in Church teaching to read it. Is it? I would probably assign it alongside Rerum Novarum for context. |
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It might be interesting to get a small group of teens and adults to read it over and discuss it along with Rerum Novarum. I'll bet that could generate some great discussion!
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Elena
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guitarnan
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This semester my high school co-op students participated in a study (over several weeks) of Rerum Novarum led by my friend and fellow co-op teacher. It was fascinating. (I know the teens didn't always agree, but there were some really great conversations about social justice, government (how much is too much?) and communism. I don't know if we could have persuaded them to read Marx and Engels, but it sure would have been interesting to hear their thoughts!
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4Real Forums : High School Years and Beyond
Topic: What booklists do you use?
