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Page to Screen - Read it in School
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items More often than not we just read the books in school, but sometimes when the teacher needed a break, we'd get to see the movie as well. Do you remember watching the movie or reading the book? Probably THE best class I had in high school was a class where you just read anything you wanted on the college recommended reading lists. I read everything from Shakespeare to Vonnegut and everything in between.
Sections
3
Banned Books
Shakespeare
American Classics That I Hate
Banned Books
If they don't want you or your kids to read these books you should ask yourself why. Maybe read it yourself. In my experience, the ones who want to ban a book are full of (sh)it.
Harper Lee's classic novel about racism in America. I read this in either middle school or high school. It's a great book! It is usually challenged because of period appropriate language that's not acceptable today…which is one thing kids are supposed to LEARN by reading this book.
To Kill a Mockingbird (Pulitzer Prize Winner)|Paperback
Gregory Peck was just so perfect in this movie. It may be more than a half century old now, but it's still worth watching today.
To Kill a Mockingbird [60th Anniversary]
Didn't most of us read this in middle school? It makes me sad that most of the kids today won't have that experience.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Signature Classics)|Paperback
This animated series on Prime Video is based on the novels of Mark Twain.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
If you didn't read Tom Sawyer in school, you most likely read Huckleberry Finn. Many of us read both.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - 1885 Classic
I can't believe I need to say this, but this book is NOT fiction! Anne Frank and her family were real people who really did hide from tha Nazi's as described in her diary which was recovered, edited, and published by her father (the only survivor) after the war.
The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition|Paperback
This is a movie, based on the book. Yet again, the book was a true story! This was not fiction!
The Diary of Anne Frank, 1959
Considering what's going on in the U.S. right now, I wish a few more of my fellow citizens had read this and UNDERSTOOD the warning.
1984|Paperback
The cinematic adaptation of George Orwell's classic novel from EPIX.
1984
Shakespeare
So in that high school class I loved, we were graded by how many pages we read. We got double points for reading Shakespeare. I read a lot of Shakespeare in that class.
A classic story of dumb teenagers in love doing dumb things, and dumb adults also doing dumb things because of a dumb feud. I was not a fan.
Romeo and Juliet (Folger Shakespeare Library Series)|Paperback
I'm Gen X so this is the version we watched in school. I almost put this in the banned book section because I remember my parents having to sign that it was okay for me to see this movie in class in eighth grade.
Romeo and Juliet
This was one of many Shakespeare plays we read in school. If I'm honest though, I think Shakespeare should be WATCHED not read. Shakespeare wrote PLAYS not novels.
Macbeth (Folger Shakespeare Library Series)|Paperback
You've got a lot of options if you want to see Macbeth on screen. This is just one of the more recent versions starring Michael Fassbender.
Macbeth
Shakespeare was known not just for his tragedies, but also his comedies. This is one of the most performed of his comedies.
Much Ado about Nothing (Folger Shakespeare Library Series)|Paperback
American Classics That I Hate
I read these in school but I couldn't stand them. I acknowledge the themes are important for students to explore, but I really loathed these books. Part of it, I'm sure was that these were books I read in a traditional literature class where the entire class was expected to read at the same pace and discuss what the teachers and intellectuals thought were important about the book. I had finished the book while the class was still discussing chapter 2. Let kids read at their own pace and find a way to test understanding on an individual basis.
I absolutely loathed this book. While I agree the themes in the book are important for students to explore, there's got to be a better book than this for that purpose. The Handmaid's Tale comes to mind.
The Scarlet Letter (Signature Classics)|Paperback
Another classic novel that has been adapted to the screen many times. I think this is the version I watched in school. Not going to revisit it though.
The Scarlet Letter
Yeah. Can't really tell you anything about this book other than I hated it with a passion. It was utterly forgettable in high school, and I have no interest in revisiting it. Anyone else feel the same?
The Great Gatsby|Paperback
We didn't watch the adaptation in class in high school, but there are multiple versions.
The Great Gatsby