We tremble for the future
In a desperate attempt to reach out to the Disaffected Youth of Today, the Allentown Morning Call gave a column cleverly named iThink (get it? get it? you put a lower-case I in front of a normal title case capital and the kids, with their iPods and iThings, they just eat it up!) so that said Disaffected Youth might take their entitled whinging public. To wit, the pleadings of one young lady who thinks her summer reading program is toooo haaaaarrrrrrrrd:
The problem with Emmaus High School’s reading list is that it contains a bunch of boring, ridiculously long books written by authors who are no longer alive and were never good to begin with.
The lists lack ideal selections for boys with titles such as ”Atonement” by Ian McEwan and ”Pride & Prejudice” by Jane Austen.
Ian McEwan is no longer alive? We hadn’t heard. But, oh horrors! That BOYS might be forced to read Jane Austen! Cooties! Those books have Cooties!
The only point of summer reading is to write essays when you get back to school. This is practically pointless because as soon as you give your teacher your essay you can expect a nice big C on the paper in the pretty red ink.
If her essays are the same quality as this “article,” that surprises us not at all. Have some fail, dearie.
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Ah, the dear girl’s logic leaves a lot to be desired from the very first sentence, which absolutely cracked me up: “As an avid reader, I find summer reading an odious task”. LOL!
Oh…dear…Lord…
Let’s separate the fact that she hasn’t figured out Jane yet from the important point that shoving an author down someone’s throat doesn’t always bring about an appreciation of that author. Sorry, but I still haven’t gotten over my “Scarlet Letter” experience in high school (the only book I absolutely could not finish). Here’s the solution: extra credit for tuning in to excellent blogs about the assigned author! Although I still don’t see how HawthorneBlog could have helped me.
An “avid reader” will usually appreciate all sorts of works — especially Jane Austen. As a senior in high school myself, I enjoyed all three books I had to read this summer (and LOVED the third, Tess of the d’Urbervilles). As for this girl, poor thing, she actually had to read something of merit.
The strange thing is that I just checked her high school’s reading lists, and P&P isn’t on any of them. She really doesn’t have anything about which to complain. There’s a variety of books on there, many of which are true page turners.
I actually choked on my tea reading her first sentence.
And as for asking girls to read science fiction and boys to read Austen et al, I believe that’s called all the cliche things that still have some truth in them – “going beyond your comfort zone,” “expanding your horizons,” “becoming well-rounded.” I never went near comics or graphic novels for a long time because I thought they were “just for boys.” Then I read the first book in Neil Gaiman’s “Sandman” series and the first “League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” book by Alan Moore and was hooked. In other words, making judgements on books you’ve never read is never a good idea.
The only point I agree with is her last one – let the kids choose their books. To which I would add, one has to be from the 18th or 19th century, one in a genre you’ve never read before, and one wildcard of your choosing.
I’m a 17-year-old girl who read Atonement by choice this past winter, and I absolutely loved it. I’m also a huge Austen fan. I think Atonement would definitely appeal to boys– an entire chunk is about Robbie in Dunkirk, after all, and there’s some nice gory descriptions in the hospital section for those who like that sort of thing. Such a shame more people my age don’t love books like Atonement and P&P– they’re truly missing out.