So, I'm starting classes on Thursday (hurray ), and one of my classes is focused on YA literature. I got an email today from the instructors with a pretty robust list of books and we must choose two from the list to take on for whatever papers will be assigned throughout the semester. That's all fine and dandy. I'm starting this thread so I can get some opinions from you wonderful people about which of these books are interesting, since I've only read a few, and I'd rather not reread something, even if it would make the semester a tad easier. Here's the list: 1. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, by Benjamin Alire S??enz 2. Ash, by Malinda Lo 3. Born Confused, by Tanuja Desai Hidier 4. Boy Meets Boy, by David Levithan 5. Brown Girl Dreaming, by Jacqueline Woodson 6. Bud, Not Buddy, by Christopher Paul Curtis 7. Crazy Horse's Girlfriend, by Erika Wurth 8. Deliver Us from Evie, by M.E. Kerr 9. Feed, by M.T. Anderson 10. Forever, by Judy Blume 11. Hard Love & Love and Lies, by Ellen Wittlinger 12. The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green 13. Holes, by Louis Sachar 14. If I Ever Get Out of Here, by Eric Gansworth 15. It's Kind of a Funny Story, by Ned Vizzini 16. Keeping You a Secret, by Julie Ann Peters 17. Letting Go of Bobby James, or How I Found Myself of Steam, by Valerie Hobbs 18. Marcello in the Real World, by Francisco X. Stork 19. Mexican White Boy, by Matt De La Pe??a 20. Muckers, by Sandra Neil Wallace 21. Ninth Ward, by Jewell Parker Rhodes 22. Paper Towns, by John Green 23. Perfect Chemistry 24. Rain Is Not My Indian Name, by Cynthia Leitich Smith 25. Somebody's Daughter, by Marie Myung-Ok Lee 26. Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson 27. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie 28. The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros 29. The House You Pass Along the Way, by Jaqueline Woodson 30. The Miseducation of Cameron Post, by emily m. danforth 31. The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton 32. The Porcupine of Truth, by Bill Konigsberg 33. The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis 34. Wake, by Lisa McMann 35. Weetzie Bat, by Francesca Lia Block 36. Zero, by Tom Leveen The ones with the strikethrough are the ones I've already read at some point in my life. Obviously not many. So what do you guys think? Do any of them stand out as must-reads? Thanks in advance for any input!
That’s fair. I’m sure I’ll figure it out. The easy route is starting to look better and better based on the way my other classes are shaping up. Maybe I’ll just work with two I’ve already read.
I read Forever by Judy Blume when I was in 6th grade, but I don't remember anything about it, except that it's a love story. Judy Blume was a big deal when I was a kid because she discussed teenage sexuality in a very frank manner that, at the time, made the adults really uncomfortable. One of her books (it might have been Forever--can't remember) was almost banned by our school library...it was a really big to-do. I'm guessing it's probably pretty tame by current standards, though.
Speak was a big deal about ten years ago (I assume when it first came out) and I read it then... as I recall it was a bit overwrought, which isn't exactly rare in YA, but otherwise solid. Forever is a classic... it might be interesting to read the two of them together as a sort of "controversial then" vs "controversial now" thing. Both deal with teen sexuality, although in very different ways. I didn't love The Fault in our Stars, personally, but a lot of people certainly did. And I think those are the only ones I've read from the list. Let us know what you pick!
Thanks for this! I think it would be interesting to compare the way teenage sexuality was handled vs how it's handled now. I was leaning toward The Miseducation of Cameron Post for one of them, but Speak seems like a contender. I think length will factor into the decision. I have a very literature heavy courseload this semester, with something like 20 novels/textbooks to read. Over-fucking-whelming. I'm going to keep doing some research and I'll update this thread when I figure it out! Thanks, again, everyone.
