Classics Without All the Class discussion

I was reading an article on Book Riot ( http://bookriot.com/2016/05/10/praise...) and it got me thinking about assigned reading! So I rarely didn't like assigned reading and I guess I'm in the minority here. I loved assigned reading and it's easier to tell you what assigned reading I didn't like. I did NOT like the Catcher in the Rye in my Junior year, and I was not a fan of The Great Gatsby either (although I like the story, I find the book a bore). But I loved assigned reading since 4th grade!

I also love assigned reading! Personally I was not a fan of the book "Of Mice and Men". I think the equivalent of assigned reading when you're an adult is friends referring books, you read them, and then give them your feedback.

I can think of assigned reading books I thought I would hate - Ivanhoe, Spoon River Anthology, and All the King's Men - but wound up loving them! I am also a fan of assigned reading. Have never been a fan of Shakespeare as assigned reading though.

I agree with you Jeane, assigned reading would often introduce me to some real gems of books I would never ordinarily have picked up!

I would not have read a lot of books if they had not been assigned in school. I'm starting to go back and reread some of those books now. Memory does fade and of course the life experience we all gain can change your prospective and enjoyment of some of the prior reads.

Assigned reading is the main reason why I got into reading in the first place. I was assigned several books by my 5th grade teachers. I loved those assigned books, which were Esperanza Rising and Becoming Naomi León. And then after that, The Poisonwood Bible was assigned to me in the 12th grade and it is now my favorite book. So, assigned reading is the key to my interest in literature.

I have not read any of those books. My high school education was not the best. I have heard of the Poisonwood Bible and will look into it. Thanks.

I think one way to make Shakespeare more enjoyable is to read the book along with everyone in class as if reading for a play with assigned parts. That's how we read Shakespeare in my school. We didn't have to read 'in character' but as the story progressed, some students really got the feel of the character and the story and I loved listening to how my friends gradually transformed into Mercutio or Lady Macbeth! It's not as good as watching or acting in a real performance, but it's a very interesting and effective way to read Shakespeare. I'd highly recommend it for anybody who thinks Shakespeare is boring.

One of the best assigned reading books I read are the ones that aren't very widely known to readers from the typical Anglosaxon culture, and I would probably not have had the opportunity to learn about their existence if it hadn't been for assigned reading.
I loved Chinua Achebe's No Longer at Ease and Things Fall Apart, Brecht's Mother Courage, Ibsen's Doll's House, Beckett's Waiting for Godot along with books by Italo Calvino, R.K. Narayan, and Anita Desai.