What is the best book you've ever read for School?

Seldes Katne said:
We read The Trial in high school, so, sadly, no bugs. (No real interest on my part, either, I'm afraid. Honestly, I found the idea of existentialism to be thoroughly unappealing.)
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I haven't read The Trial and don't really intend to. The Metamorphosis on the other hand is something I've been forced to read for class on three separate occasions. Each time I understand it a little better than the time before and each time it gets less entertaining.

Kafka isn't something anyone should be forced to read. Ever.
I'm not sure if you'll like The Bell Jar. It's a semi-autobiographical novel -- it deals with a woman suffering from emotional and mental illness, which I believe Plath had for much of her life. Yes, depressing topic, but in the book I recognized some of the women's issues I'd had to deal with as a teen/young adult. (For example, some of the book's critics couldn't understand why Plath seemed to use babies to symbolize death. As someone who was raised in a society where women were still expected to have to choose either a family or a career, but not both [and family was the preferred choice], I completely understood the author's symbolism.)
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Maybe I'll hold off on that after all. Wide Sargasso Sea has kind of soured me on depressing books about mentally ill women.

At least for the immediate future.
 
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1984, absolutely loved it
One flew over the cuckoos nest, really good
Frankenstein, almost got me expelled when i compared myself to Dr. Frankenstein and the teacher to the evil people in the world
The lady and the tiger, forced me to actually think
The gift of the magi, taught me irony
The most dangerous game, really good as well
 
I know I've read a couple, but the one of the best was in 8th grade: They Cage the Animals (Or Birds- I forget) at Night. An autobiography. And holy **** what a life the guy who wrote it had. I mean, damn. He really went through hell and back and still ended up having a good life as a cop, I believe it was.
 
For school we did Arther Millers - A view from a bridge, which is pretty good. And of Mice and Men - which is such a good story just cuz there's so many characters that are just like lenny.

I feel I really want to read all the classics that you get taught in the states like catcher in the rye and there's some others I forget...mostly mentioned already.
 
Animal Farm, 1984, Fahrenheit 451, Giver, (I'm a sucker for dystopia stories) Lord of the Flies, some others stuff I can't remember

...I have not read to Kill a Mockingbird, but I will now. Apparently I missed out on something good.
 
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1984 by a VERY longshot.

Followed by The Catcher In The Rye, followed by To Kill A Mockingbird, followed by The Chrysalids.

If only they taught Watchmen.

Also, Louis Sachar's Holes, but I'd already read it before we read it in school.
 
It had a sequel?!

Blecch. The best part of the book was the ambigious ending. "is he in civilization, or did he die and go to heaven?"
 
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