The Grapes of Wrath Should Not Be Required Reading
It’s time to revamp the standard reading list.
I recently decided to re-read some of the famous books I had to read in high school.
I think you’ll agree with me when I say:
Required reading in schools should teach kids the value of reading. In today’s world, it’s conceivable that some kids will never read a novel. They’ll read summaries online to get through their tests.
Required is allowed to be difficult, but it should be comprehensible and motivating as well.
I won’t bury the lede anymore. The Grapes of Wrath is a great American classic that should be read by all, but it should not be required reading in high school.
Grapes of Wrath Plot
The basic plot is simple: The Joad family experiences great loss with the Dust Bowl and Great Depression. They travel west from Oklahoma to California in search of a better life.
This was what I remembered the plot to be when I read it in high school. But the novel is over 600 pages long. I thought I must not have remembered it fully.
This is both true and false:
The plot is one of the least relevant parts of the book. Around 100 pages go by before…
