Ayers, Rich & Crawford, Amy, eds. Great books for high school kids

Kliatt, July, 2004 by Anthony Pucci

AYERS, Rich & CRAWFORD, Amy, eds. Great books for high school kids. Beacon Press, 237p. bibliog, index. c2004. 0-8070-3255-7 $15.00. SA

This is much more than a list of suggested readings for high school students. Editors Rick Ayers and Amy Crawford, English teachers in Berkeley, California, state in their Introduction that their work is intended "as a map to the vast literary territory that we know teens can--but rarely do--explore." They clearly are excited about literature and about helping students recognize "the power of books." Their definition of a "great" book is one that generates "extraordinary reactions in readers" and is not confined to YA literature by any means.

In the first section of the book, seven teachers share their experiences teaching such works as Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon, Aeschylus's Oresteia, and MarkTwain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In these well-written accounts, the classroom experience of encountering challenging topics such as abuse, racism, violence, and death is presented. The teacher is facilitator in the process as the students discover that the problems found in the literature are the problems faced in life. Each essay is followed by a list of suggested readings that have similar thematic potential. The next section is a list of "great books" listed alphabetically by author. A brief overview (in two or three sentences) of each work is provided. The list contains the familiar as well as the unfamiliar, and the editors take pride in acknowledging that it is "supremely incomplete" yet "interesting." Readers are invited to make comments on these works or to make suggestions for additions to the list by visiting www.beacon.org. The last section offers an index by author, an index by title, and an index by subject, such as "Books Made into Good Movies" and "Coming of Age and Growing Up." This book is intended for use by teachers, adults, and most especially for the students themselves. It is an excellent resource to help readers find books that they will love. Anthony Pucci, English Dept. Chair., Notre Dame H.S., Elmira, NY