As I am coming on the tail end of my senior year, I have recently been reflecting on the books I have been required to read during my time at Simonsen and CCHS. So I had the idea of rating all of them (that I can at least remember) under the context of not wanting to read said books in the first place.

Animal Farm – 2/5

This was one of the first classics I have ever had to read and wow I hated it. I understand the entire point of the book is that it is talking animals, and animals are inherently stupid, however, these animals are so  stupid I am completely shocked that the farm did not die out of starvation. Like really talk about a slow burn of stupidity throughout these little communist farm animals. While I think that the initial idea of the book having dual meaning is pretty cool, it cannot make up for the fact of how dismissive all of these animals are. Also if you had to watch the same movie I did, you know how terrifying the pigs are in general: the snot on their shout, the way the talk, and eventually how they hop on their hind legs. Absolutely terrifying.

Fahrenheit 45 – -50/5

This is possibly the worst book I have been forced to read, and the worst part is that I chose it from a selection of books. I thought I was being like cool for choosing a classic book when everyone chose a book like The Hunger Games. Little did I know, I would rather be a candidate in the Hunger Games than have to read this book. It was awful, I did not even read the Spark Notes. I just Googled the awful questions I had to answer and swear that this book itself needed to be burned.

Macbeth – 3/5

This is an unpopular opinion, but I thought that this wasn’t too bad. I totally get that no one wants to read Shakespearian dialect, but the story line was not too bad. However, I did have to watch the original BBC screen play which by itself is bad, but add the fact you are watching it with other sophomores makes it 1000x worse.

The Great Gatsby – 5/5

I read this for a summer assignment and it was a cute little read. I listen to YouTube videos made by some old lady in Louisiana and thanks to her, I got it done in one car ride. I think that it was a really good classic to read for a class and I 100% need to make time to read this on my own account.

The Crucible – 4/5

This is definitely another unpopular opinion, however I think that this was a good book. I would never read it outside the context of class, but I decently enjoyed doing assignments regarding it. I love some good hysteria. The only negative feedback I have would be John Proctor’s teeth. They are the most vile things you will ever look at. I have nightmares about them. Any time I forget to brush my teeth I worry one day that they could even remotely look like him.

Frankenstein – 3/5

Why does this have to be as long as it is? Shelley may be a feminist icon, however Victor is one of the most annoying characters I have ever had the displeasure of reading about. Can he stop wining and start doing something about his problems? Having to do any assignments regarding this book destroyed more brain cells in my head, than Victor had at any point in the book. I liked the monster though, he seemed like a cool dude who was just lonely.

Jane Eyre – 5/5

Where can I get started on this. I was living a full Jane Austin fantasy when I was reading it. I read this while on the train ride home from Chicago, so I’m not saying that I’m better than you, but I also did embroidery when reading this. A gothic era romance story is exactly what I want, and Charlotte Bronte delivered. I will never complain about this book and stay living in this fantasy of being a Victorian woman.