Favorite Books to Teach

September is around the corner, so I am diligently preparing for the upcoming school year. While I have always had a fair amount of autonomy in my classroom, I don’t get to chose the books that I want to. I know shocking. English majors jump into the profession thinking they will get teach their favorite books, but that is never the case. It really has to do with the books that are in the storage closet.

I have been fortunate to teach AP Literature, as well as dual-enrollment courses, so I have been able to make a few more choices about book than other colleagues. Schools allow a little more freedom to the teachers of these “college-esque” classes. Trust me, I have had to teach some duds (Heart of Darkness). I usually move through the books I don’t like rather quickly, making sure the major elements are covered, but I do not belabor the processes. However, if it is a book that I love, I could find a million activities to do with the book, a thousand topics to discuss, and a hundred ideas to write about in order to help students understand the book more deeply.

These are my top five books to teach:

• Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. There is a beauty in Hurston’s prose that quenches the thirst in my literary soul. I am in love with her style, especially in this particular novel. Hurston also deftly moves between the dialect of Janie’s people and the beautiful prose of Janie’s thoughts. Additionally, I adore Janie’s unapologetic attitude toward a community that has tried to stifle her throughout her life.
• Animal Farm by George Orwell. I never read this book before I started teaching, but I love this story to its core. Orwell has packed his allegory with so many teachable moments, and those moments are just as relevant today as the day he wrote the novel. Every element of an English 9 classroom can be covered with this novel. Figurative Language — check, strong characterization — check, an allegory — check, propaganda and language manipulation — check. Themes of about the power and corruption — check. This novella is a work horse and a perfect addition to a curriculum.
• Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. This speculative fiction novel caused waves in the 1980, but it has never been more appropriate for our current society. The provocative nature of this novel forces kids to think deeply about what pushes an author to create a story of this nature. I had the most fun teaching this to a group of senior girls in a dual-enrollment Women and Literature class.
• The Tempest by William Shakespeare. I know that this is the not Shakespeare that most people expect to be on the list, but I think as Shakespeare’s final play he hit theatrical gold. This play has elements his comedies (Trinculo and Stephano scenes are gut busters!), but it has the gravitas of the tragedies without the death aspect. The romance storyline between Ferdinand and Miranda capitalizes on the Midsummer’s vibe. t is a nice change of pace to have a character, Prospero, grow and become a redeemable person. Finally, it is an interesting discussion on Imperialism that still has implications on today’s society.
• The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. Of course, I am going to include an Oscar Wilde play. While I do love Lady Windmere’s Fan and A Woman of No Importance, I never teach them because frankly schools don’t have them in the storage closet. The Importance of Being Earnest is the most anthologized play. This biting satire contains vapid characters that are delightful to read about. Wilde is able to poke fun with his witty epigrams that are sprinkled through the drama. My favorite characters is the hypocrite Lady Bracknell and her ideas of propriety.