I’ve been slowly reorganizing my bookshelves when I’ve been home on weekends, and   I’ve come across a lot of the books that I read in high school. As I look back, I didn’t realize how MANY books I was able to read between my English and History classes. I’m going to be splitting my high school reads into two parts—today’s post recapping the books I read during my freshmen and sophomore year, while the second will recap the books I read during junior and senior year. I may or may not be forgetting some books along the way, or just ignoring the fact that I  read Romeo and Juliet in high school.

Freshmen year:

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson– I had to read Speak for summer work before freshmen year and it made me a bit more exciting for high school because it was a required reading book that I actually enjoyed.

Animal Farm by George Orwell- I read this for my Global Studies summer reading, and this book sticks in my memory because it was the first political satire book that I’ve ever read, not to mention the talking animals.

The Girl Who Fell from the Sky by Heidi W. Durrow- My class was split into groups based on our reading levels and my group was assigned The Girl Who Fell from the Sky. All I remember is having to make a movie poster that was not so cleverly a sky and a girl falling.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger– I read the first chapter, the last chapter, and Sparknotes.

Sophomore year:

The Crucible by Arthur Miller– The Crucible was hands-down my favorite book of sophomore year, and I’m still really proud of my final paper for the play.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury– I would love to reread F451 in the near future, especially since my sister recently read it for the same honors class I took.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey– I remember feeling that One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest was (is) one of the most out-there books that I ever read for school.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald- I read The Great Gatsby a year after the 2013 film adaption came out aka the period of time where everyone was obsessed with 1920s-themed costumes and parties. I enjoyed Gatsby (my paper focused on a lot of its T. S. Elliot influences), but didn’t necessarily understand all the hype. I do hold my copy close to my heart, as I’m very proud of all my annotations and highlighting.

A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry-My class hada lot of fun acting this play.

1984 by George Orwell– I read 1984 for my sophomore year research paper, where I compared the totalitarian state set in the novel to World War II-era governments and The Hunger Games (sounds a bit out there but it worked!).

What books did you read in high school? Share in the comments!