22. Devil in the White City 

I was promised a murder story and given 400 pages of architectural details. It supposedly details the murders of H.H. Holmes and the creation of the Chicago World Fair in 1893. Instead, it was 2 pages of murder stories sparsely scattered throughout a book that took its time detailing the materials needed to build a park. It was dry and made me want to skip everything that was not about Mr. Holmes. Unless you really like architecture, do not be fooled by this book’s description.

21. The Things They Carried

This book had good potential but really missed the mark. It centers around a band of soldiers during the Vietnam War and claims to be a “true story.” Tim O’Brien, however, then says that nothing in the book actually happened. While I appreciate a good discussion about what truth actually is, a war book is not the place to do it. The book centers around the weight of war and the effect it could have on a person, but, claiming it is a true story when it is not, takes away from the story. It leaves the reader constantly wondering which aspect is “true,” rather than letting the reader understand the emotional and physical toll war exerts on a person. The book ended up being another war story but more confusing.

20. Lord of the Flies 

The idea was there. It was so close to having a good ending, and then, Golding just ruined it. The novel is supposed to showcase the depravity of human nature in a Hunger Games-esque setting. However, there really was not that much violence. The moment things began to escalate to a level of violence that would get Golding’s point across, the resolution came out of nowhere. I know it’s a deus ex machina plot point, but it really hinders the whole point of the book. The whole point is to explore just how cruel humans can be without any societal regulations in place. The ending felt contrived and random. But before this thesis is fully fleshed out, the novel ends. Not an awful book but rather unsatisfying.

19. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

I know it’s supposed to be one of the great American books, but I just did not like it. The plot is redundant and most of the characters are just kind of annoying. It’s chock-full of melodramatic moments in which everything seems to be blown way out of proportion. There are some comedic moments and some parts that kept me interested. Overall, it just felt way too over the top and predictable. Perhaps that’s the point, but there should be something to counteract the outrageous plot points. For another Mark Twain book, I recommend A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. It’s hilarious and suspenseful. 

18. Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

I will say that it was an interesting look into the head of someone living with autism. I do not want to diss on it too hard because of that, but it just was not an enjoyable book. It was confusing, frustrating, and there was not a lot there to analyze. It was not a great book for an English classroom as there was not a lot of depth to it. For understanding and empathizing with those who have autism, it was mostly effective, but it is not a literary masterpiece. The writing is decent and the plot is…strange, but it does encourage kindness and understanding for those who may be struggling with autism.

17. Sing Unburied Sing 

I apologize in advance, Mrs. Gregory, for the placement of SUS. It’s incredibly similar to Song of Solomon, but Toni Morrison did it better. I know that it is a piece of magical realism, but it is overly strange. Why is Richie clinging to the ceiling as Mam dies? No one knows. Why do particularly tragic deaths trap the dead on earth? No one knows. I can appreciate what Jesmyn Ward is going for, trying to tackle heavy topics like racism or codependency, but the novel is just not quite there. The plot is all over the place, the writing is pretty good, and the magical realism is just so strange and awkward. I think the reader is supposed to feel empathy for Leoni, but she just gets more and more detestable as the novel progresses. One senior sums it up as a “B-tech, Walmart version Song of Solomon.” For a magical realism piece that grapples with the same issues but in a better way, look to Song of Solomon (no. 3).

16. Of Mice and Men

This book was more sad than anything. Lennie’s story was heart-wrenching, but there was nothing to make this book particularly stand out. It’s one of those books that’s considered part of the Western canon, but when you read it, there’s nothing that screams “This book deserves to be read in perpetuity.” The writing is decent, and the plot is somewhat moving, but it’s not one that stays with you.

15. Oedipus Rex 

My review for this one is fairly similar to Of Mice and Men. The best character was certainly Tiresius. Its influence on Western culture is undeniable, influencing ideas from Freud to Kafka on the Shore, but it’s not an enjoyable read.

14. Fahrenheit 451

Fahrenheit 451 is decent. It’s just overall really strange. The plot is kind of all over the place. There are lots of pieces of world building that pop up out of nowhere. What is the mechanical hound exactly? Couldn’t tell you. Why are all of the walls TV? No idea. Perhaps to keep the people complacent? I would understand the thought process, but the world building doesn’t really have any justification. Overall not bad, just not great. 

13. The Metamorphosis

This novella was actually pretty good. It was very short but packed with plot and emotion. I somehow felt empathy for a bug in the span of 60 pages? It’s not the most riveting book, but it is chock-full of meaning and story. There are some sections that are kind of gross, but that’s the point of the book. The writing is very fluid and emotional, but it’s not exceptional. Overall pretty good but not great.

12. Just Mercy

The first time I read this book in seventh grade I loved it. I loved it so much I wanted to be a lawyer because of it. Reading it for the second time, it did not have the same effect, which I believe is the hallmark of a less than great book. The writing is ok; nothing stands out as exceptional. I will say that it was a more enjoyable read than most nonfiction books which tend to be drier than dirt. It was moving and compelling in some sections, but there were some stories that Stevenson included that hampered the main thesis of his book. In fact, I am not entirely sure what the thesis of the book is. Is it that we should never jail anybody? Only if they have malicious intent? Only if they had a tragic background? I agree that mercy is the better part of justice, but how do we implement that into our justice system? Stevenson raises this question and then acts like the anecdotes somehow answer it, but they never really do. Good concept, just not overall great execution. Still a fairly intriguing and informative book. It’s a good book, but it has some shortcomings.

11. The Crucible 

This play was a wild journey from start to finish, but it was a good journey. It was so over the top but in a way that was fitting to the story. Reading it instead of watching it was an injustice to the work because there was so much that was lost in reading it as opposed to watching it. I thought the connection to McCarthyism was genius and using the Salem Witch Trials as the parallel is just such a good idea. It’s a good commentary on theocracy and political/religious persecution. Very entertaining and meme-worthy.   

10. We 

This book was not necessarily fun to read, but it was very interesting to dissect. The writing style is very short and quick, which lends to the meaning behind the book, but makes it more difficult to read. If you tend to picture the story as you read it, this book will definitely be a struggle, as there is very little description to aid the imagination. But because there is so little description and writing, each word, each letter is filled with meaning, putting this book in 10th place. Even the letters of the names are relevant to the story.

9. Macbeth 

I’ve only read two Shakespeare plays in high school thus far, and I have to say both have been fairly good. Shakespeare can sometimes be a pain to read, and Macbeth was no exception, but it had a very interesting story. My admiration for Shakespeare’s writing and skill is beyond words. I mean writing “Give sorrow words; the grief that does not speak/ whispers the o’erfraught heart and bids it break” in iambic pentameter is a feat beyond my comprehension. But as far as Shakespeare goes, Macbeth is pretty good, just not my favorite. The ending is just so stupid. Somebody “not born of a woman” is supposed to kill Duncan. In a play full of ghosts, surely it’s not that hard to find somebody who was not born from a woman. Get a ghost to kill him for heaven’s sake. But no. Because Macbeth was born via C-section, he somehow is “not born a woman.” The fulfillment of the part of the prophecy saying, “until Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill Shall come against him” was just a bunch of men carrying sticks and marching on the castle. Τhat is perhaps the worst way to fulfill a prophecy that I have ever read. Overall, I enjoyed the story, the ghosts, and the writing, but the ending was entirely anticlimactic and disappointing. 

8. Night 

This memoir was so good. Writing a memoir is difficult in and of itself, but making it a literary piece is even more impressive. I love the scene with the violin. It’s so poignant and moving in an entirely different way than I’ve ever seen in a Holocaust piece. It’s like if Schindler’s List was a book. (I know Schindler’s Ark exists, but imagine the movie turned into a book instead of vice versa.) Horrifying, devastating, and transformative.

7. Julius Caesar

I know this one is a bit of a hot take. Maybe it’s the history nerd in me, but I really like Julius Caesar. Although most of it seems like Shakespeare just made it up, he actually lifted the vast majority of the story from Plutarch’s Life of Caesar. The play has its basis in history, and it has ghosts. What could be better? It has one of the most famous pieces of rhetoric to ever exist. “The good men do is oft interred with their bones” is such a good line. To craft such a rhetorical masterpiece while trying to tell a story as well is such an incredible feat that moves this work all the way up to 7th place. While it is perhaps not as fun or entertaining as Macbeth, it showcases a whole different side to his writing. The merit doesn’t lie so much in how beautiful the writing is, but in his ability to convert a historical topic into, not only a story, but a piece that has defined English rhetoric for three hundred years.

6. The Oresteia

I know this one is not a favorite either, but bear with me. First of all, the translation is immaculate. There’s alliteration and puns in a translation? That in and of itself is enough to move this work several places up. There are so many stylistic choices that run throughout the work that once you see them, it enhances just how good the main story is. Using cyclical language and parallel structure to mirror the cycle of vengeance? Using blood imagery to demonstrate how violence perpetuates injustice? These are masterful strokes of literary genius, which puts this play so high. The story itself is interesting and fast-paced, leaving no moment of boredom for the reader. Overall, a wonderful and interesting work.

5. Brave New World

This book is absolutely wild, but it is quite frightening on how accurate certain aspects of it are. Huxley was able to see how certain aspects of society would play out in an almost prophetic way. But, future-telling skills aside, this novel is incredibly well written and thought-provoking. There are several sections where I had to just put the book down and think for a few minutes about what was in the book. The plot is a tad bit all over the place, but the plot is not the main focus of the novel. The novel centers around the society itself, so the world building is crucial to getting his point across. Including the Native American society to juxtapose the World State highlights how progressing forward in both technology and thought is not always a good thing. The writing is also wonderful and contributes to the world building. If you want a book to make you think, this is the one for you.

4. Book Thief

My reasons for liking this one are very different from Brave New World. I am a firm believer that a good book should be good on every level. By this I mean that if you’re reading it just for fun, it should be enjoyable. If you’re reading it at an incredibly deep level, it should be rich and meaningful. This book is good at every level. Having Death as the narrator is such a good choice and allows the book to be both poignant and intellectual. There are tears strewn across my book which is very hard to do in a book read at school. The writing is also so beautiful, and I love the motif of colors. It’s a unique take on a now cliché time period. It’s great for fun reading or intense, analytical reading. This is a book that will become a classic.

3. Short Stories of Flannery O’Connor

I know this is a very odd one to place this high on the list, but I absolutely loved these short stories. Every single one of them is strange but entertaining at the same time. My favorite was “Good Country People.” There was so much packed into such a small format, and it requires an insane amount of talent to be able to do that. There are layers upon layers of imagery, particularly religious, that add so much depth to seemingly shallow stories. She discusses the nuances between right and wrong in a way that does not feel contrived. The writing is just straight up amazing; it’s fluid, moving, and beautiful. They are rather macabre, but I think that adds to the overall mood of the work. Wonderful stories, talented writing, and thoughtful meanings.

2. Song of Solomon

This book left me speechless by the end. The second half of the novel is perhaps one of the best pieces of literature I have read in a while. My jaw actually dropped at several moments. It’s incredibly strange, which seems to be a theme for my favorite books. I typically do not like magical realism— it makes things unnecessarily confusing most of the time— but this book does it perfectly. The magical realism adds to the story, rather than reveling in theconfusion of the reader that typically results from magical realism. The story is fast paced, gripping, and profound. There are so many sections where they are good on their own, but once you figure out how they connect to the work as a whole, they become a piece of literary genius. The characters feel incredibly real and dynamic. Fantastic book.

1. My Brilliant Friend 

Even among books I have read outside of high school, this one ranks very highly. The story is strikingly realistic but in a way that is still exciting. As I was re-reading sections of it for my English oral, I was just struck by how good the writing is. It’s easy to read, but there is enough depth to it that it is never boring. While I was reading, I felt as though I was in 1950s Naples. Lena’s feelings were my feelings; her struggles were my struggles. Allowing the reader to empathize with characters and truly immerse themselves into the story is the hallmark of any good book. I was truly excited to read this book when it was assigned for homework. I have friends who went on to read the whole series in their own time. It’s historical enough to be informative but modern enough to be relatable. Overall, this book is amazing, and I would recommend it to anyone as a good book to read outside of school.