A Booklist for Grownups Who Wish They Could Go Back to School

Thirteen stories for those of us who miss high school English class.

I was talking with a friend who teaches high school English about his syllabus this semester. He teaches junior English, which means he covers largely American literature (although they start with Shakespeare’s Tempest). This year includes surprises like Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle and predictable choices like Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. Regardless, talking to him made me think back to my years in school and the great pleasure I had not only in reading these books but also in getting together with classmates to talk about them.

I’ve written before about why Christians should read secular novels, and about the serious pleasure of reading, and with both those posts in mind I emailed a few friends who teach high school (and in one case, college) English for their recommendations of books to read or reread this fall. My college professor friend Karen Swallow Prior responded as an overachiever and gave reasons for her recommendations (offered below). My friend Margaret Mitchell (who is not related to the Margaret Mitchell) also overachieved by giving me a list with 40 titles. So I selected a few from each list and added a few of my favorites from way back when.

They aren’t beach reads, but I did ask for books that could be enjoyed outside of a classroom, so these should provide a good choice for a book club or just for you to enjoy in the evenings once the day has wound down. They aren’t all particularly spiritual in nature, but they all do what good stories ought to do—they transport us to a different time and place and make us consider the nature of reality and the big questions of who we are and what our lives mean.

Tess of the D’Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy

Three friends recommended …