全英｜美国高中生都在读什么书呢？4 books that most Americans read in high school!

Do Americans learn English in school?

And do we have to memorize words and learn all these complex grammar structures? The short answer is yes

structures? The short answer is yes absolutely. Even though we have the

absolutely. Even though we have the English environment and we have the sense to feel if grammar is right or wrong, we do still spend a lot of time

learning English in school. We focus a lot on complex grammar and expanding our vocabulary. We also have a lot of

vocabulary. We also have a lot of English literature classes where we have to read a lot. From Shakespeare to Dante's Inferno to The Great Gatsby

there are so many books that we read when we're going through school. So

today, I wanted to share a list of commonly read books in American high schools. First of all, these aren't

schools. First of all, these aren't technically required to read, but we do refer to them as required reading. And

this list is set by each individual school and even our English teachers have a say in what kind of books they want to teach in their own classrooms.

But with that being said, most teachers and schools choose from a pretty similar list. So here's a list of a few books

list. So here's a list of a few books that most Americans have read in high school. Let's start with Shakespeare.

school. Let's start with Shakespeare.

So, I personally read a lot of Shakespeare in high school and even in college. And I think the most popular

college. And I think the most popular one is definitely Romeo and Juliet. I

mean, most Americans know the famous line, "Oh, Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?" I know some people might be

thou Romeo?" I know some people might be wondering, why do you read Shakespeare?

It's so old. And that's true, but it's still very relevant to this day. Not

just Romeo and Juliet, but many of Shakespeare's plays have common storylines or motifs that are replicated in a lot of the media you consume on a

day-to-day basis. Shakespeare is

day-to-day basis. Shakespeare is literally the blueprint. So, by

understanding the source material, it helps us to better analyze everything else. But now, let's talk about some

else. But now, let's talk about some more modern works. I mean, maybe not totally modern, but at least not as old as Shakespeare. Lord of the Flies is a

as Shakespeare. Lord of the Flies is a story about a group of young boys who suddenly become deserted on this island after their plane crashes and it's the

first time in any of their lives that they have no adult supervision and they're experiencing this kind of freedom. At first, they try to have

freedom. At first, they try to have their own kind of society and they try to follow a routine and some daily rules. They even appoint someone as

rules. They even appoint someone as their leader. And it seems to be going

their leader. And it seems to be going well at first, but eventually things take a turn for the worst and you start to see the more dark side of this group

of little boys. This book reveals things about the darker side of human nature.

It discusses morality and violence and it's a really interesting take on what might happen between humans when we take away all of these rules that we've

created within society. In American

schools, when we read things, we're not just simply reading them. We're also

learning how to analyze text and how to understand what the author is really trying to convey to us. And we also use these books as a way to spark

conversation and discussion within our classrooms. We have a lot of classroom discussions where everyone has the chance to share their opinion and you get to understand other people's

perspectives and also talk about how the book makes you feel. So I remember when we read this book in high school, some of my classmates were pretty quick to

judge and were just assuming like, "Oh all little boys are evil. They're so

bad. They're terrible. But that's kind of just a superficial take on this book.

And if you really read the book, there are so many things to discuss and contemplate on. It's really, really

contemplate on. It's really, really interesting. We also read The Giver, and

interesting. We also read The Giver, and I actually have a copy with me here. And

earlier, I recommended the book Holes.

And if you liked that story, I think you're really going to like this one too. I mean, they're totally different

too. I mean, they're totally different stories, but something about them just gives me the same kind of vibe. So, I do recommend this one, too. This story

takes place in a world that seems very utopian, but there's something a little bit off. So, in this world, society has

bit off. So, in this world, society has kind of taken away pain and sadness these negative emotions, just by ridding everyone of emotional depth. And

everyone sees things in black and white.

There's no color, there's no emotion.

And when kids turn 12 years old, then they get their first assignment. And

this assignment is basically a job. And

they tell kids at 12 years old what they're going to do for the rest of their life. And you don't have a choice.

their life. And you don't have a choice.

You're just assigned this assignment.

And in The Giver, this story follows a young boy named Jonas who is assigned a very special job. and he's exposed to

what the world was like before they took away all this emotion. It's a very interesting dive into stuff like memories and free will and it sparks an

interesting conversation about what is morally right. Like would you like to

morally right. Like would you like to live a life without any pain and suffering if that meant that you could also never experience great joy and

happiness ever again? Again, these are just things that we discuss in the classroom and it helps us to understand other people's perspectives on things.

Okay, next up is another classic, but maybe something that's not as wellknown and this is The Outsiders. This book was

very well-loved in my classroom. I mean

sometimes not every book is a hit right? Something like Shakespeare or the

right? Something like Shakespeare or the classics, it could be kind of a drag for other students. it can be kind of hard

other students. it can be kind of hard to finish and get through, but this book was very well-loved. I just strongly remember everyone in my classroom was

super invested in this story and we got really attached to all the characters and we wanted to know what was going to happen to them. This book follows two

different social clicks and one of them is the greasers and these are kids from not so wealthy families maybe workingclass families and they kind of

have a rough time in life and the other group is called the soas and these are kids from more wealthy families and they

fit more into what society expects young adults to be like. This is a story of true friendship and family and making

connections with people you might have never even thought you had anything in common with. But there are also some

common with. But there are also some really serious life issues that they all have to deal with. And it's inspiring to see how they get through it and how they

support each other. This book really reminds me of the Westside story and I was obsessed with this when I was a kid.

I still love it to this day. But

something about the story is just very similar to me. It gives me the same vibes. So if this story is interesting

vibes. So if this story is interesting to you or if you like The Outsiders, I also recommend Westside Story. So what's

the point of reading all these books?

Like I mentioned before, we use these books as a way to create discussions in the classroom. And this helps us with

the classroom. And this helps us with our public speaking skills. We practice

talking in front of groups of people.

And it also helps us learn how to express ourselves, how to express our opinions and understand other people's perspectives on things. And it helps us build communication skills. And many

assignments that we did in these English literature classes involved making a presentation on this book. So we would create a kind of mini thesis and create

a presentation and then present it to the whole class. Of course, when I was in school, I felt really nervous speaking in front of large groups of people at first, but the more I did it

the easier it got, and it also helped me build public speaking skills that I still use to this day. And honestly, by the end of my high school career, I

really liked giving these presentations.

I liked talking about these books, and I liked getting questions from other students and having this kind of discussion in class. And most American

schools do really focus on public speaking and real life skills. So books

are just a great place to start. But

another main reason why we read these books in school is to help us expand our vocabulary. And we learn to use context

vocabulary. And we learn to use context clues to figure out what new words might mean. It's also a way to improve our own

mean. It's also a way to improve our own writing skills in English. So, we

observe the way that other people write and we can analyze these texts and these writing structures and then we go to write our own book reports, essays or

even our own short stories. And these

are really just a few books that we read in school. So, let me know if you're

in school. So, let me know if you're interested in any more. I definitely

love to talk more about all of these books. And also, let me know if you've

books. And also, let me know if you've ever read any of these before and what you thought about them. But now I want to ask you guys a question. I'm curious

what you read when you were going through school and what you thought about all of those books or poems or short stories or anything. Did you like reading them or did you learn anything

from them? Let me know in the comments.

from them? Let me know in the comments.

I'm really curious to know what you guys used to read in school. But that's all for now. Thank you guys for watching and

for now. Thank you guys for watching and I'll see you guys next