Rebecca recently shared her list of the essentials for a simple school year. Included was "a plethora of good books on a variety of topics from which to choose, both fiction and non fiction, which can be from the library or your own family collection." While I spent a considerable amount of time agonizing over different programs, both purchased and mom-designed, it was this plethora of good books that stayed with our older boys. A chance visit to one son's facebook page last week drove home just how significant some of those books have been. One son tagged his brothers to list the 15 books which will always stick with you. Here are two of their unedited lists:
1. The Road – Cormac McCarthy
2. Anthem – Ayn Rand
3. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell – Susanna Clarke
4. Lord Of The Rings – J.R.R Tolkien
5. The Chronicles Of Narnia – C.S. Lewis
6. To Kill A Mockingbird – Harper Lee
7. The Art Of Astonishment – Paul Harris
8. Ariel – Sylvia Plath
9. Angela's Ashes – Frank McCourt
10. The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ – Anne Catherine Emmerich
11. The Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkien
12. The Screwtape Letters – C.S. Lewis
13. The Diary Of Anne Frank – Anne Frank
14. Frankenstein – Mary Shelley
15. Inferno – Dante Alighieri
1. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
2. Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
3. Father Elijah by Michael D. O'Brien
4. Inferno by Dante
5. The Art of War by Sun Tzu
6. The Giver by Lois Lowry
7. The Autobiography of Malcolm X told to Alex Haley
8. The Histories by Herodotus
9. The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkein
10. Fatherhood by Bill Cosby
11. The Bolivian Diary of Ernesto Che Guevara
12. Blue Rage, Black Redemption by Tookie Williams
13. I Can't Accept Not Trying: Michael Jordan on the Pursuit of Excellence
14. The Lombardi Rules by Vince Lombardi
15. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
None of these were really "assigned" in the sense that they did many school projects around them. Many were on the list of things I wanted them to read. The differences reflect both their different personalities as well as where we were and what things we were thinking and talking about when each boy was a teenager at home. Their siblings will likely have very different lists.
Some of these titles are considered classics. Some are deeply spiritual. Some heighten social awareness. Some are edgier than I would probably suggest to others. All were influential. Together they likely amount to a substantial portfolio of lit study spanning ancient to modern eras and most genres and they do not contain the sum total of their reading at that.
It was a good exercise, for them and for me. They say life is what happens while we are making plans. In homeschooling, I would say reading is what happens when we are writing plans. : ) And that is a very good thing.
Starry Sky Journal 
Having seen LOTS of those lists on FB, I’d say you should be very proud of them. Your sons are obviously well-read, thinking people. 🙂
Great lists. I’m going to star them, so that I have them to draw from for my children.
My husband loves the Stephen Covey books. I have one from the library right now that’s called, “The 7 Habits of Happy Kids” by Sean Covey. I’m assuming that’s Stephen’s son.
I love this, great saying at the end:)