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The Best Books At VHS

Writer's picture: Sloane OverdorfSloane Overdorf
ANALYZE. This stack of books showcases the objectively best books that VHS assigns to students. Each book has it’s pros and cons, but one book shines above the rest. Photo Courtesy of Sloane Overdorf.
ANALYZE. This stack of books showcases the objectively best books that VHS assigns to students. Each book has it’s pros and cons, but one book shines above the rest. Photo Courtesy of Sloane Overdorf.

Here at VHS we are assigned to read many books. Over time these books can all blend together, each with many hidden metaphors and lots of symbolism. However, a few of these books stand out. These are my top five favorite books that we have read, starting with the fifth and working up. There are many spoilers, but the spoilers may help you write your next English essay. 

5. The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui, stands out from the rest because it is a graphic novel. The illustrations are intense, showing a story of belonging and moving to a new country. Thi Bui pulled me in, and shows how deeply families are connected. A reason this is ranked so low is because it is harder to analyze this book, because it’s a graphic novel. The transitions in the story are harsh, and it’s sometimes hard to follow the storylines of the different family members. Overall, this book fills you with inspiration to do the best you can given your circumstances.

4. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is an American classic. In the book we follow Nick, who is a boring finance bro, but while reading I started to feel an affinity for him. He watches the chaos of Gatsby being infatuated with Daisy, and doing crazy things to get her attention. Gatsby fell in love with Daisy at first sight, and then never got over it. Get this man some therapy. The book also is so colorful, literally! The motifs of colors are embedded in the book. They cue to important events, so it makes it pretty easy to analyze the book. That was the only good thing Fitzgerald ever did in his life. Shoutout to his wife, Zelda Fitzgerald, the true visionary. 

3. Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is sad. It has a lot of scenes of bad things happening to good people. While reading, at first you feel a little trapped in Papa’s rules, but the moments where you see the purple hibiscus shining through, and you see Kambili find joy,  you get a strong feeling of liberation. I like this book since it makes you remember that joy and community can exist even under tyrannical conditions. Reading the book is not comfortable, but it’s not supposed to be. It pulls you out of your comfort zone; it’s up to you to open your eyes to see the flowers through the thorns. 

2. Macbeth by Shakespeare is hard to read because it’s written in Shakespearean English, so reading it often feels like solving a puzzle. Though once thou get used to Shakespearean drawl, you understand that the book is really good. From the start you’re thrown into a disastrous prophecy, and over the course of the play you see Macbeth’s power unfold, as he murders Duncan and becomes king. It's fun to see all of the characters descend into madness, because you get to hear  the characters' darkest thoughts and hear their mental psyches cracking. I was enthralled with every word, just only after I deciphered the language.

1. Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger is the best book I’ve read at VHS. It stars Holden Caulfield, who is a classic teenage boy; at least that’s how most viewers see him. I don’t disagree, but remember that he is battling intense grief. The chaotic way the book is written is really interesting, with each random storyline showing Holden's dissociative nature. He’s trying to escape his grief, and he does so by evading the plot of the story. Holden is annoying, but I think we all would be if our every thought was written down into a book—plus you have to admit he’s funny. If you don’t like this book, you’re a phony.

All the books we read in school have some purpose, and each of them teach us a lot. I admire the teachers who find these books, they have to pick them out of thousands of others and still manage to find gems. 

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