Posted on 07/23/2005 4:32:43 PM PDT by notpoliticallycorewrecked
My son lives on the computer these long summer days. As his mother I would like to see him do more productive things, like read. So I am going to make him read a chapter or two in a good classic book for the rest of his summer. I am looking for recommendations as to what to have him read.Thanks
BTW I plan on reading right along with him so we can talk about the book.
'Guns of the South' by Harry Turtledove.
Forcing him to read "good literature" or "classic books" will not make him love the stuff. In fact, he may learn to hate it.
If he is just playing games on the computer all day, then maybe he could better spend his time taking a programming/computer science course at a local college, high school, computer training center, or online.
Culled from the 9-volume Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, this book assembles the best of Lincoln's writings on himself and the issues of his day, creating in effect an engrossing autobiography of our greatest president. Skillful editing shapes this volume comprised of letters, speeches, and documents into an intimate self-portrait of Lincoln, from his early years in Springfield to the day before he died. A fine addition to any American history library.
Ooh, double-ditto that!
Unngh. I wasn't a fan of the Muppets version. I saw some obscure movie version in English class and it was great. Most of the dialogue was word-for-word from the book, and the acting was also good.
the two books of William Manchester's biography of Winston Churchill "The Last Lion"
Steven Pressfield's Gates of Fire (the 300 Spartans at Thermopylae)
two collaborations by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle Footfall and Lucifer's Hammer (see below for a third)
Ben Hur by Lew Wallace (then find a biography of Lew Wallce... he's as fascinating as the novel he wrote)
The two books written so far of Edmund Morris' biography of Theodore Roosevelt, The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt and Theodore Rex
And then may I recommend some Free ebook downloads from www.baen.com - perfect for a computer type:
Gust Front by John Ringo
1632 and 1633 by Eric Flint
Wizard's Bane and Wizardry Compiled by Rick Cook (written by and for computer geeks)
Fallen Angels by Niven and Pournelle
The Declaration of Independence
The Constitution of The United States.
Actually, Bradbury is the only Sci-fi I've read. I read "The Time Machine" a while ago, but didn't like it.
I'd have him go in this order:
Animal Farm
Of Mice and Men
Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
To Kill a Mockingbird
If he works through these, freepmail and I will give you some more. The first two are fairly short, but interesting. The rest should be enjoyable. I confess I didn't read Huck Finn until, well, not long ago, but I read all the others in High School. So I think they can hold his interest.
Haven't seen any other than "A Christmas Carol"
He might be a little old, but I used to love the Tarzan series by Edgar Rice Burroughs. The book Tarzan is NOT cute and cuddly. It's a great series for a teenage boy.
Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, perfect!
Buy him computer books. (but let him pick the ones he wants.)
I never read much when I was his age, and certainly not classics. Now I'm one of Amazon's biggest customers. I think the key to getting someone interested in reading is motivation. Right now the computer is his motivation. Use it.
ML/NJ
It's short, easily read, and has some very potent ideas for discussion. (Nothing at all like the movie.)
Anthem, Atlas Shrugged, We the Living...
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