Well, there again, "Catcher in the Rye" is a second-rate book. "Huck Finn" is one of the two greatest American novels. So, I could care less if my kids read the first, but I'd be very disappointed if they hadn't read the second.
I don't know about that. Maybe second-rate compared to "Huck Finn", but I personally wouldn't call "Catcher in the Rye" second-rate to any book.
Just out of curiosity, what would you say is the other greatest American novel? I would have to put "Tom Sawyer," "The Great Gatsby," "Lord of the Flies" and various works by Hemingway and Faulkner on the list.
I tried reading Catcher in the Rye when I was about 16 or so. The whininess and the f- word just annoyed me. I do not think I could have made it through a similar book as required reading.
In my school in ninth grade, we had to read "Tale of Two Cities", "Silas Marner", and Shakespeare's "Macbeth".
Outside of school, I read Hemingway, Faulkner, and James Jones' "From Here To Eternity". (Plus dozens more of popular fiction.)
The kids should be forced to read the classics in school, and should have access to a good Public Library for reading outside of school.
It's no wonder today's kids can't write a decent essay. They have taken all the models of good writing out of the curriculum.
More reasons to homeschool.