Worst liberal/left wing book that you forced to read in High School or College?

My Squash ^ | 10/31/02 | Burkeman1

[Burkeman1]

Everyone has their horror story about some PC or Left Wing book they were forced to read in High School or College. My worst book was in High School. It was "The Fixer" by Bernard Malamud. It was the tale of a Russian Jew being falsley accused of the rape and murder of a Christian Russian girl just before the Communist coup of Russia. He was innocent of the crime and the book details his time in prison and the torments he was subjucted too. OF Course during his time in prison he becomes a Marxist and hopes for revolution! The entire book was one giant communist propaganda piece. Since I had already read Solzenitsyn by that time and questioned the book in class I was told to shut up by the teacher. I did- to my shame- and got my "A".

What is the worst piece of Left wing crap that you were forced to read in school?

[Aquinasfan]

Although my public school education was worthless, I can't point to any really bad books except the biology textbooks that presented the "facts of evolution" like Haeckel's embryos and the peppered moth thing.

The closest thing I can think of was eighth grade psych/soc class where we had to read, "Dibbs: In Search of Self." All I remember is that it was a book about a kid who wouldn't talk. It was very depressing. We also saw a video of "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson (?) which was also depressing.

The thing about school that confused me was why I was being taught contradictory ideas. I always wondered who was in charge. As it turns out, nobody is, which explains a lot.

[VetoBill]

The scarriest part, in my opinion, was the thought that when people emigrate from one nation to another, the recieving nation owes a debt to the previous nation. The view that people are commodities and the loss of a person will reduce the economic capibilities of the previous nation scares the he!! out of me.

With this idea, we should pay every nation for every person who comes to this country, otherwise we profit unfairly.

Now who says leftists don't make sense < sarcasm >

[AmishDude]

The Crucible was intended to compare the HUAC to the Salem witch trials. That's one of the reasons that Miller took so much license. But because he did so, it rarely gets taught in the schools, because the English teachers have to spend time discussing how bad the history is.

Death of a Salesman has liberal themes, but they're indirect and it can be viewed as a tragic portrayal of a man who stays the same as the world changes around him. It's still one of the best actors' plays of the 20th century -- Dustin Hoffman's best film performance.

[daler]

Fanatics/idiots.

[Fellow Traveler]

Worst two books. Henderson the Rain King by Saul Bellow. I had to read this book in 11th grade English. It is absolutely the worst stinking pile of cr@p I have ever attempted to read. All I can remember is that the main character is a spoiled rich kid who goes to Africa and tries to do good but makes people worse off than they were before he intervened.

The next book was for my college American history Class. The professor made us read some biography about Bobby Kennedy, absolutely sickening. The professor had marched with Bobby through the suburbs of Chicago in 1968 when he ran for President. Actually the subject matter for the two books is pretty similar.

This professor was supposed to teach us the history of America since the civil war. Instead we got the history of oppressed people in America from the socialist viewpoint. One of the other books he assigned was A torch to the Enemy. He thought the book described how horrible the United States was in firebombing Japanese cities in WWII. I thought the book was an excellent discussion of bombing civilian targets to break an enemy’s will and ability to fight.

[Barset]

save for later

[Media Insurgent]

I've never considered the possibility that the book was a fake. It wouldn't shock me, but I've never seen any evidence presented to either prove or disprove its authenticity.

In fairness to my teachers, the ones that betrayed any ideology at all were certainly liberal, but this was in the early 80s-the days before political correctness. For the most part they tolerated, and even encouraged dissenting viewpoints.(College was another story!)

I think the main reason that the book got assigned so much was laziness on my teachers' part. It's a book that introduces some very important historical themes but is written on the level of an adolescent. That makes it an obvious choice for anyone who wants to teach kids a little history or talk about the "man's inhumanity to man" theme or even just a story about growing up. The problem is that it's too obvious a choice. It was always the first book that they thought of along those lines and they assigned it without considering that all of their peers in earlier grades had already done so.

[Media Insurgent]

"Henderson the Rain King by Saul Bellow. I had to read this book in 11th grade English. It is absolutely the worst stinking pile of cr@p I have ever attempted to read. All I can remember is that the main character is a spoiled rich kid who goes to Africa and tries to do good but makes people worse off than they were before he intervened."

I'm not familiar with this book, but your description makes it sound like an accurate indictment of the left!

[Aquinasfan]

When I was going to the school in Poland, the worst crap was the mandatory vituperations of Communist government propagandists.

My father escaped Poland after WWII. He married an English woman. Her brother was a labor leader in England and in the 70s sent his children to "Young Pioneers" camp in Poland for their "summer vacation."

I think that's why my father would never talk to him 8-)

[austingirl]

Soul on Ice by Eldridge Cleaver.

[finnman69]

Hiroshima

[dogbowl]

'The Crucible' is hooey because, first of all, the girl and the dude with the secret affair were actually about 60 years apart in age. Secondly, science teachers (bless 'em!) will tell you the townsfolk probably went nuts from ergotism. (Ergot is a fungus on wheat.)

[beckett]

Death of a Salesman ...Dustin Hoffman's best film performance...

I had the great good fortune to see Hoffman perform the role on Broadway, with John Malkovich as Biff. One of the best nights in the theater I have ever enjoyed.

[Dick Bachert]

Here's the hands-down front-runner for the kids of the class of 2020 or so:

Clintoon's book will be published by Alfred Knopf Publishing.

“Knopf” is 13th Century German for “ incredibly stupid buyer of other peoples’ garbage.” Knopf is a very old publishing house best known for such early classics as

“How to Enjoy The Inquisition” by Father Torquemada
“You Get My Point?” by Vlad the Impaler
“Guillotine Maintenance and Repair” by Citizen Robespierre

Three of their more recent offerings are “PeeWee Herman’s Movie Guide,” “Gary Condit’s Guide to Picking Up Chicks” and “Compared to Us, Ponzi Was a Freakin’ Choirboy” co-authored by Gary Winnick, Ken Lay and Terry McAuliffe.

All available in a dumpster or landfill near you!

[AmishDude]

WOW! He is my favorite (film) actor (Hoffman). I know he's liberal, but he's not vocal enough to effect my enjoyment of his performances. His range as an actor is incredible. Better than any actor in the film era.

[johniegrad]

"I'm OK, You Suck" or words to that effect.

[SerpentDove]

Grapes of Wrath and The Jungle

[chris_in_nj]

I went to Muhlenberg College - a small Lutheran school. Where did you go?

[SerpentDove]

BTW - I think The Grapes of Wrath is just about the biggest cornball excuse for a movie I've ever seen.

And Henry Fonda? Who decided he was so great, anyway?