I don’t remember reading all that many books as part of the elementary or high school curriculum that had much of an impact on me. I read The Old Man and the Sea, I think, and some Shakespeare – probably Julius Caesar. Other than that…. I couldn’t really tell you. I was so busy doing my own reading at that time, things like The Diary of a Young Girl and Malcolm X that I didn’t really get much from the school reading that I wasn’t getting from my own reading.
In college and university, however, I did start reading books that stuck with me. I read books like The Songlines by Bruce Chatwin (Anthropology) and Frida by Hayden Herrera (Women and History). But probably the books that have stayed with me as having the biggest impact on me are the books I read for Women’s Studies – in particular my Women and Health class. This was where I discovered Our Bodies, Ourselves by the Boston Women’s Health Book Collective and Cunt by Inga Muscio, among many others. I learned so much about women’s issues, about how our health has been overlooked by the medical establishment and how control of our bodies has been (and is) an ongoing battlefield for women’s – and human – rights. It’s such a huge area, and in the end, though I was grateful to have learned so much, I had to move on to other areas of study because I couldn’t be that angry all the time. I do think, however, that it’s important that we read the things that make us angry – that make us feel – because that’s how we know we’re reading the right books. The world has a lot wrong with it, but the more we learn about historical inequities and how they are carried forward into today, the better we can understand the world around us. So I wouldn’t trade my raised blood pressure, because it was more than worth it.
What about you guys? Do you remember any books from earlier schooling that had a greater impact than the ones I’ve forgotten reading? Any college or university reading that stuck with you?
Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge is a blog hop hosted every Wednesday by Long and Short Reviews. The weekly prompts range widely, including both book-related and non-book-related topics. The idea is to get bloggers to interact, share a bit about their lives and connect with other bloggers. Click here for the list of upcoming topics, and visit here to join in the fun!
No, I cannot remember a single book that we had to read in school and it makes me so mad. Every so often I rack my brain, trying to remember!! It doesn’t help that that was over 40 years ago for me. Sigh. I have every journal I’ve ever written since age 9 but did I ever make a note of what we were reading or studying in school? No. Ugh.
I wonder if that’s something that can be Googled. “What were the required books for Grade whatever in the Scottsdale, Arizona school system? I’ll try it and if anything comes up, I’ll be back. If I don’t return, you know that my research turned up nothing. lol
Can’t say “Our Bodies Our Selves” was a favorite but I was glad it came out.
I agree. By reading the things that make us angry, we can maybe learn how to be better humans in the future.
Julius Caesar and Anne Frank’s book were from my school years. I remember Our Bodies, Ourselves. My hope is to read more classics, but I am very bad about doing it. Thanks for sharing and for visiting my blog.