With four years of English being a graduation requirement within the Capistrano Unified School District, all students have read a novel, play or anthology while studying here at Aliso.
Through polls and interviews, students listed the favorite books that they read in English classes throughout their high school career.
Students have been exposed to many different forms of literature. The school offers many different levels ranging from assisted courses to Advanced Placement, all with their own reading curriculum.
While there were a variety of favorite books, the most common answers were J.D Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye”, Amy Tan’s “The Joy Luck Club” and Khalid Hosseini’s “The Kite Runner”.
“The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger is a coming-of-age novel students read in sophomore year English classes. The story follows a 16 year-old named Holden Caufeild as he looks for truth in the adult world of New York City.
The book resonated with students because of its important topics of dealing with depression and loneliness while growing up. Some students find Holden’s cynical take on the world to be very interesting, along with the story’s stream of consciousness format which adds to its complexity and deep analysis.
“I like that it was told in an all over the place manner and I like the unreliable narrator. The main character isn’t necessarily a good person, but he is relatable and a character where I could see why he made the choices he did” states Echo Smith (12).
Another sophomore year hit was Amy Tan’s “The Joy Luck Club”. The story follows four Chinese-American immigrant families in San Francisco who started a club in order to maintain friendships and connections.
“The Joy Luck Club” explores the relationships between mothers and daughters along with cultural significance and differences, all while holding themes of the immigrant experience, love and sacrifice.
“I was able to relate to it a lot, especially as an Asian-American and it made me cry a lot. It was fun to analyze and dig into. The writing style was a challenge for me and others which really helped me grow with analyzing literature” said Katherine Tran (11).
Kayla Borlasa (12) also added, “I enjoyed that it was written by a POC female author, with so much of our curriculum consisting of old white males that were only relevant during war times. ‘The Joy Luck Club’ allowed me to see myself and my experiences as an Asian American and daughter of immigrants in a story.”
AP Literature is a class that primarily focuses on monumental reads ranging from poetry to novels. A book introduced at the beginning of the school year was “The Kite Runner” by Khalid Hosseini, which was a major hit amongst the senior student body that is taking the class.
Students appreciated the easy read and the complex, almost depressing plot which follows the main character Amir in his search for redemption. Hosseini’s idea of family and generational forgiveness intrigued many, with some stating this book itself is a reason to take AP Lit.
“It’s a smooth read, dense in story, overall a really good book. I’m not a reader, I don’t have time for that, but if I was guaranteed to read really good books like that in English I’d enjoy the class much more,” says Tae Jun (12).
Despite all the essays and socratic seminars associated with English classes, students consider these readings to be a major benefit to not just the English curriculum, but to readers as well.
