In the first of her seven memoirs, “ I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” Maya Angelou speaks of her early life growing up in the South, including the abuse and racism she faced. – Average rating: 4.28 (based on 492,982 ratings) I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Maya Angelou’s Autobiography, #1) At nearly 500 pages, this hefty tome covers all the classic Greek, Roman, and Norse myths in one place, from the journeys of Odysseus and the Trojan War to Cupid and Psyche. The book was commissioned by an editor at the publisher Little, Brown and Company in 1939 to replace the outdated 1855 collection on the subject, “ Bulfinch’s Mythology,” and it remains a popular choice for educating students on the subject today. – Average rating: 4.02 (based on 52,213 ratings)Įdith Hamilton’s “ Mythology” has been a standard of both reference and pleasure reading since its publication in 1942.

Initially overlooked upon its release, Zora Neale Hurston’s best-known work is now considered a modern American masterpiece thanks to work done in Black studies programs in the 1970s.

– Average rating: 3.97 (based on 316,337 ratings)Ī coming-of-age story set in early 1900s Florida, “Their Eyes Were Watching God” tackles a multitude of issues: racism, sexism, segregation, poverty, and gender roles, among others. Read on to see which classics made the list. The final ranking is based on Goodreads’ score, which considers multiple factors, including total votes each book received and how highly voters ranked each book. A total of 1,194 voters picked the most essential reading required for students. Using data from Goodreads released in January 2023, Stacker compiled a list of 50 timeless books, plays, and epic poems commonly found on high school reading lists. Johnson’s “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” and Ashley Hope Pérez’s “Out of Darkness.”Ĭertain books deserve a first, second, or maybe even a third read.

The top three most frequently banned books were Maia Kobabe’s “Gender Queer: A Memoir,” George M. These bans affected 138 school districts in 32 states, impacting the books an estimated 4 million students were allowed to read. According to Pen America, 1,648 different books were banned in schools across the United States between July 2021 and June 2022. The result of the push and pull between these groups then shapes the reading lists of millions across the country. While books are ostensibly for anyone with a yearning to learn, sometimes parents, teachers, and school board officials disagree on what kids should or shouldn’t read.

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