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We the Living, by Ayn Rand
This
is the first and most autobiographical of
all of Ayn Rand's novels. It is also a
good book for teenagers. So many young
lives are destroyed before they have
really begun in this gut-wrenching novel.
For those who consider Rand to be arrogant
and caustic, it is necessary to understand
what she witnessed as a young woman in
communist Russia. This book will make you
appreciate all of the blessings we enjoy
in this great country.
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The Fountainhead, by Ayn
Rand
Ellsworth
Toohey is, in my opinion, the most
memorable character from this famous Ayn
Rand novel. Toohey was supposed to remind
readers of Joseph Stalin. In the wake if
the 2004 election, he reminds me of
someone else. At around 700 pages, this
novel may be a bit long for the average
high school student. But, then again, many
high school students were required to read
it in the 1950s. Rand's philosophy of
objectivism really begins to take shape in
this classic thriller.
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Animal Farm, by George
Orwell
Maybe
your high school student is having trouble
in his English classes. Maybe that is, in
part, due to his inability to pick up on
symbolism. I flunked English four years in
a row in high school, partly because of my
inability to pick up on obvious literary
symbols. Nonetheless, I picked up on
everything in this great little novel.
While this list is presented in
chronological order, "Animal Farm" might
be the best starting place among these ten
books.
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Animal Farm
AND
1984, by George Orwell
Both
novels in one book.
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The Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr
I. Solzhenitsyn
If
you did not think that "We the Living"
painted a realistic portrait of Soviet
Russia during the Stalinist purges, this
great work of non-fiction by Aleksandr I.
Solzhenitsyn will set matters straight.
Some call it the greatest non-fiction book
of the twentieth century. I can't
argue.
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Treason, by Ann Coulter
The
www.biography.com entry for Joseph
McCarthy says the following: "His wild,
unsubstantiated charges and
headline-grabbing investigations of
Communists in the foreign service, the US
Information Agency, and the military...led
historians to label the early 1950s the
McCarthy era." After you read this
wonderful book by Ann Coulter, ask the
good folks at A&E just what those
unsubstantiated charges were. And, in
class, make sure your children ask their
professors, too. Be prepared for a lot of
stammering, after a long and awkward
pause.
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Anthem, by Ayn Rand
I
have recommended this book before
(see
last year's summer reading
list).
It is a good starting place for teens who
have an aversion to reading. At around 100
pages, it has a fast-moving plot. As a
professor at a university dominated by
identity politics, I see this novel as
something more than grim prophesy. Rand
captures 1984 ten years before Orwell. She
explains the campus diversity movement 50
years before its onset.
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The Road to Serfdom, by F.A.
Hayek
After
I published last
year's summer reading
list,
I was criticized for two omissions. One
was "Orthodoxy" by G.K. Chesterton. The
other was "The Road to Serfdom" by F.A.
Hayek. Complaints regarding the latter
exceeded complaints regarding the former
by about two to one. Nothing more need be
said.
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1984, by George Orwell
Over
the next few years, how many students will
get a daily dosage of "the two minutes
hate" by professors who are still seething
with anger after the defeat of John Kerry?
And how many times will the Office of
Diversity remind us of the opening pages
of 1984 as it seeks to do exactly the
opposite of what its name
implies?
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Witness, by Whittaker
Chambers
This
is one of the most important books of the
twentieth century. Before and after
reading this book, parents should
encourage their children to visit
www.biography.com and search for the name
"Alger Hiss." What they read will
demonstrate just how far in denial this
nation still is regarding the Soviet
infiltration of our government during the
Cold War. After 9/11, we can no longer
afford such naiveté.
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Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand
This
is my favorite American novel. It is my
second favorite novel behind "The Brothers
Karamazov." Based on her other writings,
Ayn Rand seems to have considered John
Galt's speech to be the highlight of the
novel. Francisco d'Anconia's speech at Jim
Taggart's wedding was my favorite part of
the novel. At over 1000 pages, this one is
going to take time for your high schooler
to read. If they refuse, you can always
teach them a lesson about capitalism by
paying them to read it. The results will
be well worth the investment.
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