**All media below is the opinion of an individual student and therefore does not represent or speak to the values of Vestavia Hills High School and Vestavia Hills City Schools**
Required reading is either an enjoyable or dreadful experience. English classes have always required students to read specific books. 100 Vestavia Hills High School students were polled to see which required reading books were Vestavia students’ favorites and least favorites. Surveyed students have also taken varying English classes.
The most popular required reading text among Vestavia students is The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. 38 students said this was their favorite required reading text. This novel follows the story of a teenage boy navigating family and friend dynamics. Students said the reason this book was their favorite is because of the simplicity of the story and how well-written the characters are.
The second most popular book is The Princess Bride by William Goldman. 29 students claimed this book to be their favorite required reading text. Students that chose liked this book the best said it was because they enjoyed the fantasy and silliness of the novel. They found that a fantasy text was a very refreshing read.
The third most enjoyed required reading text is The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. 19 students picked this novel as their favorite because they enjoyed the writing and recurring symbolism of the text. They also enjoyed the scenery and setting of the roaring twenties.
9 students found that Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare was their favorite required reading text. These students liked that they already knew some of the content since it’s so popular. They also liked reading something without a modern feel.
5 students chose Les Misérables by Victor Hugo as their favorite. They enjoyed how different stories ended up merging together. These students also enjoyed the musical Les Mis.
The least favorite required reading novel among Vestavia students is The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. 40 students found that the language was too difficult to understand, along with the references in the text. Students also found it hard to understand the theme of the novel.
The second least favorite required reading book is Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare. 36 students did not enjoy this text because the language was difficult to decipher. Students also found that the timeline of the story wasn’t clear enough to follow.
The third least favorite is Lord of the Flies by William Golding. 12 Students didn’t enjoy this text because of the violence throughout. They also found some scenes to be unclear and confusing. They also wanted the ending to be explained more thoroughly.
8 students found Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe to be their least favorite. Students appreciated how the book was written from the perspective of the colonized instead of the perspective of the colonizers. While students appreciated this, the strong violence discouraged reading.
4 students chose Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck to be their least favorite. Students did not like the ending of the novel. They also did not like the theme of death throughout the text.
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