I can't be the only person who grew up thinking "good books" and "school books" were mutually exclusive categories.
Now that I'm older and wiser, I understand the necessity of introducing students to serious literature in school--where else are they going to read it? But I also sympathize with 17-year-old Erica's persistent protestation: "If you want kids to enjoy reading, shouldn't you assign something--you know--enjoyable?"
There are exceptions to any rule, particularly when a good teacher is involved. I did enjoy Romeo and Juliet, and the symbolism of Piggy's glasses in Lord of the Flies knocked my socks off.
But I never loved a school book until reading E.M. Forster's lesser-known masterpiece, A Room With a View.
At first I thought it must be a coincidence. A Room With a View is about a young woman in Italy, and I was assigned it during my senior year of high school (which I spent as a young woman in Italy).
But that isn't it. The book has held up in multiple re-reads in assorted locales. And I'm not the only one who adores it; the book is regularly featured in "best literature of the 20th century" lists, and the film re-make with Dame Maggie Smith won a staggering 15 awards, from Golden Globes to Academy Awards and more. It was even ranked by The Guardian as the 9th most romantic film of all time.
When I started the Vocabbett Classics series, A Room With a View was the first book I annotated. I had this idealistic notion that I could illuminate under-appreciated classics, though reality soon reminded me that people prefer A-list novels like Jane Eyre.
Nevertheless, A Room With a View is the sweetest book you've never read, and you should remedy that at your earliest opportunity. Read it. Forster's phrasing is masterful. Everything has a layer of satire. It will leave you with a silly grin and the well-deserved sense of self-satisfaction that comes from improving your mind.
And when you're done with the book, watch the original movie featuring Maggie Smith. She was a treasure, and the world is better for having hosted her.
Let me know what you think when you're done!
-Erica