I loved Glass Castle. Probably had to read it for a few classes from what I remember and loved it every time.

The Grapes of Wrath.

MAN, that book was NOT what I thought it would be.

The Outsiders.

I read it twice in school, 5th and 7th grade. I loved that it was written by a teenager for teenagers. It taught me that everyone struggles, everyone is fighting something, and outside appearances are nearly always deceiving. Some of the toughest looking people out there are the most sensitive and kind.

I don’t think I would have been as open minded about different ‘cliques’ as a teen if I hadn’t read it, and that translated into being more accepting of people from all walks of life as I became an adult.

I also loved To Kill a Mockingbird, and I mention it because I took away a lot of the same lessons as well as a stronger sense of justice and integrity through the story.

i hated every single book i was forced to read in school and that shit put me off reading for years after.

A collection of short stories. Can't recall what the actual title was called, but the book was just a collection of short stories by different authors. The different writing by each and the adoration that my professor had for each one just drew me to the stories even more. Can't say I'm a big fan of literature like he was, but I definitely respected that.

Lord of the Rings and The Magician's Nephew

I read The Giver in the sixth grade and it blew my mind a little bit. I think it was the first time I was exposed to the concept of a dystopian society and it was very interesting to me. Then later in 10th grade I read Catch-22 for a book report and that is definitely up there too.

The Truce, by Mario Benedetti. I was 13 or 14, and it's the first time I cried while reading a book. I finished it seated on a park bench, I couldn't stop thinking about it, maybe I'm really afraid about old age.

Of Mice and Men. Reading this very much shaped what I enjoy out of a book ever since.

The Great Gatsby. Its last page makes a killing, pun intended.

Probably Fahrenheit 451.

The way that book predicted and depicted streaming as a vapid activity that will make you numb is what stuck with me most both then and now.

Great Expectations. I actually developed a liking of Dickens from school, I don't get the "sentimentality" arguments people make about his writing, a lot of his stories are rawand visceral critiques of Victorian Britain.

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, something about it made me feel a profound sadness that still sticks with me today. I red this all the way back in high school as part of class reading. The fact I still think about that book today means my teacher was cooking, I hope he knows he made an impression on me, I wish I could tell him.

Tuesdays with Morrie was my favorite book back in school. Still one of my favorite books I reread from time to time.

I liked Shakespeare - Hamlet, MacBeth, Julius Caesar, The Merchant of Venice, The Tempest. Probably year 10 or 11. Also Animal Farm.

I didn’t care much for Lord of the Flies, or My Family and Other Animals. Probably year 9.

Others I remember fondly were The Silver Sword and Stig of the Dump, from year 5.

I only read the Old Man and the Sea later as an adult, along with other Hemingway books which I enjoyed.