To think it's a shame that To Kill a Mockingbird is no longer taught at GCSE

[liberia03]

At a time when the words of Atticus Finch might help: “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view … until you climb into his skin and walk around in it”, it seems a shame that this book's not taught any more, alongside any non British writers. Non British writers aren't banned, they're just not part of the exam syllabuses anymore replaced by a 'work of fiction or drama from the British Isles from 1914 onwards'.

Wondering what other books we would like the next generation to learn about or even read before they leave school?

It can still be taught but certainly AQA and EDEXCEL don't have Of Mice and Men on there. They may be bumped down to year 9 before GCSE study begins - which given schools will have tons of copies isn't a bad thing. An Inspector Calls stayed on as it's British. I like teaching it too.

Austen is too much! I do believe Frankenstein is an option on EDEXCEL (or whatever they're called now) but I would save that for higher ability groups. I love love love that book!

Roll of Thunder, lovely book too.
Pleased so many schools still doing TKAM , thanks!

I'm glad Mice and Men has gone - mine hated it.

Books I did at school are ruined for me. Can't stand Shakespeare, TKAMB, glass menagerie... all shoved down my throat! I didn't enjoy English!

School definitely put me off Shakespeare for life.

Yes I was put off Shakespeare for life as well! Ive had enough to last a lifetime. I like to kill a mockingbird but didn't love it, liked a view from the bridge but my favourite was buddy, do kids still read that?

My DD studied to kill a mockingbird at GCSE 2 years ago , and of mice and men too. Strangely so did I in 1994!

My DD is in GCSE years and they have just read An Inspector calls and the next books will be Romeo & Juliet and then Jekyll & Hyde. They have read other books thru years 7 to 9.
When I was at secondary late 80s I remember we read Of Mice and Men, Lord of the Flies, The Outsiders &The Silver Sword... they weren't for GCSE though.

School introduced me to Steinbeck, and he was my favourite author as a 16 year old. I read everything he wrote that I could get my hands on. Sad to hear he is no longer part of the curriculum.

We read Silver Sword in primary school. I have always seen it as a younger childs book.

i left school in 1990 i only remember 'Hobsons choice ','Kes' and' Henry the fourth part one.'

I have been re reading all my secondary school readings. Was quite shocked at how my interpretation as changed. I found of mice and men led to the opposite it was meant to achieve with the boys at my school using "Lennie" as an insult especially the lower years who did not understand the joke.

We read it for GCSE in the mid 90s and it's remained one of my favourites to this day.

I didn't read Of Mice and Men at school but I have read it multiple times since and consider it one of the finest examples (if not the finest example) of a novella ever written. Structurally it is without fault and really deserves its place on the syllabus.

I totally agree with PPs saying Frankenstein should be taught.

My year 7 is doing it now. I didn't do it at all - left in 1997.

I didn't study it either and left school in the early 1980s. My son read it in year 9, I think.
His set texts for igcse were some Hardy poems, Jekyll and Hyde, all my sons and an inspector calls.

I didn't do any books by uk authors for gcse in the early 90s and I think it was a real shame. I've made an effort to read classics as an adult but it isn't the same.

I read of Mice and Men in school year 9 so 1999. Never read TKAM, however currently studying for my degree and tried to read it for leisure and I just couldn't get into it.
I love The Wasp Factory which I studied at A level. Studied Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet as well as Othello at school. However my hatred is reserved for bloody Chaucer's Canterbury tales (just made no sense, may as well have been reading another language!)

I didn't study Of Mice and Men either but have taught it hundreds of times. I miss it agree with pp re it's excellence.

Try swapping it for Silas Marner...

PurpleDaisies
Thanks. That was driving me mad!

I did Dickens, Hardy and one of the Bronte sisters for my english O level (along with 3 Shakespeare's and 3 plays, two of which were the Importance of being Earnest and The Rivals so I'm just impressed to see that posters managed managed to study stuff from the 20th century, let alone from abroad.

confuugled1

What Hardy did you do?

I read Of mice and men, A view from a Bridge.
We done Shakespeare before year 10. The Tempest and Romeo and Juliet.

I think it's a shame that there isn't a wider range of Literature available. Shakespeare does still have a place, as does Austen. We could though be using Harper Lee, Haruki Murakami, Martin Amis, Jeanette Winterson, Ali Smith, Ian Banks, Alice Munro, Margaret Atwood, Khaled Hosseini, Vikram Seth, along with Austen, Shelley, The Brontes, Gaskell, Hardy, Dickens, Thackeray, Henry James, Wharton.

Off topic but my 10 year old daughter just got Roll of thunder hear my cry. If it's a gcse book does that mean it's unsuitable for her?

I never read of mice and men as only lower sets did it, upper set had far from the madding crowd instead (brick).

Best book I ever read at school was The Handmaids tale Margaret Atwood who I believe is Canadian?

Dawndonnaagain

So Wells doesn't get a look in, whereas Dickens does?