3 Pros and Cons With Assigned Books in School

As a reader, I have a huge TBR of books that I want to read and usually, I divide it up by month. This works great during the summer when you have all the time in the world to read. But when the school year starts, some teachers may give you an assigned book to read and analyze. It sounds fun and reading is something you love to do, but you already have a lot of books to read in private. There are many pros and cons with assigned books in school and that is what I am going to discuss today.

P R O S

1. You might get a book that you have been meaning to read anyway and this is a push to finally picking it up. Yesterday, I got a book from a teacher to read in 10 weeks and then write an essay on. I was happy to know that it was Jane Eyre, a classic that I still have not read but really want to. So it can be something positive this way.

2. The book might become a new favorite of yours. It is a great way of getting introduced to new books and sometimes you really love what the school picks out for you. To give an example from my life, last year I had to read Lord of the Flies, a book that I had heard of but did not think that I would like. Instead, I ended up loving the story and even had a favorite character, Simon. 

3. You might get to discuss the book with other people. I have friends who read, but not always the same books that I read. Therefore I do not really have anyone to discuss books with. That is why this is a great opportunity to do this with the other classmates. I think it is very fun to analyze the characters and such with others and for those readers who are not very social IRL (me), it also gives an opportunity to reach out and talk to people about something that you like. You might even discover that there is another reader in your class.


C O N S

1. You are already reading a book and you cannot keep up with two stories at the same time. This is probably a common problem for readers who go to school. I am experiencing it right now with Jane Eyre. I hope that I can finish the book I am reading now (The Heart of Betrayal) before picking up Jane Eyre. I mean, I still have 10 weeks and Jane Eyre is only about 500 pages. 

2. You end up disliking everything about the book. This might happen and if you do not like the book you are reading, then it makes the whole process of reading the book and then writing an essay about it boring. I have heard about many readers that have bad luck and who do not like the assigned books in school, but my only advice is that you have to push through it. 

3. The school destroys the joy of the book with a heavy assignment that makes you dislike the book and you have a harder time getting through it. This is so sad because you might actually have liked the book if you had read it on your own. The assignment for the book should be fun and interesting and it should inspire you.


We all have had required reading in school. It is something important that is meant to educate the students. Even though there are some cons to it, it is important to remember that books are something beautiful, meant to read with joy and love. Is it okay to dislike a book and if that happens, you can read it anyway for the assignment's sake and then move on and continue reading your own books.