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Lit Up

One Reporter, Three Schools, Twenty-four Books That Can Change Lives
Jun 13, 2016Jakedesnake rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I graduated high school two years ago and, while I enjoy reading, I despised my French literature class. I loved reading the assigned books (I'm actually the only student who read them all, including the optional material)l but I just didn't understand why I had to do so. Lit Up completely changed that perception and made me understand why we need and have literature classes as a part of our education system. Though I found some of the events and thoughts related in the book not believable, Denby manages to make 200 year old classics as attractive as modern blockbusters while writing about teaching methods that should frankly be explored in every classroom. Literature is truly a gateway to philosophy. My only complaint is that Denby and Sean Leon are very one-dimensional in the way they view other forms of media (which is strange, considering Denby was a film critic). Some movies, video games and pieces of music are truly thought provoking if you take the time to understand their message and art form . The author also seemed oblivious to how the school system works in the afterword. Denby supposes that STEM classes are much more valued in modern high school. As a math student, I find this claim outrageous and erroneous: nowadays, you can graduate high school without taking math or science in your last year while literature is compulsory. A better balance of the two would be preferable.