Coincidentally, I decided to order Mein Kampf AND Das Kapital, both in Gebundene Ausgabe - es freut mich.


I am categorically against the censorship of any information outside strictly military settings where dissemination of information could undermine the ability of our armed forces to succeed in combat (which, of course, means I am 100% for the dissemination of enemy information in the same circumstances).


I think that high school libraries should be open to all ideas, no matter how odious, provided that the ideas are of proven historical, cultural or philosophical merit. I don't think that this would entail providing free pornography (not that I have a problem with it - high schoolers have access to it anyway) or bomb-making works such as the infamous Anarchist's Cookbook, but that's about all I would keep out of high school libraries.


Plato's Republic
Marx's Das Kapital
Hitler's Mein Kampf
Macchiavelli's Prince
Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations

Frequently overlooked: Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics

I read Plato, Macchiavelli and Aristotle. I don't think the others really should be read. In fact, I think it's interesting that the majority of these "important" books are never widely read and were never widely read. While Marx's Communist Manifesto is widely read, it's really Das Kapital that has the meat of his arguments. Das Kapital is a damn dense work, though, and hardly anyone ever really reads it (though a lot of people may SAY they've read it).


Dostoevsky - The Brothers Karamazov - Perhaps one of the best books ever written, it addresses issues of religion (especially theodicy), its role in society, social change and the evils of socialism.
Plato - The Republic - it is difficult to overestimate the contribution that Greek thought made to Western thought, and hence, modern thought generally.
Orwell - 1984 - schools generally take the easy way out with Orwell and read Animal Farm, which is a parable of Soviet history and not as general an indictment of totalitarianism as 1984 is. By reading the more serious book, students get a better sense of the message of Orwell.
Marx - The Communist Manifesto - It would be evil to force any longer readings of Marx, but historically and philosophically Marx has had a major impact on the world; it is interesting to count how many of his points have been implemented even in free market societies like our own.
Bradbury - Fahrenheit 451 - I know, it's odd, it's verging on being very light fiction and it's not necessarily the best book I've read. However, I think the very issue of censorship is something that high school students should be discussing and Bradbury's book is a perfect frame for that discussion.


Yes. Far too many parts of the United States are influenced by Christian fundamentalists. While I can understand that they may want to keep "dangerous" books from "impressionable" minds, when students reach high school it's time to expose them to other ways of thought. If Christian fundamentalism is the strong faith they claim it is, they have nothing to fear.


Yes. I think the US beats the racism issue like a dead horse. While one or two books makes sense, it shouldn't dominate the discourse in literature classes.


Because they suck: the Brontes, Melville, and Hemingway. I also would probably remove Huckleberry Finn because I don't think it's all that deep as far as literature goes.


French and Russian authors are generally underrepresented in American schools and I think that should be changed.


Without really wanting to FORCE everyone to read it, Dostoevsky's Brothers Karamazov is a remarkable book that I always recommend.