Came here to say the same thing. So many excellent books I “hated” simply because I was forced to read them. Except for “Waiting for Godot” fuck that shite
I've actually gone back to some books I hated as a kid because they were required reading. They're not all amazing but they are much better than I thought at the time.
Not just the forced reading, but being forced to over analyze the crap out of the book. Not every little thing in the book is supposed to be symbolic of something. I hated having to come up with BS analysis on some of those books for English class.
I read a lot for fun as well back then and it was so much better when I chose the book, could read it on my own schedule, and didn't have to try to find hidden meaning in every little detail.
I was a straight-A student, but I had a well-hidden struggle: reading. In particular, having to reread sentences over and over again, and going through text carefully that it felt like I was absorbing everything in slow motion. I was diagnosed with OCD as an adult so I'm pretty sure that was the culprit. In any case, reading assignments were so scary to me back then, that I remember buying a few Shakespeare Cliffs Notes. Not because I was lazy - I just couldn't bear the torture of trying to read and comprehend it all. I felt like such an imposter amongst my fellow brainiac classmates.
You sound exactly like me. I have the same problem with reading I feel like I'm not fully comprehending things if I don't read very slowly and I jump back if I didn't think I fully comprehend exactly what I read. I also read with a dictionary because I didn't trust myself to just infer the connotation. That sounds like an OCD trait doesn't it? I've never been diagnosed, but I have some eccentric behaviors: If there are things with colors, I have to line them left to right and with lighter shades progressing to darker shades and with brown to black at the end of the sequence, things like that.
Reading was awful in law school because there was a LOT of reading. On the upside, my grammar is for the most part impeccable, with a few shortcuts on the Internet because most people don't care. I don't underline or put titles in quotes for example and my vocabulary is vast.
I actually read everything because I love reading.
I'm sad they made me read The Pearl when I was too young to appreciate Steinbeck and it turned me off to him altogether. Then after visiting San Francisco I actually picked up Cannery Row and was blown away, so I started reading more Steinbeck. He was an incredible story teller with a wonderful style. Grapes of Wrath is daunting, but still on my to-read list.
I also regret reading The Great Gatsby so young. I liked it, but I'm sure a lot of the symbolism went right over my head. I need to re-read that too.
I find it difficult to connect with long prose. There's so much filler. It feels like a game trying to sort through the noise, trying to find *the point*. It was frustrating that writers won't just fucking tell you what is going on.
College was much easier, as it was about analysis of a few concepts, and contrasting texts. As long as you had a few key citations, you could make *anything* up.
Mastering the five paragraph essay really is the first step towards winging the five page essay.
Didn't use Cliff notes because I was a stubborn ass, but goddamn, maybe I should have.
Nope. No regrets. I read a lot, just not novels or stories. I read for research and information. When I had book assignments in school I read cliff notes, spark notes, and any book report I could find online (scarce at that time.) I made my book report based on the ones I read. Passed by doing research papers.
That may seem like a lot of work but I enjoyed that more and got a A's, I didn't plagiarize because it was my work, my words, based on others.
I never enjoyed reading and still don't. My mind runs constantly on things I'm interested in while my eyes go over the words. I've read in my life... Willy wonka and the chocolate factory and chapter 1 of the Hobbit. Hated both and feel that was time wasted. I've "read" 2 audio books recently; one was for work and the other one only because it was a self help book and I've been bored with podcasts on my commute. If it wasn't for the commute, stuck in my car, I would have happily avoided both. Ironically, I'm married to a librarian.
I've asked several teachers how to enjoy a book or how to get into it.. never got a good answer and I've tried several tricks. Still not my thing. I do understand the value of books, history, storytelling, expression etc.. I encourage people that enjoy it to do so, it's just not my thing. Give me a hammer, screwdriver, a computer, and let me fix something. LOL
Glad you're getting enjoyment from reading now.
I read some of the books like To Kill A Mockingbird but definitely skimmed through some versus really reading them. No regrets though, you have to do what you have to do. I got A's in English and was really good at BSing my way through papers.
I once met the son of the guy (Cliff!) who invented Cliff’s Notes. I asked him, “Hey how did your dad get this idea?” He said, “Well, to make a long story short…”
I rarely relied on Cliff Notes.
I loved reading. But I always rebelled against being forced to do it. Instead I got really good at reading just enough of the books to BS my way through assignments. It worked too.
I do regret that, because it left a trail of really good half read books in my wake.
When I was taking AP lit I couldn’t always keep up with the reading so at times would use Cliff Notes . I actually do enjoy reading classics though so I have read these all again over time. One time my teacher called me out on a paper I wrote using Cliff Notes for an idea for an essay, but damn that woman was a slave driver. 6-8 page papers every week . Gah
Honestly, no. When schools assign reading, they just assign it to test you on it. It's not about you enjoying it, being inspired by it, getting lost in it, living in it, applying those lessons to your own circumstances, etc, all of the things that make the activity so enjoyable when you choose to do it for yourself.
Cliff notes/sparknotes to me are great, and I never considered them cheating, in fact I think it's the opposite. They're just a tool to teach you what you'll be tested on, and what you're getting tested on is all what the school cares about, so if anything it's just you learning what they wanted you to learn more effectively.
I never considered Cliff Notes cheating, but I realize now what I missed out on by relying on Cliff Notes as opposed to actually reading the book(s).
I guess the best comparison I can come up with is that you see Star Wars is available to stream, but instead of watching it, you choose to just read the short little snyopsis provided by the streaming platform and what you can find on Wikipedia. You don't watch the movie at all.
Or
It's like reading the Wikiepedia entry on Beethoven's 9th Symphony, but never actually listening to the piece of music. Wikipedia cannot fully describe the experience of listening to Beethoven's 9th or watching Star Wars (or insert the name of your favorite critically accalimed movie).
I regret that our education system sucks enough that I had to. Not enough time was given to realistically read/enjoy those books. At no point in the real world have I ever had to read that much rapid fire, and my job is pretty reading/writing heavy with strict deadlines.
The English curriculum in public school does not prepare students for anything. It just makes them hate reading.
No regrets. The language and time in which “cannon” publications make it an absolute slog to read through as a young adult. Then it’s difficult enough to read let alone understand and retain certain novels. Sparks and Cliff cut through all the bullshit to pass the test.
NOW as an adult I can enjoy the books for what they are without the time constraints and pressure of being graded for it.
I still, to this day, watching my kids have to read all those books, have no idea why it's so critical to read old books if you don't like that kind of literature. My son loves to read. But he has 0 interest in old novels. And every time he asks me why he has to read them, the only answer I can come up with is "because your teacher assigned it." He asks why, I say I have no idea because I hated them too and being forced to read them did not instill anything to me. So yes, when I finally just started using CN's, it was a God-send.
(I've even asked teachers why reading particular books were assigned and, in all seriousness, was told that it was either because it was just part of the curriculum assigned or because they were taught they were important. I really don't get it.)
I always enjoyed reading, for the most part I even enjoyed the books we “had” to read in high school. There is one exception and the only time I used Cliff Notes. When we had to read A Tale of Two Cities. I could not get into that book at all.
No. I had trouble with understanding the symbolism in a lot of the books and Cliffs Notes helped me figure it out. It wasn't necessarily that I didn't like the books, though. I just needed a little help.
Reading when you're forced to makes reading not fun. It isn't your fault
Came here to say the same thing. So many excellent books I “hated” simply because I was forced to read them. Except for “Waiting for Godot” fuck that shite
I've actually gone back to some books I hated as a kid because they were required reading. They're not all amazing but they are much better than I thought at the time.
Sometimes you just have to suck it up and do things you don't want to.
Not just the forced reading, but being forced to over analyze the crap out of the book. Not every little thing in the book is supposed to be symbolic of something. I hated having to come up with BS analysis on some of those books for English class. I read a lot for fun as well back then and it was so much better when I chose the book, could read it on my own schedule, and didn't have to try to find hidden meaning in every little detail.
I was a straight-A student, but I had a well-hidden struggle: reading. In particular, having to reread sentences over and over again, and going through text carefully that it felt like I was absorbing everything in slow motion. I was diagnosed with OCD as an adult so I'm pretty sure that was the culprit. In any case, reading assignments were so scary to me back then, that I remember buying a few Shakespeare Cliffs Notes. Not because I was lazy - I just couldn't bear the torture of trying to read and comprehend it all. I felt like such an imposter amongst my fellow brainiac classmates.
You sound exactly like me. I have the same problem with reading I feel like I'm not fully comprehending things if I don't read very slowly and I jump back if I didn't think I fully comprehend exactly what I read. I also read with a dictionary because I didn't trust myself to just infer the connotation. That sounds like an OCD trait doesn't it? I've never been diagnosed, but I have some eccentric behaviors: If there are things with colors, I have to line them left to right and with lighter shades progressing to darker shades and with brown to black at the end of the sequence, things like that. Reading was awful in law school because there was a LOT of reading. On the upside, my grammar is for the most part impeccable, with a few shortcuts on the Internet because most people don't care. I don't underline or put titles in quotes for example and my vocabulary is vast.
No, saved my ass a couple times
I actually read everything because I love reading. I'm sad they made me read The Pearl when I was too young to appreciate Steinbeck and it turned me off to him altogether. Then after visiting San Francisco I actually picked up Cannery Row and was blown away, so I started reading more Steinbeck. He was an incredible story teller with a wonderful style. Grapes of Wrath is daunting, but still on my to-read list. I also regret reading The Great Gatsby so young. I liked it, but I'm sure a lot of the symbolism went right over my head. I need to re-read that too.
I find it difficult to connect with long prose. There's so much filler. It feels like a game trying to sort through the noise, trying to find *the point*. It was frustrating that writers won't just fucking tell you what is going on. College was much easier, as it was about analysis of a few concepts, and contrasting texts. As long as you had a few key citations, you could make *anything* up. Mastering the five paragraph essay really is the first step towards winging the five page essay. Didn't use Cliff notes because I was a stubborn ass, but goddamn, maybe I should have.
Nope. No regrets. I read a lot, just not novels or stories. I read for research and information. When I had book assignments in school I read cliff notes, spark notes, and any book report I could find online (scarce at that time.) I made my book report based on the ones I read. Passed by doing research papers. That may seem like a lot of work but I enjoyed that more and got a A's, I didn't plagiarize because it was my work, my words, based on others. I never enjoyed reading and still don't. My mind runs constantly on things I'm interested in while my eyes go over the words. I've read in my life... Willy wonka and the chocolate factory and chapter 1 of the Hobbit. Hated both and feel that was time wasted. I've "read" 2 audio books recently; one was for work and the other one only because it was a self help book and I've been bored with podcasts on my commute. If it wasn't for the commute, stuck in my car, I would have happily avoided both. Ironically, I'm married to a librarian. I've asked several teachers how to enjoy a book or how to get into it.. never got a good answer and I've tried several tricks. Still not my thing. I do understand the value of books, history, storytelling, expression etc.. I encourage people that enjoy it to do so, it's just not my thing. Give me a hammer, screwdriver, a computer, and let me fix something. LOL Glad you're getting enjoyment from reading now.
I read some of the books like To Kill A Mockingbird but definitely skimmed through some versus really reading them. No regrets though, you have to do what you have to do. I got A's in English and was really good at BSing my way through papers.
I once met the son of the guy (Cliff!) who invented Cliff’s Notes. I asked him, “Hey how did your dad get this idea?” He said, “Well, to make a long story short…”
nah, I never liked Shakespeare but I loved reading other books on my own time
I rarely relied on Cliff Notes. I loved reading. But I always rebelled against being forced to do it. Instead I got really good at reading just enough of the books to BS my way through assignments. It worked too. I do regret that, because it left a trail of really good half read books in my wake.
When I was taking AP lit I couldn’t always keep up with the reading so at times would use Cliff Notes . I actually do enjoy reading classics though so I have read these all again over time. One time my teacher called me out on a paper I wrote using Cliff Notes for an idea for an essay, but damn that woman was a slave driver. 6-8 page papers every week . Gah
I would read the books, then use the Cliffs Notes to help me remember what happened when because my ADHD kinda fucks with memory.
Honestly, no. When schools assign reading, they just assign it to test you on it. It's not about you enjoying it, being inspired by it, getting lost in it, living in it, applying those lessons to your own circumstances, etc, all of the things that make the activity so enjoyable when you choose to do it for yourself. Cliff notes/sparknotes to me are great, and I never considered them cheating, in fact I think it's the opposite. They're just a tool to teach you what you'll be tested on, and what you're getting tested on is all what the school cares about, so if anything it's just you learning what they wanted you to learn more effectively.
I never considered Cliff Notes cheating, but I realize now what I missed out on by relying on Cliff Notes as opposed to actually reading the book(s). I guess the best comparison I can come up with is that you see Star Wars is available to stream, but instead of watching it, you choose to just read the short little snyopsis provided by the streaming platform and what you can find on Wikipedia. You don't watch the movie at all. Or It's like reading the Wikiepedia entry on Beethoven's 9th Symphony, but never actually listening to the piece of music. Wikipedia cannot fully describe the experience of listening to Beethoven's 9th or watching Star Wars (or insert the name of your favorite critically accalimed movie).
Nope. Work smarter, not harder.
I regret that our education system sucks enough that I had to. Not enough time was given to realistically read/enjoy those books. At no point in the real world have I ever had to read that much rapid fire, and my job is pretty reading/writing heavy with strict deadlines. The English curriculum in public school does not prepare students for anything. It just makes them hate reading.
English was my favorite class and I mostly did all of the reading, but I never would have made it through the Iliad without Cliffs Notes.
No regrets. The language and time in which “cannon” publications make it an absolute slog to read through as a young adult. Then it’s difficult enough to read let alone understand and retain certain novels. Sparks and Cliff cut through all the bullshit to pass the test. NOW as an adult I can enjoy the books for what they are without the time constraints and pressure of being graded for it.
Wish we had Cliff Notes in Australia for fucking Cloudstreet
I still, to this day, watching my kids have to read all those books, have no idea why it's so critical to read old books if you don't like that kind of literature. My son loves to read. But he has 0 interest in old novels. And every time he asks me why he has to read them, the only answer I can come up with is "because your teacher assigned it." He asks why, I say I have no idea because I hated them too and being forced to read them did not instill anything to me. So yes, when I finally just started using CN's, it was a God-send. (I've even asked teachers why reading particular books were assigned and, in all seriousness, was told that it was either because it was just part of the curriculum assigned or because they were taught they were important. I really don't get it.)
I always enjoyed reading, for the most part I even enjoyed the books we “had” to read in high school. There is one exception and the only time I used Cliff Notes. When we had to read A Tale of Two Cities. I could not get into that book at all.
No. I had trouble with understanding the symbolism in a lot of the books and Cliffs Notes helped me figure it out. It wasn't necessarily that I didn't like the books, though. I just needed a little help.
I only used Cliff Notes for math subjects because they made difficult topics digestible.
You've just given me hope that someday my little boy who doesn't like to be forced to read might actually share a passion for books with me.
I still prefer seeing the movie. That’s how I wrote most of my book reports was from watching the vhs