Its no secret that millions of American teenagers, caught up in social media, television, movies, and games, dont read seriously-they associate sustained reading with duty or work, not with pleasure. This indifference has become a grievous loss to ourstanding as a great nation--and a personal loss, too, for millions of teenagers who may turn into adults with limited understanding of themselves and the world. Can teenagers be turned on to serious reading? What kind of teachers can do it, and what books? To find out, Denby sat in on a tenth-grade English class in a demanding New York public school for an entire academic year, and made frequent visits to a troubled inner-city public school in New Haven and to a respected public school in Westchester County. He read all the stories, poems, plays, and novels that the kids were reading, and creates an impassioned portrait of charismatic teachers at work, classroom dramas large and small, and fresh and inspiring encounters with the books themselves, including The Scarlet Letter, Brave New World, 1984, Slaughterhouse-Five, Notes From Underground, Long Way Gone and many more. Lit Up is a dramatic narrative that traces awkward and baffled beginnings but also exciting breakthroughs and the emergence of pleasurein reading. In a sea of bad news about education and the fate of the book, Denby reaffirms the power of great teachers and the importance and inspiration of great books-- Returning to high school to find out whether or not books can shape lives, a distinguished critic, sitting in on a 10th-grade English class for an entire academic year, presents a dramatic narrative that traces awkward and baffled beginnings, but also exciting breakthroughs and the emergence of pleasure in reading. By the best-selling author of Great Books. The author spent time sitting in on the English classes of different high schools and shares how charismatic teachers help their students connect with the material. A bestselling author goes back to high school to find out whether books can still shape livesIts hardly a secret that millions of American kids, caught up in social media, television, movies, and games, dont read seriously-that is, they associate serious reading with duty or work, not with pleasure. This indifference has become a grievous loss to our standing as a great nation-and a personal loss, too, for millions of teenagers who may turn into adults with limited understanding of themselves and others.Can this be changed? Can teenagers be turned on to literature? What kind of teachers can do it, and what books? To find out, Denby sat in on a tenth-grade English class in a New York public school for an entire academic year, and made frequent visits to an inner-city public school in New Haven and to a respected public school in Westchester county. He read all the stories, poems, plays, and novels that the kids were reading, and here combines a chronicle of what he observed with fresh and inspiring encounters with the books themselves, including The Scarlet Letter, Brave New World, 1984, The Alchemist, Slaughterhouse Five, The Kite Runner, Long Way Gone and many more.Lit Up is a dramatic narrative that traces awkward and baffled beginnings but also exciting breakthroughs and the emergence of pleasure in reading. In a sea of bad news about education and the fate of the book, David Denby reaffirms the power of great teachers and the importance and inspiration of great literature.
