Together, Lucy and I are almost finished reading Animal Farm, by George Orwell. I remember reading it in my 7th grade English class, and at the time, I thought it was just a story about animals. It wasn't until several years later that I finally figured out what it was really alluding to, but Lucy totally understands it right now, as we are reading.
I've been thinking about the other books I read in 7th grade, and I came to the realization that my English teacher exposed us to some of the greatest political literature out there--and most students don't read it until 11th grade, if they even read them at all.
We read Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451 and several other Ray Bradbury short stories, The Wave by Todd Strasser, as well as To Kill a Mockingbird and Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.
What I appreciate now, as an adult, was the way my teacher exposed us to the material, without casting on us her own political opinions about them. (Although, her choice in books is opinion enough, but I didn't see that at the age of 13.) I read them before I really understood anything about the world, then they stayed in the back of my mind until all of a sudden, the underlying messages became clear to me as I grew and experienced more of life.
I want this same literary experience for all of my kids. I know they'll be sure to get it far earlier than I did, because they're smarter than I am.
