Books are a staple in pop culture and education. Throughout the duration of school, students read many books either for curriculum or their own enjoyment. Consider one of these books to unwind with at the end of the day.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

This impactful novel is centered around sixteen-year-old Starr Carter who bounces between her poor neighborhood and fancy suburban high school. Her unbalanced world shatters when she witnesses the murder of her unarmed best friend, Khalil, at the hands of a police officer. Everyone wants to know what happened that night of the shooting, and the only one alive to tell the tale is Starr.

“‘The Hate U Give’ is the present day Black Lives Matter,” librarian Shannon Grieshaber said. “I know pretty much everyone has read ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, as they should, but I firmly believe that ‘The Hate U Give’ is the new ‘[To Kill a] Mockingbird.’”

Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

This classic covers major controversial topics such as feminism, business, capitalism, the American Dream and the significance of technology. This play provides a visual to all who wish to see the hardships of life.

“I think ‘Death of a Salesman’ is a powerful read,” English teacher Julie Weber said. “It is emotionally captivating on a personal level with strong characters, but it also presents a side of the American Dream that is important to think about if you live in America.”

On Writing by Stephen King

Partly being a memoir, this novel describes King’s humble beginnings and takes readers along the path of his writing process and how to become a better writer. ‘On Writing’ shows just how King has become one of the most famous and prolific authors of all time.

“It’s genius,” Grieshaber said. “I highly recommend listening to the audiobook, narrated by King himself. It’s like hanging out with the guy and he’s just chatting with you about his life and about writing.”

1984 by George Orwell

This classic discusses what the future of what the world may be like. The novel provides a haunting look into a totalitarian state and a man who wants to find individuality. This terrifying glimpse into what the world has become known as a thorough version of hell, according to goodreads.com.

“Out of all the books I’ve taught, this is one of the books that gets a big negative reaction from students,” English teacher Elizabeth Frazier said. “They know it is a great book because it makes them so mad. If a book can produce that much emotion from the reader, you know the writer has done [their] job. Students are so upset with the way the government uses and abuses the people in this society that they become enthralled with the story.”