Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Recommended Resources Books That Criticize Societal Norms

Someone just recommended this one to me. I just bought it. I will decide whether I will let my teenage son read it after I read it.

The Teenage Liberation Handbook: How to Quit School and Get a Real Life and Education

"Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed" by Mo Willems
"The Big Orange Splot" by Daniel Pinkwater

Not really sure of a good book on Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis but he (correctly) pushed for washing of hands between handling corpses and delivering babies which was not really accepted at the time.

The author, Grace Llewellyn, is synonymous with unschooling, an educational alternative which is related to homeschooling and is identifiable by self-directed, learner-chosen activities.

There is good and bad in everything. Done well, children can far exceed grade-level standards and norms through unschooling. Done poorly, unschooling can be an excuse for indolence.

Evidently the camp which Grace Llewellyn founded for unschoolers is still operating, and celebrating its 21st year.

Some may say that it is not enough to criticize societal norms; Rather than being "against" something, one must find (or create) something which s/he is "for". Grace Llewellyn has done this.

1) Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins
2) Sewing Circles of Herat, Christina Lamb
3) Atlas Shrugged, Ayan Rand
4) Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
5) Animal Farm, George Orwell
6) Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
7) The Giver, Lois Lowry
8) Confucius Never Said, Helen Raliegh
9) The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis

Raevyn, I'm impressed with the insights and questions you post on far-ranging subjects.

BTW, this happens often IRL - Governments (and individuals) routinely exaggerate small or nonexistent issues to distract from the real issues. When you read or watch the news you may find yourself keeping a mental list of these red herrings. Reading/watching the news from other countries can be very informative and the fresh perspective may also serve as an antidote to myopic vision (much like reading these books which question the status quo and/or the direction in which society may be headed). It is often beneficial to practice seeing several sides of an issue.

Thanks to every new poster. @indigo, The Giver is my favorite book, thanks for suggesting it. You make some great points about the news.

Although this is not a directly related topic, I really like this book a lot and it touches on the conflicts in a culture people often overlook:
Train Go Sorry: Inside a Deaf World by Leah Hager Cohen