Least favorite assigned book

[David Zebarah]

This may be here somewhere, but I went through the last few pages and didn't see anything.

I love reading more than most people (well, maybe not here, but in general), but I feel like there's still some books that I didn't like, or even hated.  So I'm wondering what book makes you cringe a little bit every time you think about it, and why do you feel that way?

For me, it was The Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce.  It jumped around and was really confusing and there was way too much randomness for what a lot of people consider to be a great example of classic literature.  And it took me forever to read.  I was reading at a rate of like a page every 3 minutes, because I just couldn't concentrate on it.

Anyway, feel free to rant about The Scarlet Letter or Heart of Darkness, or whatever you were forced to read in school.  Because sometimes, it's as much fun complaining about crappy books as it is reading moderately good ones.

[MCP]

In 11th grade my teacher made us read a book called Their Eyes are Watching God,and it was HORRIBLE. It was a boring book about a boring woman who did nothing in a very boring fashion. "But what about the hurricane and rabies chapters" you might say? Well I grew up near the Gulf of Mexico so hurricanes were a pretty common thing and not even a man getting rabies and becoming a near zombie can save that book from the slow boring writing.

Also it wasn't required reading but the second and third part of The Divine Comedy did not live up to Inferno. Purgatory just got really repetitive "Oh look more people being punished, wow." and Paradiso was just so boring I could not get it. "We get it heaven is white and nice!"

[Demi Lynn]

I hated pretty much all of the assigned books I've had through the years. I think the big problem (especially when they put young kids in an advanced reading class) is that they make you read books you aren't mature enough to appreciate yet. For example, Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela. Everyone in my class hated it. We were bored out of our minds. Now, I've gone back are reread it and it's amazing!

[Norberta772]

over the summer, we had to read the alchemist. i hated how he referred to him as 'the boy' and he never seemed to feel emotion. well, most people who read it didn't like it, so i thought there might be some substance... most of my grade is a population of morons who look at me like i'm crazy every time i quote of talk about books and hate the books we read just because they were assigned in school. it's been months since i read it so i can't remember much more, i just thought it was boring... and trust me, i can ususaly find something in a book to keep me interested.

[Brianna Ledsome]

Id have to say Call of the wild by Jack London, or Johnny Tremain. Im also obligated to say Winesburg, Ohio is up there

[Jeannette Rose]

I'm currently reading Hope Leslie by Catherine Sedgwick for my American Identities class... I cannot get through it. Thinking back to high school I'd have to say Yellow Raft Blue Waters.

[Tim]

"Resource Wars"  It was the dullest thing I've ever had to read, and that was way back in like 9th grade

[William Harmer]

'Walkabout" and 'Rabbit Proof Fence". Oh god, I couldn't read either of them!

[RandomLanguage]

In middle school, we had to read I am the Cheese. I don't remember who the author was, but it was very strange. To this day, hearing "Farmer in the Dell" reminds me of weird feeling of this book.

[Brittany Perlow]

For me,The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing was the least favorite book I was ever assigned. I would even goes as far as to call it one of the worst books I have ever had the misfortune to read. It is literally 5 stories in one. This book was painfully dull. It took me forever to read. I could not focus on the stories at all. The main character Anna is absolutely unlikeable. Actually , every one of the characters were unlikeable. There were many cringe worthy T.M.I moments that just made it that much more unreadable .For example, I did not need half a chapter dedicated to Anna worrying if other people can smell if she is menstruating. I will never understand why people love this book so much.

[Hannah Gantz]

Honestly, Lord of the Flies. It just truly could not keep my attention which is very rare. I love all of my English teachers but by the end of the last chapter I was like : "SERIOUSLY?! You told me this is was a good book, this was not a good book at all!" Just, the whole story in my opinion, was a cliche and the characters were very dull.