Non-Required Reading

While I am not fully sure how calling something a Non-Required Reading would instantly make someone want to read it—at least not to the same extent as a banned book—I did enjoy a lot of the readings in the book. I liked the combination of short essays, top ten lists, and graphic novels. Overall, the entire book felt fresh and hooked me from the start simply because it contained a variety of forms of writing. After a while, it becomes boring to read the same thing, one after the other, and this was a nice change—especially for the time of the semester. It was nice to have fairly light reading as a sort of break from novels. The short graphic novel was also a nice transition into In the Shadow of No Towers, even though they were very different graphic novels. Having never read a graphic novel before, it was nice to get a little taste of the style before tackling a considerably more daunting one. It was definitely a quick read, and much more lighthearted than the Best American Short Stories. I grew more attached to the characters in the novels, and became more absorbed in the stories, but I was still able to fully enjoy the short stories and selected readings in the Non-Required Reading book. It was a very nice change of pace that came at the perfect time!