I just put the kids to bed. They hate getting in the bed early, but that's the rule on school nights: teeth brushed and in the bed by 9:30pm. They can, however, read for a while before turning out the lights. See how that works? Must go to bed early... Oh, what's that? You want to stay up later? Ok then, read for a while. I just sent my oldest son to bed with Animal Farm / 1984. He is between books and wanted something different. He's going to read 1984 first based on the introductions.
that is the only book that I have read cover to cover by choice (twice by choice and once for a class)
Both of those books were required reading when I went through school, and I greatly enjoyed both. A copy of "1984" will always be on my bookshelf.
Good man. Excellent choices. You can never start them too early, especially with opening their eyes. Its a shame Atlas Shrugged is such a beast... but that will be required reading as well for any of my children.
Atlas Shrugged is brutal. Good, but ponderous and, at times, tedious. Excellent message, but for people that just don't dive into books, the Cliff's Notes version might be a good idea.
A couple of other enlightening books: We the Living by Ayn Rand - fictional but basically describes every day living conditions under communist regime Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt The Road to Serfdom by F.A. Hayek The Law by Frederic Bastiat (would be remiss if I didn't remember my signature block) - copyright has expired so the entire text is available online And when they're old enough, The Communist Manifesto by Marx & Engels - in order to know how the other side thinks, and be able to call BS on politicians who claim they aren't socialist yet their talking points are fundamentally Marxist.
And then as an adult, it should be read again. The perspective is entirely different when reading it again as an adult.
1984 high school We the Living high school Economics in One Lesson high school (reading this should be a voter qualification!) The Road to Serfdom college The Law high school Animal Farm - fourth grade (depends on your child) Your mileage may vary.
Adding The Communist Manifesto - after college (or after capitalism is firmly accepted as a fundamental world view). Don't need any more 21 year olds running around with Che Guevera shirts thinking communism is cool. They're dangerous - they vote.
Alas Babylon by Pat Frank The Prydain Chronicles (The Book of Three; The Black Cauldron; The Castle of Llyr; Taran Wanderer; The High King) by Lloyd Alexander The Dark is Rising Sequence (Over Sea, Under Stone; The Dark is Rising; Greenwitch; The Grey King; Silver on the Tree) by Susan Cooper All of those were hungrily devoured by 12-year-old me, and a number of them won awards. All are great novels for a young boy to read.