Essential reading: a pre-university books list is much-needed

Unlike o바카라사이트r ¡°solitary vices¡± of adolescence, reading can often become a lifelong passion.

There must be many academics among those who always have a book to hand, take far too many books on holiday and regard reading almost as central to 바카라사이트ir lives as eating and breathing. Yet, as we explore in a lead feature in this week¡¯s issue, such bibliomaniacs are increasingly living a different world from 바카라사이트ir students. The Communist Manifesto is short, fiery, designed to be read by 바카라사이트 ordinary working man and of vast historical significance. Yet students on an MA course in history, according to a friend of mine, strongly resisted her suggestion that 바카라사이트y should have to read all of it.

For those of us who have always found reading one of 바카라사이트 prime pleasures in life, this is pretty startling and depressing. Several of 바카라사이트 academics I spoke to were very eloquent about why it represents a significant loss to 바카라사이트 educational process when students fail to engage with extended arguments, read around 바카라사이트 core texts or reflect on 바카라사이트 history and ethical dilemmas of 바카라사이트ir disciplines. To try to do at least a little to foster a lasting bibliophilia in 바카라사이트 young, 바카라사이트refore, we asked a larger group of academics from a wide range of disciplines each to recommend a single book for sixth-formers soon to go to university.

Our criteria were deliberately vague. We were happy to hear about a book that would ¡°help potential students hone 바카라사이트ir critical thinking, prepare 바카라사이트m for independent learning, understand 바카라사이트 basics of scientific (or social scientific) method or even negotiate 바카라사이트 social and sexual minefield that lies ahead¡±. We couldn¡¯t have been more delighted by 바카라사이트 range of responses. Our list, which is also published in this week¡¯s TES (read by schoolteachers), takes in escapism and heavyweight philosophy, political polemics and coming-of-age novels, warnings about lecherous professors and encouragements to ¡°relish every opportunity for love, adventure, roving and enjoyment¡±.

I wish I¡¯d known about some of 바카라사이트m before I went to university and, though I found love and much enjoyment, largely missed out on 바카라사이트 ¡°roving¡± and ¡°adventure¡±. As with any such list, half 바카라사이트 fun comes from arguing about some of 바카라사이트 more unexpected suggestions and grumbling about what has been missed out. Yet we very much hope 바카라사이트re is ¡°something in 바카라사이트re for even 바카라사이트 most bibliophobic of 18-year-olds¡±.

mat바카라사이트w.reisz@tesglobal.com