By Madi McClellan

This year in freshman English we have read some really great books. This year we read 

Nervous Conditions, A Burning, The Canterbury Tales, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. My three favorites are Nervous Conditions, A Burning and The Canterbury Tales. 

Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga 10/10

Nervous Conditions is definitely one of the best books I’ve ever read. The book is set in the 1970’s and about colonization and education. It is really well written and interesting. I think it was a challenging read but not in a bad way. I highly recommend Nervous Conditions to anyone  who hasn’t read it. 

A Burning by Megha Majumdar 9/10

In A Burning we follow three characters: Jivan, Lovely, and PT Sir. Jivan has been accused of terrorism because of a viral Facebook post, Lovely is an aspiring transgender actress, and PT Sir is a teacher who winds up working for a political party and chasing a political career. This book focuses on the impact of the media and politics. 

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer  8/10

The Canterbury Tales is a compilation of satirical short stories told by a group of traveling pilgrims. There is a lot of “punching up” or making jokes about higher social powers and the church. My favorite tale was The Knight’s Tale, which is a love story about two imprisoned cousins falling in love with a girl they see from the tower they are locked in. The story ends with them fighting to the death for her love.