Historical Backdrop: Orwell and the Times in Which He Lived

"Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written, directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism and for democratic socialism as I understand it." -- George Orwell, "Why I Write"

INTRODUCTION
Animal Farm was published in August of 1945--a crucial moment in European and world history. In the previous four months, President Roosevelt, Mussolini and Hitler had died and Winston Churchill had been voted out of office. Germany had surrendered, and the U.S. had dropped atomic bombs over Japan. Of the big three Allied leaders, only Stalin survived.
In some ways, Animal Farm stands at the very beginning of the Cold War. During World War II, Russia had been an ally of the U.S. and England. After the battle of Normandy in February of 1944--when the Allies first began to beat back the German forces--Western nations felt a strong feeling of solidarity with the Russian people. The Russian army had suffered great losses, but it had helped protect England from a German invasion. As a result of the pro-Russian atmosphere, Orwell had a hard time finding a publisher for Animal Farm.
However, in the years following Animal Farm's publication, Russia fell farther and farther out of favor. In this respect, the novel stands as a predictor of what would later come to pass. However, it is important to note that Orwell's attack of Russia did not come from the political right--as most capitalist thinkers would attack it. Rather, Orwellís complaint was from the left. He was concerned with the damage that the Soviet state did to the cause of socialism. He wrote in the preface to the Ukrainian edition:
"Nothing has contributed so much to the corruption of the original idea of Socialism as the belief that Russia is a Socialist country and that every act of its rulers must be excused, if not imitated. And so for the past ten years I have been convinced that the destruction of the socialist myth was essential if we wanted a revival of the socialist movement."
Sources:
Jeffrey Meyers. A Reader's Guide to George Orwell . London: Thames and Hudson, 1975.
Averil Gardener. George Orwell. Boston: Twain Publishers, 1987.
George Orwell Homepage. http://www.k-1.com/orwell.

KARL MARX: THE FATHER OF COMMUNISM
In 1848, German political philosopher Karl Marx with Friedrich Engels, published an influential pamphlet called the Communist Manifesto. Marx's criticism focused on the dominant political and economic system of his time, known as "capitalism." Germany, the United States, and England were powerful nations that lived under this system, and they were exporting it--sometimes by force--over the face of the globe. Capitalism encourages competition between its citizens, and provides rewards in an unequal way. Capitalist nations defended this distribution of goods on the grounds that the factory owners had often taken risks, or mastered skills, that the meat-packer had not. Therefore, the factory owner deserved the extra benefits.
Marx directed scathing attacks against this philosophy. The capitalist nations, he argued, allowed the wealthy few to amass huge fortunes, while the numerous poor toiled in unsafe factories for low wages, lived in wretched filth, and died before their time. Worse still, the rich denied equal opportunity to the poor, hoarding goods and reserving advantages like education and health care for themselves. Vast mansions existed alongside tenement-houses; in the one, every possible luxury could be found and every need was met, while next door whole families stuffed themselves into single rooms and ate meager rations. How could it be fair that the wealthy few had extra millions in the bank, while the masses struggled to survive, or starved to death?
Writing from Paris--where he lived in exile--Marx spoke of the dawning of a new social order based on the equal distribution of wealth and possessions among a nation's citizenry. In such a society, Marx theorized, tranquil relations would prevail between all men and women, and age-old problems like poverty, ignorance, and starvation would vanish. The rich would be compelled to yield their surplus to the poor, and individuals would produce according to their abilities, and consume according to their needs. Everyone would have what they needed, and no one citizen would possess more than another.
An idealistic vision of the future--which would never arrive, Marx realized--until certain events came to pass. A brilliant economist and social critic, Marx understood that massive obstacles stood in the way of his better world. Casting his eye back across the arc of history, he asserted that in every era the same fundamental conflict emerged: The few well-placed and powerful sought to maintain their wealth by actively suppressing the natural desires of the many poor. These cruel circumstances were hard to change because the rich had no reason to share, and possessed the means by which to control the impoverished masses. The sheer numbers of the downtrodden represented a definitive advantage, however, and a declaration of war on their part would resolve the dispute. Marx took the view that it was the destiny of history itself that this battle should take place, and that the victorious poor would usher in an age of justice and equality.

A COUNTRY IN TURMOIL: RUSSIA 1900-1918
In 1883, Karl Marx died in London, England. At the time of his passing, the full-scale revolutions he had predicted had not occurred, and no nations had declared themselves communist. Between 1848 and 1883, however, Marx had been busy spreading his creed. In the 1850's and 1860's he succeeded in forming various councils which directed broad revolutionary strategies. Throughout Europe, discontented workers met to plot the overthrow of political systems that were not communist in nature. Among the leaders of these wide-spread movements were two Russians--Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky. Having been banished from Russia on the charge of treason, both promoted revolution from abroad. Within Russia itself, a young man recently converted to the cause of democratic socialism hoped to unseat the leader. His given name was Joseph Dzhugashvili, but he adopted the surname Stalin, which translates as "man of steel."
As the dawn of the 20th Century approached, Russia lingered in the past. Where other European nations had begun the process of "industrialization," which sent citizens pouring into the cities and brought the unmatched power of machines to their daily lives, Russia remained a country of farmers tethered to the old-fashioned plow. Illiteracy was higher in Russia than elsewhere, poverty was more widespread, land was scarce, and food was hard to come by.
More significantly, Russia's political system was a remnant of the past. In Great Britain, France and Germany, democratic political systems had replaced the ancient rights of kings and queens, and yielded partial power to the common man. Voters elected representatives to governing bodies, and thus secured a voice in the national decision-making process. In Russia, however, little had changed in centuries. The Czar (pronounced "zar") still occupied the royal throne and dictated state policy without regard to the concerns of the people. He claimed to draw his power directly from God, and passed the throne to a chosen successor without the interference of elections. His rule was absolute, those who protested his decisions were subject to severe and immediate punishment, including execution.
Russian citizens thus faced enormous hardships: grinding poverty, hunger, and joblessness were widespread. In 1914, tensions between the expanding and increasingly wealthy nations of Europe exploded in World War I. Russia joined the battle on the side of the British, French, and Italians; they fought the united Germans and Austrians. From the beginning of the conflict, Russia was outmatched. Money, food, and raw materials flowed out of the country to support the war effort. A dangerously unstable populace sunk deeper into despair: Food was even more scarce, the cotton needed to make clothing was used by the soldiers; precious metals were fashioned into guns and bullets. Starvation and disease ran rampant throughout the country, and still the Czar persisted in the war effort. The royals, it was understood, were not as deeply affected by the war as the common people were; they possessed luxuries even while the peasants desperately sought the barest necessities.
Between 1914 and 1917, the cities of Russia witnessed many minor revolts among the citizenry. Tens of thousands of hungry workers joined the communist "soviets"--the Russian word for "councils"--which organized massive protests and labor strikes to show their displeasure at food shortages and the endless prosecution of the war. The well-organized communists dominated the soviet leadership, and made impassioned speeches demanding "land, bread, and peace." The workers, ignored by their government, rallied to the soviets and thus added themselves to the communist cause.
Meanwhile, the Russian army suffered numerous defeats in the field, and Russian territory began to be lost to the enemy. Finally, in February of 1917, weeks of violent street skirmishes backed by the soviets ended with a mob assault on the seat of government. In a remarkable and long-awaited moment, the Czar's soldiers stood aside and let the people take control of the streets. On February 28, 1917, Czar Nicholas II admitted defeat, and left the royal throne.

"ALL POWER TO THE SOVIETS": THE COMMUNIST TAKEOVER
For eight months following the czar's abdication in late February, 1917, there was no unified, widely accepted government within Russia. A council of acknowledged leaders formed a Provisional Government, but it proved weak and ineffective. Worse, what little power the Provisional Government possessed it used foolishly: It repeatedly decided to keep Russia in World War I, despite continuing street protests and disastrous shortages of food and raw materials.
Meanwhile the soviets--now fully controlled by the brilliant organizer and motivator Vladimir Lenin--focused on winning the support of army troops, and began to take control of Russia's railroads and telegraph lines. In this way the soviets could manipulate all movement and communication within the country. With the full backing of the troops, they would possess the means with which to secure state authority for themselves.
Lenin was aided by two prominent communist allies: his old friend Leon Trotsky, and a new acquaintance, Joseph Stalin. The three guided soviet policy, promising workers and soldiers food, abundant land, and an end to Russiaís involvement in the war. In the future, Lenin declared, goods would not be stolen from the poor and given to the rich. Vast tracts of land would not be held aside for the church, the royal family, or the wealthy. Everyone, he said, would benefit equally from a new social order, an experiment that had never been tried before. "Land, bread, and peace" for everyone, Lenin promised: "All power to the soviets!"
In October of 1917, Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin decided to make their move. Thousands of soviet workers and soldiers were armed and informed of a plan to seize the government. On October 24, 1917, the assault on the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, where the Provisional government was headquartered, began. By the following night, the Provisional Government had fallen, and Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin were poised on the verge of ushering in the first-ever Communist government.

THE AFTERMATH: COMMUNISM'S FIRST YEARS, 1917-1922
Days after the successful revolution, Lenin called a meeting of all Russian soviets. He opened this Congress with words of characteristic bravado: "We shall now proceed to the construction of the communist order." The new soviet government quickly stripped all land from owners, and forbade the holding of private property. Fields were to be redistributed according to need. Hired labor was outlawed. Banks and businesses would be "nationalized" gradually; that is, they would come under state control, so that owners could not divide profits unfairly. The communist era had begun: Its goal was equality and peace for all, and forever.
A peace agreement proved difficult to accomplish. Eventually, the Russians were forced to accept an unfavorable treaty at Brest-Litovsk, Poland, in March of 1918. They agreed to give up a great deal of their own territory, and pay a huge monetary penalty to the enemy. Within Russia, the formerly well-placed and wealthy--now displaced from their land and divested of their possessions--began to organize a campaign against the soviets. General dissatisfaction with the peace treaty brought more members to their cause. Concerned foreign nations, including the United States and Great Britain, contributed money and resources to these opponents of the revolution.
The soviet leadership--Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin--faced a dilemma. How did they bring about an age of peace and equality when they were confronted with opposition? Their answer was quick and brutal: The dissenting elements must be rooted out and destroyed. The soviets formed the "Red Army" and began a terror campaign which identified and executed suspected anti-Communists. Between 1918-1921, a civil war raged between the communists and their enemies. Led by Leon Trotsky, the "Red Army" prevailed, and the communists maintained their hold on power. Some wondered whether the communist revolution had already been betrayed: How could tranquility come to the Russian nation now that so many citizens had been killed?
Before Lenin could formulate an answer, and bring about the golden days of the new government, he suffered three paralyzing strokes. In 1922, the last episode took his life. A new leader must step forward, but both Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin coveted the seat of power.

TROTSKY AND STALIN: 1922-1940
Trotsky was a brilliant speaker and writer. His passionate support of communism had provided much of the fire in the early years of the soviets. Trotsky was a man with an appetite for books and ideas. He was a visionary thinker, and hoped to transform Russia into an industrial powerhouse, the envy of the whole world. When he spoke in defense of these dreams, he did so with such eloquence--and with such command of his subject matter--that he gained many loyal followers. He was an intellectual giant, and a formidable opponent for Joseph Stalin.
Stalin had his strengths as well. His mind was quick and he spoke well, but he was not of Trotsky's caliber in these realms. Where Trotsky dreamed, Stalin focused instead on administrative duties and on creating bonds of loyalty between himself and powerful men within the soviets. By the time Lenin died in 1922, Stalin's strategy had paid off. In the ensuing discussion of new leadership, he had the hard-won support of important allies. Even the brilliant words of Trotsky could not turn them from backing Stalin.
The Stalin era lasted for 25 years. Among his most important contributions to the Soviet Union were his "Five Year Plans," ambitious programs to propel Russia into the industrial age. The first "Plan" began in 1928 and ended in 1933; the second and third were undertaken in the following ten years. By the early 1940's, Russia had achieved an industrial strength that was equal to the former world leaders in the capitalist countries.
The changes came with a price. Unable to tolerate any competing voices or ideas, Stalin maintained his grip on power through the use of political and social terror. He increased the size of Russia's internal police force (KGB) drastically, and he used them to spy on suspected enemies within the country. In effect, Stalin silenced all opposition, and any words uttered against him became a rationale for incarceration, or worse. Vast prison systems sprung up in the hinterlands of the Russian state. These "Gulags" used inmates as cheap labor and deprived them of even the barest necessities. It was a brutal institution, designed to inspire fear in prisoners, and in free citizens who contemplated criticizing the Stalin regime.
In 1934, Stalin set a series of political "purges" in motion. High-ranking officials in the Soviet government were systematically arrested, forced to admit to crimes they did not commit, and summarily executed. The purges grew in scope quickly, so that by the conclusion of the purge years much of Russian society had come under its terrifying gaze, and many estimates put the total number killed at between 2 and 7 million people. Many more were made prisoners. Thus the Soviet Union became simultaneously one of the most powerful, and most despotic, of all the world's governments. Stalin's death in 1953 brought many of his excesses to an end, but the basic institutions and patterns of the life that he had created remained.

THE WORLD AFTER STALIN
Between the death of Stalin and the early years of the 1980's, the Soviet Union remained a highly repressive government. Internal spying was rampant, voices of protest were brutally squashed, and all organs of communication were tightly monitored by the communists. Ideas that were not officially sanctioned by the State were dangerous, and those who held or published them risked threats, imprisonment, or worse. Newspapers and TV stations tirelessly promoted communist doctrine, or were shut down. Individual ownership of business was still strictly forbidden. In all aspects, the Soviet government retained an iron grip on the nation, and attempted to control the lives, ambitions, and even the thoughts of its citizens.
In 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev took the reigns of Soviet power. A courageous and far-sighted leader, he saw that the Soviet Union had both economic and social shortcomings that inhibited growth. The Western nations, by contrast, were increasingly prosperous, and their world-wide influence grew correspondingly. Gorbachev knew that Russia must change to compete.
Thus, in 1985 Gorbachev announced the twin pillars of a radical new policy - perestroika (economic restructuring) and glastnost (social and political openness). Soon, he introduced legislation that loosened the restrictions on individual ownership of property and business, and allowed for greater freedom of expression. Ideas long unspoken coursed through the Russian nation: Perhaps socialism was not best for Russia; maybe the Communist leaders were ineffective, even corrupt; perhaps new leaders and new ways of governing were needed. Once unleashed, these ideas proved difficult to stop; indeed, they were hard to influence or temper in any way. Within several years, the once unassailable Soviet government teetered on the verge of collapse.
By 1991, the rising tide of voices opposed to the communist government had reached a critical mass. Large-scale street protests throughout Russia and in its closely allied satellite states shook the foundations of the Soviet system. The people were free to speak, and in vast numbers they rejected the long experiment with communism. In December of 1991, the communist government of the Soviet Union acknowledged its own end, and an anxious period of instability and doubt began.
In eras when governance is not clearly assigned, opportunities for abuse of power present themselves. In the former communist republics of Czechoslovakia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Yugoslavia, for example, ancient ethnic hatreds re-emerged and spiralled towards violence once the Soviet insistence on internal unity disappeared. In Yugoslavia, in particular, bitter rivalries between peoples of different heritages drifted catastrophically towards open warfare. Serbian, Croatian, and Albanian peoples faced each other in tense standoffs over land, religion, and culture.
Leaders like Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic sought to exploit the situation by inflaming hatreds and calling for policies of direct, violent conflict with perceived enemies. He began a plan of systematically banishing minority ethnic groups from their homelands and reclaiming the emptied towns as part of a greater Serbia. Under his guidance, Serbian troops burned, looted, and killed in a widespread policy which came to be called "ethnic cleansing." The presence of concentration camps, mass graves, and other atrocities have been, and are currently being verified in the contested lands of the former Yugoslavia.
To implement such inhumane policies, voices of protest must be silenced, and the media must be made to serve the state. The appearance of nationwide support--even if is untrue--creates a climate in which challenges seem futile, or unpatriotic. With all open discussion effectively blunted, the truth becomes unknowable, and unthinkable acts of brutality become commonplace. Yugoslavia is emblematic of this phenomenon, but it is only a single example.
Questions of power are universal, and in every nation decisions about the distribution of authority have vast implications for the future of justice, equality, and freedom within its borders. When governments abuse power, these hallmarks of a healthy society are jeopardized. In extreme cases, leaders protect their own authority through the use of state-sponsored terrorism, propaganda, and murder. Individual citizens become expendable, and maintenance of the power and authority of the State becomes of paramount importance. Brutality and violence become the dominant cultural charactersitics; the lives of thousands, even millions of people are ruled by fear and despair.

George Orwell Biography... sadly borrowed from somewhere, but I'm not sure where...

Biography of George Orwell

George Orwell was born Eric Arthur Blair on June 25, 1903, in Motihari, India. The Blair¹s were relatively prosperous civil servants, working in India on behalf of the British Empire. Blair would later describe his family¹s socioeconomic status as "lower-upper middle class," on comment on the extraordinary degree to which British citizens in India depended on the Empire for their livelihood; though the Blair were able to live quite comfortably in India, they had none of the physical assets or independent investments that would have been enjoyed by their class in England proper. Despite this factor, Ida Blair moved back to England in 1904 with Eric and his older sister Marjorie so that they could be brought up in a more traditional Christian environment.
In England, Blair entered the public school system, and was admitted to Eton College in 1917. For most students of this era, Eton led directly to higher education at a university, often Oxford or Cambridge. Blair shunned further formal schooling, and after leaving Eton in 1921, returned to India in 1922 to join the Indian Imperial Police. This work gave Blair his first real experiences with the poor and downtrodden whom he would later champion, and unhappy with the his position as the "hand of the oppressor," Blair resigned from the police force in 1927, returning to England that same year.
Upon return to England, Blair lived in the East End district of London, which was filled with paupers and the destitute, whom he saw as the spiritual kin of the Burmese peasants he had encountered as a policeman. In 1928, Blair moved to Paris to become a writer, where he again lived among the poor, and was eventually forced to abandon his writing temporarily and become a dishwasher. He returned to England the next year (1929), and lived as a tramp before finding work as a teacher at a private school. This position gave Blair time to write, and his first book, Down and Out in Paris and London, was published in 1933, under the pseudonym George Orwell. The publication of this first work, which was an account of his years living among the poor of Paris and London, marks the beginning of a more stable period for Orwell, in which he taught, opened a bookshop, and continued to write. His first fictional work, Burmese Days, appeared in 1934.
The next few years saw a steady stream of activity for Orwell, who produced A Clergyman¹s Daughter in 1935 and Keep the Aspidistra Flying in 1936. During this period he also met Eileen Maud O¹Shaughnessy, whom he married on June 9, 1936. That same year Orwell received a grant from the Left Book Club to produce a work dealing with the conditions of the poor, which resulted in the publication of The Road to Wigan Pier. In December of 1936, Orwell decided to enlist in the POAM, the Socialist military party in Spain, during the Spanish Civil War. Attracted by the vision of a society without class distinction, Orwell fought for socialism in Spain, but was wounded in the neck and forced to return to England in 1938. His account of his experiences in Spain was published as Homage to Catalonia that same year. Upon his return to England, however, Orwell fell ill with tuberculosis, which he neglected. In 1941, Orwell went to work for the BBC as a broadcaster for India, a post which he resigned to become the literary editor for The Tribune. This position was equally short-lived, however, as Orwell resigned in 1945 to begin work on Animal Farm. Orwell¹s family life experienced significant upheaval during this period, marked by the adoption of a son, Richard, in 1944, and by the death of his wife Eileen during an operation in 1945. Soon after Eileen¹s death, Animal Farm was published, and Orwell become "famous overnight". In reaction to the sudden glare of fame, Orwell moved to the island of Jura, off the coast of Scotland, with aggravated his tuberculosis considerably. While at Jura, Orwell wrote his last novel and perhaps most famous novel, 1984, and married Sonia Bromwell. In 1949 Orwell returned to England, but his tuberculosis was by that time painfully advanced. He eventually succumbed to the disease, dying on January 21, 1950.

1984 - by George Orwell

Looking at Orwell's language and understanding his world.

We've already discussed big brother and the idea of constant fear to keep citizens or "comrades" under control...

Oceania is a world of paradox - Love is hate, Peace is war, Slavery is freedom...

What questions are you having while you read?

What do you make of Winston and the characters he meets?

What is your reaction to the world he lives in?

8th grade list according to Manhasset Schools

Suggested Classic Books For Mr. Shapiro’s 8th Grade
This is a suggested list of books. If you or your parent/guardian have any other ideas, please feel free to contact Mr. Shapiro or Ms. Moody. Remember, you must have the permission of your parent/guardian before you begin your outside reading book.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Alice’s life is never the same after she tumbles through a rabbit hole to a magical land where she meets the Cheshire Cat, Mad Hatter, Queen of Hearts and many other fanciful characters.

Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
A feisty orphan goes to live with an elderly brother and sister on rural Prince Edward Island.

Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
Charlotte (a spider) decides to help Wilber (a pig) from certain death.

The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Four children step through the back of a wardrobe into the magical land of Narnia.

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
These are adventures of Mowgli, the boy raised by a pack of wolves in an Indian jungle.

The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery (I strongly recommend this one - Ms. Sackstein)
An aviator whose plane is forced down in the Sahara Desert encounters a little prince from a small planet who relates his adventures in seeking the secret to what is important in life.

The Wind in Willows by Kenneth Grahame
The adventures of four animal friends who live near a river in the English countryside.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle (I strongly recommend this one - Ms. Sackstein)
Meg and Charles journey through space to rescue their missing father.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (I strongly recommend this one - Ms. Sackstein)
Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit. A tiny peaceful group of people living in a land called Shire. Bilbo finds himself on a great adventure.

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell
A young girl spends 18 years alone on an isolated island off the coast of California.

The Black Stallion by Walter Farley
A boy and his horse find themselves shipwrecked on a desert island.

National Velvet by Enid Bagnold
A 14 year old English girl wins a horse in a raffle, trains it and rides in the Grand National Steeplechase.

Sounder by William H. Armstrong
The story of a black sharecropper, his family and their loyal dog.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Ten year old Mary goes to live in a lonely house on the Yorkshire Moors where she discovers a mysterious locked garden.

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
Milo drives through a toll booth into a land of fantasy and adventure.

From the Mixed up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.C. Konigsburg
Claudia and her younger brother run away to live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
An adventure about 13 year old Julie and the wolf pack that adopts her in the Alaskan Tundra.

Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor
Living in the South during the 1930’s, African American, Logan family faces devastating discrimination and prejudice.

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert C. O’Brien
Story of a field mouse widow who asks help from a group of rats and finds they are part of an experiment at the National Institute of Mental Health. Together they work a plan for a safer life.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
The four March sisters grow into young ladies against the back drop of Civil War era New England.

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
James escapes from his fearful aunts by rolling away inside a giant peach.

Heidi by Johanna Spyri
A Swiss orphan is heart broken when she must leave her beloved grandfather and their happy home to go to school and live in the City.

Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
Story follows an Ozark boy through his childhood with his two beloved dogs. They experience danger, adventure, love and sorrow.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Each of five children lucky enough to discover an entry ticket into Mr. Willy Wonka’s mysterious chocolate factory takes advantage of the situation in his own way.

The Watson’s Go to Birmingham: 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis
In the height of the Civil Rights Movement, a family travels to Alabama and experiences racial injustice first hand, surviving through with love and humor.

Time Machine by H.G. Wells
A scientist invents a time machine and then travels into the distant future.

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
When Sara Crews’ father dies, she finds herself left penniless and alone at a strict Victorian girl’s school.

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingils Wilder
Author recounts her memories of growing up in the Wisconsin frontier.

Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes
Tender story of a little girl who claims to have 100 beautiful dresses at home, yet she wears the same one to school every day.

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Brian survives a plane crash to find himself stranded alone on a wooded island.

Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars
When Sara’s developmentally disabled brother disappears, she attempts to find him.

Holes by Louis Sacher
Stanley Yelnats life of bad luck takes him to a correctional camp where he meets a true friend, a treasure and a new sense of himself.

Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
In a series of poems, fifteen year old Billie Jo relates the hardships of living on her family’s wheat farm in Oklahoma during the dust bowl years of the depression.

The Giver by Lowis Lowry (I strongly recommend this one - Ms. Sackstein)
Given his lifetime assignment at the ceremony of 12, Jonas becomes the receiver of memories shared by only one other in his community and discovers the truth of the society in which he lives.

Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Marty tries to hide a lost beagle he finds from his family and the dog’s real owner, a mean spirited man known to mistreat dogs.

Black Beauty by Ann Sewell
A horse of 19th Century England tells his life story from his early home through many masters and experiences both good and bad.

Peter Pan by James M. Barrie
The three Darling children fly away from their nursery with Peter Pan and travel to Never-Never Land.

Kidnapped by Robert Lewis Stevenson
David Balfour survives kidnapping, imprisonment, dangerous journeys and enemies in an exciting adventure.

Reluctant Dragon by Kenneth Grahame
The boy who finds the dragon in the cave knows it is kindly and harmless. How can he convince the villagers and St. George, the dragon killer?

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Jim Hawkins’ exploits in the 18th century involve a parrot and a treasure map.

Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift - challenging
An adventure about Gulliver and his travels to lands of miniature people, giants, and other odd creatures.

Snow Queen by Hans Christian Anderson
Describes the adventures of a boy carried away by the Snow Queen and the search of the young girl who followed him.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin
In early nineteenth-century England, a spirited young woman copes with the courtship of a snobbish gentleman as well as the lives of her four sisters.

Emma by Jane Austin
This novel of Regency England centers upon a self-assured young lady who is determined to arrange her life and the lives of those around her into a pattern dictated by her romantic fancy.

Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
The story of Dorothy, a young girl who is transported by a cyclone to the magical world of Oz where she makes wonderful friends, battles evil, and must meet a Wizard to return home to Kansas.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
A book burner in a future fascist state finds out books are a vital part of a culture he never knew.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
A young governess finds love unexpectedly with her new employer, but secrets from his past may prove to destroy her happiness.

My Antonia by Willa Cather
A successful lawyer remembers his boyhood in Nebraska and his friendship with an immigrant gypsy girl.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
Ten strangers are summoned by an absent millionaire to a private island off the coast of Devon and begin to die one by one upon arrival.

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
Belgian detective Hercule Poirot solves a murder that occurred on the Orient Express.

Last of the Mohicans by James Fennimore Cooper
A Mohican brave struggles to protect two English girls from an evil Huron during the French and Indian War in upstate New York.

Pioneers by James Fennimore Cooper
Natty Bumppo, now on the threshold of old age, finds his way of life challenged as the land he has roamed becomes private property and the laws of man supplant the laws of nature.

Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
Henry Fleming experiences the how horrible war really is, and will make one of the most difficult decisions of his life.

Adventures of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
During one of his several adventurous voyages in the 1600's an Englishman becomes the sole survivor of a shipwreck and lives for nearly thirty years on a deserted island.

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Relates the adventures of a young Englishman who gives his life during the French Revolution to save the husband of the woman he loves.

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
In nineteenth-century England, a young orphan boy lives in the squalid surroundings of a workhouse until he becomes involved with a gang of thieves.

Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates by Mary Mapes Dodge
Hans and Gretel's dream of competing for the silver skates seems as remote as a cure for their invalid father, until a new friend comes into their lives.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
Sherlock Holmes, the beloved detective uses his skills to rescue a king from blackmail, to capture an ingenious bank robber, and other great mystery stories.

Three Musketeers by Alexander Dumas
During the reign of France's King Louis XIII, D'Artagnan and three musketeers unite to defend the honor of Anne of Austria against the plots of Cardinal Richeliu.

Man in the Iron Mask by Alexander Dumas
In seventeenth-century France, former Musketeers Porthos, Athos, and Aramis, reunite to replace the cruel young king Louis XIV with his twin brother, who has been imprisoned since birth, forcing d'Artagnan to choose between his loyalties to his king and to his comrades.

Silas Marner by George Eliot
Embittered by a false accusation and disappointed in friendship and love, the weaver Silas Marner retreats into a life alone with his loom and his gold, but fate steals his gold and replaces it with a golden-haired foundling child.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding
After a plane crash strands them on a tropical island while the rest of the world is ravaged by war, a group of British schoolboy’s attempts to form a civilized society but descends into brutal anarchy.

Adventures of Robin Hood by Roger Lancelyn Green
Recounts the life and adventures of Robin Hood, who, with his band of followers, lived as an outlaw in Sherwood Forest dedicated to fighting tyranny.

House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Follows the Pyncheon family who lived for generations under a dead an's curse until his death restored their house.

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemmingway
An old fisherman battles the sea and sharks to bring home the giant marlin he caught.

Odyssey by Homer
The epic poem recounting the experiences of Odysseus during his return from the Trojan War.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo
In fifteenth-century Paris, a disfigured man named Quasimodo, who was abandoned as an infant in the cathedral of Notre-Dame and now lives in its bell tower, must come to the aid of a beautiful gypsy girl named Esmeralda after she repels the advances of the cruel archdeacon Don Claude Frollo.

Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
Presents the adventures of a young boy raised by the animals in an Indian jungle.

White Fang by Jack London
The adventures in the northern wilderness of a dog who is part wolf and how he comes to make his peace with man.

Call of the Wild by Jack London
The adventures of an unusual dog, part St. Bernard, part Scotch shepherd, forcibly taken to the Klondike gold fields where he eventually ecomes the leader of a wolf pack.

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
After the Civil War sweeps away the luxurious life to which she has been accustomed, Scarlett O'Hara sets about salvaging her plantation home.

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Marie Remarque
Depicts the experiences of a group of young German soldiers fighting and suffering during the last days of World War I.

Shane by Jack Schaefer
Shane rides into a Wyoming valley in 1889 and becomes involved in a feud between big cattle dealers and homesteaders, and finds a place in a little boy’s heart.

Black Beauty by Ann Sewell
A horse in nineteenth-century England recounts his experiences with both good and bad masters.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Victor Frankenstein discovers the secret of generating life from lifeless matter and creates a monster who, scorned for being ugly, swears revenge on his creator and the human race.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Young Francie Nolan experiences the problems of growing up in a Brooklyn, with an alcoholic father.

The Pearl by John Steinbeck
Terrible events follow the discovery of a magnificent pearl by a poor Mexican fisherman.

Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
A respected doctor who lives a secret double life begins losing his identity to his violent, evil side.
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
While going through the possessions of a deceased guest who owed them money, the mistress of the inn and her son find a treasure map that leads them to a pirate's fortune as well as great danger.

Dracula by Bram Stroker
The mysterious Transylvanian Count Dracula wreaks havoc on a young businessman Jonathan Harker, his fiancée Mina, and several others, and when he is revealed to be a vampire, he must be destroyed at all costs.

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
The discovery of the One Ring ignites the great war between good and evil in Middle-earth, as a courageous group of adventurers embarks on a perilous quest to destroy the dangerous artifact.
The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien
The dark forces of Mordor spread throughout Middle-earth and the fellowship forged to destroy the One Ring of power is broken, leaving Frodo the hobbit and Sarnwise Gamgee alone to return the ring to Mount Doom.

The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien
As the Shadow of Mordor grows, the companions find their way through danger and mystery as they defeat the Dark Lord and celebrate Aragorn's ascent to become King of the West. Includes appendices containing genealogical and historical information that form the background f the story.

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Samuel Clemens
Tells the adventures of a boy and a runaway slave as they travel down the Mississippi River on a raft.

Prince and the Pauper by Samuel Clemens
When young Edward VI of England and a poor boy that resembles him exchange places, each learns something about the other's very different station in life.

Around the World in Eight Days by Jules Verne
Englishman Phileas Fogg races around the world on a daring wager in the seemingly impossible time of eighty days.

The Once and Future King by T.H. White
The story of the youth and reign of King Arthur, the establishment of the Round Table, and the search for the Holy Grail.

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggins
Talkative, ten-year-old Rebecca goes to live with her spinster aunts, one harsh and demanding, and the other soft and sentimental, with whom she spends seven difficult but rewarding years growing up.

Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Dorian Gray, a remarkably handsome young man, meets Lord Henry Wotton and is corrupted into a life of terrible evil that is reflected only in his portrait.

Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss
A family shipwrecked after battling pirates must learn to adapt to life on an island with abundant animal and plant life.

Classic Books to read

Home : Literature : Middle School Classic Books : Index
MIDDLE SCHOOL CLASSIC BOOKS : Index
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20,000 Leagues Under the Sea 9 reviews
A Christmas Carol
A Separate Peace
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The 9 reviews
Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The 9 reviews
Anne of Green Gables 12 reviews
Anne of The Island 2 reviews
Around the World in 80 Days
Beowulf
Christmas Carol
Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court 2 reviews
Count of Monte Cristo,The
Count of Monte Cristo,The
Crystal Cave, The
Davy Crockett
Don Quixote
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 6 reviews
Dracula
Dracula
Emma
Farewell to Arms
Frankenstien
Grapes of Wrath2 reviews
Gone with the Wind 2 reviews
Great Expectations 2 reviews
Great Expectations
Heidi
Hollow Hills, The
Hound of the Baskervilles
Hound of the Baskervilles
Hunchback of Notre Dame
House of Seven Gables
Hunchback of Notre Dame
Jane Eyre
Jane Eyre 2 reviews
Jason and the Argonauts
Johnny Tremain
Johnny Tremain
Journey To The Center of The Earth
Journey To The Center of The Earth
Jungle Book, The
KIDNAPPED
Les Miserables
Lilies of the Field,The
Little Princess 4 reviews
Little Women 5 reviews
Little Women 4 reviews
Little Women 6 reviews
Moby Dick
Mossflower
My Antonia
Mysterious Island,The
National Velvet
Of Mice and Men 7 reviews
Of Mice and Men 13 reviews
Of Mice and Men 10 reviews
Old Man and the Sea, The
Old Man and the Sea, The 2 reviews
Oliver Twist 2 reviews
Oliver Twist
Picture of Dorian Gray, The 2 reviews
Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice
Prince and the Pauper, The
Prince and the Pauper, The 2 reviews
Prince and the Pauper,The
Red Badge of Courage
Red Badge of Courage
Red Pony, The 3 reviews
Red Pony, The
Red Pony, The
Robinson Cruesoe
Robinson Cruesoe
Secret Garden, The 4 reviews
Secret Garden, The 2 reviews
Sense and Sensibility
Sense and Sensibility
Swiss Family Robinson, The 2 reviews
Tempest, The
Thirty-Nine Steps, The
Three Musketeers,The 2 reviews
Three Musketeers, The
Time Machine,The
To Kill a Mockingbird 15 reviews
To Kill a Mockingbird 2 reviews
To Kill a Mockingbird 2 reviews
Treasure Island 2 reviews
Treasure Island 5 reviews
Treasure Island 2 reviews
Uncle Tom's Cabin

Would you be interested in reading the rest of the following...

Quietly, Mei-Shai Cho packed her belongings while the moon still smiled at the sky. She didn't want to awaken any of her siblings, who were sleeping in the same room, but she knew if she didn't leave now, she’d never have the nerve to do so. It was 1966, the world was changing in China, and Mei-Shai knew she needed to escape before it was too late.

Mao Tse Tung's regime was quickly taking over China, and the Cultural Revolution was quickly gaining more power every day. Children turned on their parents and teachers, in fear that they would be corrupted by their ill-doing if they didn't. Mei-Shai didn't believe that her family was doing anything wrong, but the Chos’ were labeled as ‘black’ because of her father's hard work and saved income. “If I could only be somewhere else,” thought Mei-Shai, “I could come get my family when it’s safe.” Her friend Li was already waiting for her outside, ready to embark on their journey to America - the only place they knew they would be free.

Mei-Shai stealthily shimmied out her first floor window to the soft ground on the side of her house after throwing her only bag of belongings down to Li. "Be careful," Li whispered as Mei-Shai nearly landed on a sharp, thorny bush. Thorns could hardly hurt Mei-Shai; the mental anguish placed on her by Chairman Mao was more pain than she could bear. Li hadn’t considered the weight of Mei-Shai’s baggage and made sure to look out for her friend if only to keep her mind off their escape.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. We just have to get out of here without anyone seeing us.” Mei-Shai made sure that Li knew where her head was and looked around the corner of the house as they were sneaking onto the guarded street. Since the Revolution began, the Red Guards were vigilant and nothing that occurred under their watch went without their notice. The girls knew that escaping would pose a problem, but they did their best not to appear afraid. Mei-Shai was easily able to hide the fear that was inevitable under these circumstances, but Li stood shaking, visibly vibrating like an idling car and nothing protected her from this obvious display of trepidation. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Mei-Shai queried, knowing her friend as she did. Li had never been far from home and was often the caretaker of her elderly grandmother. Leaving now, with Li’s grandmother ill, made Li a liability, but Mei-Shai needed to trust her friend’s word when she claimed to be “okay.”

"Yes, I'm sure. I'm just a little nervous. Aren't you?" Li looked at Mei-Shai searchingly, hoping she felt the same fear, but Li soon realized that nothing was going to hold her friend back from the dream of a better life. Even if Mei-Shai was afraid, now wasn’t the time for her to say so. Mei-Shai kept her fear wrapped tightly inside. Fear could only serve as adrenaline now.
“I guess, but right now I can't think about it or else I’ll never leave. I think that I fear being trapped here more than I fear what will happen if we go.”

Mei-Shai was emphatic about her decision, and Li could see that. Although she was a small girl of five feet and slight in size, Mei-Shai appeared grand. For an 18-year-old, she was strong in her convictions. Her large brown eyes reflected hope and adventure and covered a depth that few understood. Li was not as brave, despite being older than Mei-Shai, but she trusted that her friend would be there for her. Li was also small; her body shaped like a young boy's: straight and simple. Her hair was cropped around her ears, and she wore a small butterfly clip in her bangs to keep the hair from her eyes. Her features were simple and common.

"Well, here goes nothing." Li waited for Mei-Shai to join her on the side of the house near the street. Li ran out across the street undetected. The girls knew they had a long night ahead of them and were sure that they would need their strength to make it to the dock where the boat was waiting. Their feet padded on the ground lightly, almost not touching the hard concrete. The girls ran like ballerinas, gracefully floating through the streets of Shanghai, barely making noise, leaving no trace of their escape.

The dusk air was thick, hazy, and damp. The heat was already causing perspiration despite the early pre-sunrise hour. "Phew… That was close!" Mei-Shai stated as she made it across the street without notice. The Red Guards quickly looked in the friends' direction, but their gaze didn't keep up with the girls’ movements. The guard assumed what he perceived was merely the unforgiving wind shaking a tree or an animal rummaging through the garbage; he chose not to investigate further. The girls looked at each other and sighed a heavy breath of relief; they knew they could have been caught and their whole plan been foiled without having taken a step outside their own town. There would be many of these instances that evening, and the girls just prayed after each successive one that neither one of them would have a heart attack from the anticipation of potential capture.

The streets were nearly deserted, except for the occasional armed guard who watched the houses of corrupt families. The guards stood silently staring into the darkness that hid Mei-Shai and Li. Mei-Shai trotted like a ghost, and Li followed without question. Li trusted her comrade knew where they were going and put her full faith into letting Mei-Shai lead the way; Mei-Shai was always the leader.

They passed rows of houses and apartment buildings, few open spaces, which was lucky because that’s where they were more likely to be seen. China was very crowded and the housing developments reflected that: one tall building next to a shorter one, and they all looked black before the night sky. The further they got from the city the sparser the buildings became. They could sense their closeness to their passageway out as the city receded behind them with the memories of their family and childhood hanging in the early morning Chinese air.

As the girls got closer to the water, the smell of salty sea air wafted up to their noses, signaling safety and freedom on the horizon. "We're almost there. I can smell the low tide and picture the boat already!” Mei-Shai seldom allowed herself to feel excitement, but she couldn't help but feel emotional about their potential escape. Li, seeing Mei-Shai happy, knew that comfort would soon be upon them for at least a short while. The anxiety that had grown within both of the friends was beginning to subside.

“The air tickles my nose, and my feet are damp with dew.” Li smiled and just kept a close tail on Mei-Shai. Shanghai was close to the East China Sea, which was their escape route to Taipei, Taiwan. If the girls could make it to Taiwan, they would be able to fly to the United States undetected. Taipei was a good two to three day boat-ride from Shanghai, but the girls were determined and a little rough water was not going to scare them away.

Good "Girl" books... a start

Hush by Jacqueline Woodson
If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson

The Secret Life of Bees
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
When I Was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago
Almost a Woman by Esmeralda Santiago