Do you think a holocaust book should be read in high school?

Question

Do you think it should be read in high school or is it too disturbing and mature for readers? give at least one reason.

Answer 1

It should absolutely be read and/or taught in high school.  Many states mandate Holocaust education; some states start it in elementary school.  So, as long as the information is not too graphic or violent, I think that it should be taught.

Personally, I taught Number the Stars to fourth graders as part of my state's Holocaust mandate and the students really enjoyed it.  They also learned a great deal.

Answer 2

I am currently a high school student (17-year-old senior) and I think that it is imperative that topics like the holocaust be beaten into our heads!

Yes, the material may be disturbing, but ignoring it wont make it go away!

We are sent to school to expand our minds, and sometimes that means being exposed to objectionable material.  I hate to be cliche, but.....those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it.  

I really don't think it is too disturbing.  How many times do you think the average teenager has seen "Saw" or a comparable gore-ridden movie?  Even if it is shocking, maybe it will be enough to make them think twice about how they treat others....

Hope this helped.

Answer 3

Well I hope teenagers are mature enough for it. It is something that needs to be taught. We read it in 10th grade and it was such a great book. I don't remember the name. It had "Night" in the title, and it was vivid, but a very good book written by a Holocaust survivor.

We also watched "The diary of Anne Frank" in 8th grade. That was sad.

Answer 4

It depends on your population.  I used to teach at a Jewish school.  The adults planned field trips to the Holocaust museum, held ceremonies on days of importance, etc.  They did not encourage using explicit novels about that time period though.  Out of the respect for the families who had been directly impacted, they allowed the parents to choose how and when their children would learn about that horrific time.  

Answer 5

I do think students should read at least one in high school.  As far as being too "mature", have you read any of the Gossip Girls or Twilight series?  These books have many mature topics - just of a different vein.  Also, high school is the time for students to start seeing the world.  Why do we have to give them a "shiny, happy" version of the world when this is not as it really is?  Finally, I know they learn about the Holocaust in middle school - this is not a new, or surprising topic to them.  And, have you seen video games?  These are very violent - students CAN handle these books.   I give my honors students a summer reading choice of Night (one of the books from the short book list - which includes Hiroshima) and Schindler's List (one of the books from the long book list - which includes First They Killed my Father, amongst others). <By the way, imagine all of the book titles are properly italicized, or underlined.>

Answer 6

Actually it is a topic to be discussed most definately in high school. Why not use literature as a way to teach the experience. In fact, I have heard the topic covered in middle school if not introduced in upper elementary school. It isn't a secret and needs to be known worldwide in order not to repeat it.

Answer 7

We teach Night in 10th grade. I think it gives great insight to a very important part of history. High school students should be exposed to this part of history, as they  may not get it anywhere else.

Answer 8

Absolutely!  It is disturbing, of course, but it is disturbing for adults as well.  We need to know of the horrors that have existed (and still exist) so we can try to prevent them from happening again.

Answer 9

yes it should everyone should know the suffers of those people and the suffer of the "enemies" i read one in fifth grade "the diary of ann frank"

Answer 10

In high school?  These days, they are giving students holocaust books to read in elementary school.  I was reading these things by 3rd or 4th grade.  Unless you want to create a fantasy world of rainbows and unicorns for the students, they have to know something about the world, including the history of the last century.  They also need to develop compassion, and hearing about the hardships people have faced is useful in that regard.  High school students are capable of handling a lot.  By their senior year, most of them can vote, and they need to have knowledge of the world and its history in order to do so in an informed manner.

Answer 11

I think it should be read.  We don't want to forget.  

Answer 12

Yes, I think it would be good.

Answer 13

High schoolers are ready for it.  

Answer 14

im in highschool. they told us about this stuff way before. i personally find it so interesting. so yes.

plus if the youth doesnt know history then history will repeat itself right?

because all the adults will die eventually. so the teens not knowing anything about history will become the new adults and not teach the children of there generation about this stuff it will be forgotton eventually. so yeah teach it

Answer 15

As part of a history class, why not?  As long as it is a historical treatment of what happened during the holocaust and not a political rant on current events high school kids are old enough to know what happened.