Books I Hope My Son Will Read
This list is a work in progress. I expect much to be added and some to be removed.
Elementary School Years
- There’s No Such Thing as a Dragon by Jack Kent - Big problems are small if you don’t ignore them.
- Oh, The Places You Will Go by Dr. Seuss - Pursue you dreams, overcome obstacles.
- Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie - Growing up is a necessary part of life.
- The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein - Through sacrifice we find meaning.
- The Tuttle Twins (12 Book Series) by Connor Boyack - Life. Liberty. Property.
- Hatchet by Gary Paulsen - That manly desire to carve out life from wilderness and chaos.
- My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George - Do dangerous things, carefully.
- The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain - Go. Do.
- The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis - Redemption and salvation.
Middle School Years
- The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien - Courage. Loyalty. Determination. Wisdom. Beware the dangers of greed and selfishness.
- Lord of the Flies by William Golding - Natural man is a savage. Power and fear corrupt absolutely.
- Brave New World by Aldous Huxley - Be aware of the power of technology to control and manipulate human behavior. Don’t sacrifice liberty and autonomy.
High School Years
- The Book of Mormon - The roots of the family culture you inherited. It will make your mom happy.
- Atlas Shrugged - Glorification of the best within us. Pride in producing.
- The Odyssey - Leave home. Pursue glory. Come back. Redeem the fallen.
College Years
- Human Action - The most significant book on the economics of liberty you will ever own.
- The Book of Mormon - Again. This time with purpose. Find out if it is true.
Family Building Years
- Parent Effectiveness Training - You’re a rookie. We all are.
- Dumbing Us Down: the Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling - The leviathan stole so much tradition from us.
- The Book of Mormon - Again. Because everything changes with a family.