[DruannB]

As a university English professor, I can offer quite a bit of advice, but I will stick with this. Your son should be reading and you should encourage it. Don't let it go. It is necessary. We deal every day with a new generation that is computer savvy but doesn't read. They struggle in college. Not necessarily because of reading comprehension. It's more a lack of context that they get from reading. Books are where a deeper understanding of various values and cultures are developed. They have a broader understanding of many subject areas. I teach at a private university where 50% of our students came from the top 10% of their classes--schools from around the world. We push our students, and yet are constantly reminded that these brilliant students don't read. Many tell us that there is minimal reading required in high school, even in the AP classes. I made my children read. One loved it. The other thought I was killing him. But when he got to the University of Texas-Austin, he sailed through his English classes, even Shakespeare. There are many high-school suggested reading lists available online. Go for a variety, covering different topics and time periods. Some fiction and some non-fiction. I wouldn't choose Uncle Tom's Cabin, although some schools do teach it. And don't go for strictly popular literature literature, either. No Harry Potter. Some of my favorites, and students' favorites, are A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines and Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. I'm currently teaching Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and Bailey's Cafe by Gloria Naylor. These all score highly with the students, particularly my general education students (not English majors). I hope this helps and I am so thrilled to see a parent who cares. I wish there were more of you out there.