Of Mice and Men

Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, is a book about human nature and companionship. The book follows two men George and Lennie as they work towards their dream of owning an acre of land. George is a quick and shrewd man of which Lennie, a man of tremendous size and the mind of a child, is a polar opposite. They have traveled far together and George always looks after his companion. When they land a job on a ranch, they meet others who become part of their dream to own land, but Lennie's loyal obedience to the things that George has taught him makes trouble for the pair.

This too was a book that was required reading at my high school, but one that I did not enjoy as much as To Kill A Mockingbird. Even though it was a well written story, I felt that I could not connect to any of the characters, which made it hard to dive into the book in the way that I normally do. Even though I can see how this book is a good choice for High School discussion, I do not think that it would be something that I would have read outside of school. It did work well as a discussion piece, and the somewhat controversial nature of the ending led to some great debates and discussions which is something that I do not see come out of all books.

So even though it may not have been my first choice as a personal read, Of Mice and Men is still a good High School or Book Club read because it offers great topics for discussion and debate.