Would high schoolers like Netherland?

[Katie]

I haven't actually read it yet but, based on the reviews, it seems like it would be a great book to pair with Great Gatsby in my American Lit. class. I'm thinking of altering my curriculum next year, pairing classic novels with contemporary ones. So, while we're at it, any recommendations for books to pair with Scarlet Letter or Huck Finn would be great too.

[Lisa]

Though I loved it, I think definitely not. I think for starters the structure would be too difficult or annoying to them, not to mention the perspective -- wealthy, middle-aged, depresssed, immigrant. It might be a great challenging eye-opener for a handful of them, but unless you're talking AP/college-bound /precocious smarties, a painful slog for most.

[Leonardo]

Agreed with the first response. Unless the reader is advanced enough to also catch exterior references it would be a dull read.
This would be a first year college read; it would be something most high school kids would get lost/irritated on. Also, the flashback is something that is better related to later in life and not one a younger reader would have patience with in the manner presented here.
In high school I compared the original Frankenstein to Ghost Dog, the movie, and the references made in it. Look into that as a possibility. It was both engaging , caught the students' attentions, and incited great discussions among them and between the teacher.

[Samarth]

Would definitely not be a good read for high schoolers.

[Zora]

No. I rated it a 5, thought it brilliant, but unless I were teaching at a top prep school like Andover/Exeter, one of those where the kids arrive speaking three languages and have a passport more marked up than any I'll ever own, I'd pass on this one. No sex or violence, just plenty of complex thinking and cricket in this that makes it unappealing to most teens.

Edit: after thinking, how about Once Upon a River for the Huck Finn? Big Girl Small for Scarlet Letter?

[Summer]

I read it as an honours read in my high school class as a junior. (We paired it with What is the What, a serious combo right there). I really liked it and found it to be great and meaningful and whatnot, but most of my classmates did not understand it. I haven't read The Great Gatsby yet (it's on my schedule to be read for February!) so I couldn't tell you in that respect. But coming from someone who goes to a really literature-heavy school, where even most of the Honours students didn't get it, I would say no, not for high schoolers.

[Stephanie]

A high school student would not have enough life experience to relate to Netherland. Although I understand comparisons to Gatsby (and truly loved the book and writing), Netherland requires more maturity to fully appreciate. Read it, and I think you'll understand.

[Stephanie]

Following up, I think that The Submission would make a wonderful high school read. Simple, elegant writing that presents a moral/political conflict and effectively presents arguments for both sides. Great lessons all the way around that would fuel modern comparisons to SL and Huck Finn.

[Lisa]

I studied this novel in my Masters degree and wrote a paper comparing it to "The English Patient" as both novels attempt to deal with the issue of nationalism and national identity in the aftermath or a global crisis. I think it is very interesting to study these two novels together but I think it is too advanced for high schoolers. I think the issues addressed in "Netherland" are quite complex and are open to many different interpretations. However, I would definitely recommend it in general :)

[Ammar]

I just finished reading The Netherland. I think high-schoolers might find it a little 'over-the-top'. Because the novel is not plot-centered and O'Neill has his own way of writing long winding sentences - which are beautiful; but they might sound tedious to the uninitiated . However, I'd suggest that you should recommend it to students who avidly follow cricket (if you have any). I can assure you that the lovers of the game won't be able to put it down.

[Jed]

No. It is definitely about middle-aged manhood in a way that high-school kids could not relate to. If it is an elite private school, it could be that some very perceptive would be engaged to get insight into their father through it somehow, but unlikely. Mature themes, not sexual, but midlife.

[Johan]

Agree with Lisa and Jed for the reasons they stated. There are books that are more attractive for high schoolers!

[Angela]

If you want to integrate this book into the high school reading curriculum, then you should have the students read "The Great Gatsby" first so they can understand "Netherland." There are connections between the two, especially if you teach both novels around the concept of the transcultural subject.