8. Lord of the Flies

Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: Paragon Books, 1954. Text

Annotation: "Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!"

Recommendation: Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a classic novel.  The story is superbly put together, full of adventure, violence and triumph.  The messages within the novel are even more compelling as they focus on society and the problems that occur when structure is broken down.  The writing can be tricky at first for some YA readers which may cause it to be a slow start, however once the story gets going, the writing becomes easier.  There are many layered meanings to characters and objects found within to look for.  Some of the symbolic meanings can be tricky to find, but once they are caught they make the story that much better.
The story centers around a group of boys stuck on an island, trying to recreate society, as well as get rescued.  The overall message of the book has to do with the order within society and what happens when that order is taken away.  These are powerful topics that are at times hard to deliver to YA readers, however by using boys who are the same age as many YA readers, there is an easier correlation for readers.  The boys are also very real characters.  They have raw emotions that are played out vividly in a situation that has left them all vulnerable.  At times, teens will be able to relate to the hierarchical role of teenage popularity when reading about these boys as they try to find a leader as well as a scapegoat.
The novel has been banned in many schools and libraries due to the themes and violence within the story.  However, these factors are what makes the novel as important as it is.  It is through the violence that the themes are most strongly represented.  Overall, this is an amazing novel that should be read by all.
Genre: Challenged or Censored Title