The Road by Cormac McCarthy

I just finished reading The Road by Cormac McCarthy.

Every high school English class should be reading this novel at some point of their schooling. Today, it is a more important novel than 1984 or Brave New World and it is a more literate piece than many of the classics still being recycled through the current English curriculum.

This book is a masterpiece. The story of a man and a boy describing their journey in a post-apocalyptic world describes no cause, no nation, and promotes no agenda. Readers will have to think about the consequences of destroying civilization.

It is readable by just about anyone who can read rudimentary English. McCarthy is a genius in composing vignettes that are breathtakingly straightforward, expressive, and visionary.

The suspense of the story is gripping and this is the first book that I've read in a long time that has made me want to drop everything else to read more.

Teachers who want to kick start a real conversation about life, responsibility, and survival should seriously put this book on the must-read list.