With all the required reading students are asked to complete in the English classes, there is often a mixed bag of books.

Some are considered borderline life changing, while others take cups of coffee (and Sparknotes) to slog through.

Here’s some of the required reading books that have made an impression on me during my three years at Cal.

“The House on Mango Street” by Sandra Cisneros

A vignette style, coming of age debut from Cisneros has something for everyone.

The book follows Esperanza Cordero, a young girl growing up in Chicago, who grows up and makes a life for herself in her own house.

The vignette style shows her life through quick and more poetic snapshots of her life. I thought it was beautiful novel and was a great reflection of how people in oppressed communities can break free from the social restraints that are put on them.

The vignette style writing was so unique and such a good switch up from what students are usually made to read. Cisneros’ prose is just so rhythmic for the story. But I did find the disjointed story structure led to a little confusion.

In the end, Cisneros writes in a way that makes the mundane things feel significant. It is a must read for anyone who has ever felt like they haven’t had a place to fit in.

“Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare

In Verona, Italy, two teenagers from rival families fall in love. Despite a long bloody feud between the two families, the teens marry in secret. This leads to a series of misunderstandings, fights, and a tragic double suicide that unites them in death.

With the way this play is discussed and hyped as a Shakespeare classic, I feel it serves more as a cautionary tale rather than a love story.

Shakespeare’s language is very well studied and considered the gold standard for English literature. But I feel like the romance is rushed as Romeo and Juliet only knew each other for five days.

I did love the supporting cast, as Mercutio stole every scene with his quick wit. The bad part was the pure lack of communication between the two main characters.

“Just Mercy”by Bryan Stevenson

This non-fiction memoir from Stevenson navigates an equal justice initiative that is the most important book on my list.

The main focus is on Walter McMillian, a black man sentenced to die for a murder he did not commit. The book feels like a legal thriller, while adding the weight of being a true story. This aspect of it makes it so much easier to empathize with the characters, and feel that much more connected to them.

The book is very emotionally exhausting, but it is so rewarding to finish. It is nothing short of a call to hope. This is a 10/10 read for anyone who wants to understand the world in which we live.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by William Shakespeare

This is another Shakespeare hit, this time we have a comedy about four confused lovers in a forest.

There’s a troupe of actors and a kingdom of conflicted fairies mixing up everything else. Thanks to Puck, one of the fairies, a love potion gets thrown in the mix and everyone falls in love with the wrong person.

If the drama “Romeo and Juliet” is a dark and rainy day, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is a neon colored fever dream of a story.

I think it is one of Shakespeare’s most accessible works just based on how genuinely funny it is. I loved the pure absurdity it contains, with intertwining love stories and characters acting like complete fools.

But it can be confusing to follow at times. Zone out for a couple of pages and you have absolutely no idea what’s going on.

“The Lord of the Flies”by William Golding

After a plane crash, a group of British school kids get stranded on a deserted island. In an attempt to save themselves, they form their own civilization, which quickly devolves into a huge feud between the main character Ralph, and the violent antagonist, Jack.

There is so much to love about this classic novel. The tension felt after the Beast is introduced is unmatched, and it keeps readers on the edge of their seat the whole time.

I did feel like Golding didn’t give the characters much credit for being decent people, which led to the whole story feeling very cynical. But readers who enjoy “The Hunger Games” should like this novel, even if it’s a more psychological and dark rooted story.

“Born a Crime” by Trever Noah

“Born a Crime” is the most fun I’ve had reading a novel. Noah tells many stories about his upbringing in South Africa during the time of Apartheid. He is the son of a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother, so his whole existence is considered a crime.

This is one of the rare classroom books that makes students laugh out loud. Noah is able to take such a serious and tragic topic and tackle it with such a good comedic timing that seems so effortless.

I loved Noah’s relationship with his mother and feel that she was the true hero of the story. Noah also does a great job with explaining the background of Apartheid. This memoir felt more like a conversation with a best friend rather than a lecture on life, and I love it for that.

“The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Nick Carraway lives in West Egg, a district in Long Island. He’s pulled into the orbit of his neighbor, Jay Gatsby, and gets caught up in his love story. Throughout the novel, the illusions of wealth and love begin to shatter.

Fitzgerald’s writing is like a painting, every sentence is so perfectly crafted. The atmosphere in Gatsby’s world is so immersive readers can feel the bubbles of champagnes and the loud music of the roaring 1920s.

I did find the characters all very shallow, selfish and incredibly one sided. But I feel like that’s the point.

As “The Great Gatsby” is a critique of the American Dream, it still feels so relevant to modern times, relating to influencers of today where it’s all about the aesthetic and not what’s going on underneath the spotlight.

Not every school reading book will become an instant favorite. But with the diversity of books provided to us, one of them is sure to grab your attention.