<p>My 15 year old daughter could pass for Elle Wood (from Legally Blonde)…beautiful, very bright, not a reader, has no particular intellectual interests, not interested in politics, loves America’s Next Top Model.</p>
<p>Next year she’s taking a blocked World History/English GT class where they each have to write a major paper (in excess of 50 pages) on a philosopher. “Philosopher” is loosly defined as anyone who has written anything (including songs, poems, etc.) that expresses ideas and a point of view. My son took the same class last year; he wrote about Dante. He loves Dante. My daughter wouldn’t read Dante if a gun was put to her head.</p>
<p>Please give me some idea of authors, poets, essayists that might just spark some intellectual light in my daughter’s pretty little head.</p>
<p>Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder is a young-adult novel that has a fabulous overview of the history of philosophy. It got me very interested in philosophy, even though I don’t want to pursue it in college or anything.</p>
<p>Funny you mentioned Sophie’s World. It’s on the required reading list for that class already…it’s the only book on the list that my son hated when he took the class!</p>
<p>How about “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure” ? Seriously, I thought it was totally pro-education/life of the mind. </p>
<p>For that matter, there are philosophers mentioned in Legally Blonde (love that film!). She might find her interest caught by something more visual (film, tv; unfortunately no specific inspiration is springing to mind).</p>
<p>My eager reader 9th grader is hating Sophie’s World.</p>
<p>I would not have predicted this, but my daughter really enjoyed learning about Betty Friedan. They read a biography of Betty Friedan in one of her classes last year. The mental image of what most women’s lives were like in the 50’s (when there were job listings in the newpaper “jobs for men” and “jobs for women”) was pretty interesting to her. [The</a> Feminine Mystique - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Feminine_Mystique]The”>The Feminine Mystique - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>There would be a lot of material available for a 50-page paper, and it’s more contemporary than Dante or well-known philosophers.</p>
<p>(I’m also the mother of a tall blonde who is not especially interested in political discussions or arguments and likes America’s Next Top Model.)</p>
<p>I liked the first half of Sophie’s World and then it got more and more boring as it got more and more didactic about the philosophy. (And the ending was just plain weird.) Unfortunately I seem to be allergic to philosophy, I’ve tried to expose myself to the basics several times. Bertrand Russell’s History of Western Philosophy put me to sleep for a couple of months as I slogged through it.</p>
<p>Some thoughts - how about exploring some ideas via science fiction? Ursula LeGuin has several novels that explore ideas. The Telling and *Four Ways to Forgiveness *are two novels that might lend themselves as well as older classics like Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed. LeGuin also writes a lot of essays about her thoughts about her writing. </p>
<p>Orson Scott Card is another sci-fi author who explores ideas and often uses his books as a sneaky way to think about religion. </p>
<p>Speaking of religion - the Canadian sci-fi author has some interesting books I particularly enjoyed Calculating God and his Neanderthal trilogy.</p>
<p>Lots of high schoolers like the existentialists. Sartre and Camus are very readable. I really liked The Plague by Camus.</p>
<p>And of course many kids go through their Ayn Rand phase. :)</p>
<p>Adding: I second the idea of reading early feminists like Betty Friedan. Very enjoyable.</p>
<p>If writing songs counts, how about John Lennon (or doesn’t she like the Beatles)? Bob Dylan? Stephen Sondheim? </p>
<p>JK Rowling?
Lewis Carroll?
Jodi Picoult?</p>
<p>Do TV shows or movies count? If so, you’ve got the Star Trek universe (any of the series except, I think, Enterprise); *Battlestar Galactica<a href=“the%20new%20one”>/I</a>; Stargate and Stargate SG-1; West Wing.</p>
<p>Your d may be getting “stuck” with the word “philosophy” - I know that would have sent me running screaming into the night. But if she can get away from that word, and consider just “viewpoint”, it may make it easier.</p>
<p>I was actually thinking of musical comedy, but can’t really think of anyone whose body of work expresses a pretty consistent point of view (other than entertainment.) I wonder about Fred Ebb (Chicago, Cabaret, etc.)?</p>
<p>She may be able to find a “point of view” by looking at what Sondheim chooses to write: musicals about murderous barbers (Sweeney Todd), presidential assassins (Assassins), disfigured women searching for love (Passion). He writes beautifully for women, and does show a point of view with them and about them (for instance, in A Little Night Music and Passion). He also writes with a point of view about relationships (Company, Night Music) I know that there are several books analyzing his work and the consistencies that flow through it.
See, for example,[Stephen</a> Sondheim Stage: Sweeney Todd - Some Ethical Perspectives](<a href=“http://www.sondheim.com/shows/essay/sweeney.html]Stephen”>Stephen Sondheim Stage: Sweeney Todd - Some Ethical Perspectives) or </p>
<p>One Hundred Years of Solitude is by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It’s a wonderful book, but not one I would recommend to a non-reader. (His other masterpiece, Love in the Time of Cholera, may have aged somewhat better, too.)</p>
<p>Mathmom’s suggestion of Ursula K. LeGuin is pretty good. LeGuin has written a lot, but three or four of her books stand out for idea content: The Dispossessed (essentially an allegory of democratic capitalism vs. state socialism vs. pure communism), The Left Hand of Darkness (gender roles, and feudalism vs. socialism), Always Coming Home (narrative, anthropology, culture, gender roles, social organization), and The Tombs of Atuan (gender, religion in society).</p>
<p>Another author who is full of ideas and who has snagged many a reluctant reader over the years is Kurt Vonnegut.</p>
<p>My son (not so much my daughter) really likes Neil Gaiman’s blend of fantasy and science fiction. Also Kage Baker (a woman) – and one of my former partner swears by her, too.</p>
<p>Then, of course, there’s Mr. Reliable Dead White Man: Shakespeare. Not easy reading, but short. And you can watch the movie – in many cases several versions – and have a better sense of how it plays. And there is lots (and lots and lots) of great secondary material to give you ideas and to help you appreciate what you’re reading.</p>
<p>Margaret Atwood-- Canadian author and novelist. </p>
<p>I found The Handmaid’s Tale and *Oryx and Crake *to be very engaging. HT is taught at the college level (and in some HS’s), but has a strong feminist slant and is anti-religion. There is a lot of secondary reference materials that examine these two works. O&C takes a look at genetics and bioengineering gone amuck.</p>
<p>These are NOT more of the same that she may have been exposed to in North Texas public school. You might want to read some reviews to make sure you are OK with these two novels.</p>
<p>re post 15 Carabet is an Adaptation of I am the Camera by Christopher Isherwood. It might be a great hook to show her the film then have her read his book then explore other Isherwood titles.</p>
Seriously, I thought it was totally pro-education/life of the mind. </p>