Although adult readers may savor the chance to choose from a wide range of things to read, experiment with different genres, and discover exciting books on their own, high school students' reading choices in school are generally narrowed to a few standard classic novels, Gilmore argues. The list of recommended "good" books that most high schools require has changed little since 1928. This limits students' ability to read critically, learn about both high- and low-quality writing in various genres, and compare texts. It likely contributes to the fact that young adults read less for pleasure than people of other age groups; adolescents get the message in school that only a narrow range of texts are worthy of reading and discussing. While acknowledging the value of the traditional canon, Gilmore argues for giving secondary students greater choice in what kinds of books they read in school. He provides both examples of how several schools do give students more leeway to choose their in-school reading and suggestions for how teachers can make reading choice work in the constraints of typical language arts classes, including linking texts to academic disciplines to encourage reading in the content areas. (Contains 1 endnote.)