The annotated book list in this article was inspired by the scramble to concoct a college-prep curriculum for all students. The author begins with recommendations for rereading certain classics for inspiration and perhaps also for descriptions of follies and commentaries on them. Other reading suggestions are also included.

Notwithstanding the First Amendment, book banning is a practice rooted in American history. In 1873, Congress passed the Comstock Law in an effort to legislate public morality. Though rarely enforced, the act remains on the books. A survey by the National School Boards Association found that one-third of challenges to school reading materials in…