When a plane crash leaves a group of school boys stranded on an island with no parental supervision, they must quickly learn to fend for themselves. With a young boy named Ralph in charge, the group quickly decides that getting off the island is the first priority. But as the days wear on with no rescue in sight, fear and discord begins to ripple through the group that has the possibility of destroying them all.

I’ll admit: I’m pretty late to this party. Usually people read Lord of the Flies in high school or even grade school. But, I never had to because it was never assigned in my class. But it’s been on my list for years because I felt that I should probably read it if it’s something that required reading in school.

While I enjoyed the book, Lord of the Flies was not what I was expecting it to be. I was expecting more of a Battle Royale and while toward the end it did become something similar to that, the overall book wasn’t. It’s understandable why it’s a book assigned in schools because it can bring up conversations of the human condition and morals. However, I can also see why some students may not be interested in this book. I think Golding’s writing is not as clear as it could be. For instance, the one aspect that tended to confuse me is the number of boys on the island. While Golding gives names to and focuses on just a handful (around 7 or 8), he makes it sound like there are a lot more (probably closer to 20) on the island then mentioned. I found the best part of the book writing wise to be the ending. Golding set up and described the scene flawlessly, creating a gripping finish for the boys.

Yes, this is a book usually read for school, but I think students who are not assigned it in school should take the time to read it on their own. Then ask them if they were stuck in this situation, how would they handle it?