It's not easy being a boy.

Author: Zeng Xida
Publisher:
Publish Date: April 1, 2001
Features: Society is full of potential acupoints. Some seemingly important things are actually not; conversely, some seemingly unimportant things are actually quite significant. For example, extracurricular reading for middle school students may appear to be a minor matter at first glance, but upon closer reflection, it relates to the intellectual and personality structure of the younger generation, which in turn affects the prospects of social and cultural transformation—a small thing with great significance. As a result, for a long time, many cultural thinkers have been concerned about this issue, with some even taking action to create essential reading lists for young people. It has been proven that it was precisely the extracurricular reading of countless young people in the past that enriched history beyond professional actions and facilitated broad communication beyond various boundaries. However, everyone can see that by today, middle school students' extracurricular reading has encountered a genuine dilemma.
On one hand, with the acceleration of social development, the close comparison of various civilizations has become increasingly severe, and the responsibility of reviving Chinese civilization has inescapably fallen on this and the next generation. Therefore, improving the comprehensive cultural literacy of today's middle school students is urgent, and the importance of extracurricular reading is once again strongly highlighted. On the other hand, the cultural information of ancient and modern, domestic and foreign, that today's middle school students face is hundreds of times more than what their predecessors encountered, and it continues to expand rapidly at a high speed. Even if they study diligently for years as their predecessors advocated, they can only touch the edges of some small corners, and it is still unknown whether these corners are important. Modern life itself poses strong temptations to them, and these aspects are also worth careful interpretation. As a result, both teachers, parents, and the students themselves have felt anxiety and helplessness.
Therefore, many cultural figures want to make a difference. One approach is to gather the judgment and selection abilities of seasoned wisdom to provide middle school students with a preliminary scope for extracurricular reading. The professional expertise of these seasoned individuals varies, thus forming a convergence of expert perspectives. This perspective is then transformed into a systematic reading recommendation to help middle school students avoid blindly searching in the "blind men touching an elephant" style.
The "Excellence Collection for Middle School Students' Extracurricular Reading," edited and published by Guangxi People's Publishing House, has made a commendable effort in this regard. The series is divided into two main parts: traditional culture and modern life, forming a rough balance. Within the traditional culture section, it is further divided into two approaches: one is to select and provide summaries of literary works from ancient and modern China and the world for longer masterpieces; the other is to offer guided introductions and analyses of various art and science disciplines, striving for concise, accurate content and clear, fluent writing. I think such a design is quite ingenious. Regarding the modern life section, I haven't read it yet, but the outline suggests it aims to be relevant to the actual lives of contemporary middle school students.
The content of this section may have been more challenging to compile than the traditional culture section, as it lacks the filtering of time and professional discernment. However, someone must attempt it—according to what I know, encyclopedias for children published internationally do not shy away from such content.
Overall, this series, through its structure, portrays the image of a new generation of readers. They should have broad perspectives, extensive knowledge, open minds, and healthy personalities, capable of selecting and engaging with the cultural achievements of ancient and modern times. Then, they can contribute to the creation of the new century. This is an exciting blueprint for personality development. It is a heartfelt aspiration for the future of cultural construction.
Regardless of how many troubles we may encounter during this period of social transformation, we still uphold a simple principle: only through construction can there be hope.