I think they assign certain books in school because nobody would bother reading them otherwise. The Great Gatsby was slightly less annoying than The Canterbury Tales, but then, so is a root canal.

I learned to love books before I was old enough to start school, and I've loved reading my entire life, but high-school really did almost cure me of it. I didn't really get back into the habit of reading for pleasure until later in my 20's, after college.