Good Literature vs Good Stories

okay so i had a conversation with my boss about books and it got me thinking..what defines a great writer. Shakespeare was obviously a fantastic writer. However, I dont enjoy reading his plays. this also applies to many of the other novels we are FORCED to read for school. yes they are well written, yet the story is bland. i find myself way more drawn into books that are not written as well, but have a MUCH better plot. so which books are worth reading more? do we learn anything from "true" literature? or is a book simply just a book? merely something to be read and enjoyed.

OUR People

okay so i read this book over christmas break, as i was sick, and in the novel a 12 year old girl was living w/ her 17 year old brother in a crappy apartment barely having enough money to get by. they didnt want to be split apart after their mother died so they ran away. for months they traveled across the u.s to get to ft worth so that they could find her brothers father and maybe live w/ him. so my question is this...how come, after all the places they lived and the people they met, how come no one tried to help them. Why is it that their teachers, neighbors, preacher, and friends didnt try to do something to help them and give them a safe home? why didnt the waitress at the cafe the girl frequented try to do something? how come they had to travel across many states to get to Texas before anyone tried to help them for reasons other than their own personal gain? is our society really so selfish that someone cant help two children?
also in the novel, three kids, two brothers and a sister, (the oldest bein in 3rd grade) didnt go to school, their mother kicked them to the streets all day until it was night, and the only food they got was what they found out of a dumpster. How come no one did anything to help them either. Many people, myself included, dont want to help poor families that rely on the government for support and just sit on their butts all day or have sex w/ whoever their current boyfriend/girlfriend is. However, this got me thinking, we want to break a pattern of lazy people, yet we do nothing to help break that pattern. instead of complaining about the poor, how about WE teach their kids the importance of hardwork. if the parents wont do it, we must. we should not only look out for our own kids, but the kids of those who refuse to look out for them and protect them. i'm tired of seeing parents and their lovers murder a child. i'm sick of the stories about kids being murdered by another gang. lets get them out of the ghettos. lets show them a way of life that is far better than their own. lets quit giving jobs to people who are not from our country, who take jobs away from OUR citizens and give them to the 16 year old kids who need money to help support themselves when their own parents wont do it. If the parents wont teach them, WE should. We want to make a difference in our country, we want it to be strong and good again, well lets invest in something other than trees and animals. lets invest it in our people.