POIGNANT PAGE-TURNERS

by Chris Yoo

PAGE-TURNERS

Diverse readings to contemplate and enjoy

Diversity is a big part of what makes the country, and the world, vibrant and distinct. There are many different cultures, religions, and unique stories that shape our experience. No single book can fully capture the diversity that the place we live in contains, but they each encompass specific aspects of the human experience. A majority of the common literature that students are exposed to mainly includes similar experiences of cultural, religious, or sexual identity. The following books are selected to reflect the perspectives of authors and stories with backgrounds that differ from the classics.

by Adam Silvera

“They Both Die at the End” revolves around the concept of a company called Death-Cast, which can predict when people will die. The main character is Mateo, a teenager living in New York City that has been told by Death-Cast that he has less than 24 hours to live. He meets Rufus, another teen with the same predicament, and they become close friends. They gradually build a loving relationship with each other in the time that they have. Silvera delves into topics Author Spotlight

like death, sexuality, and the meaning of life, and has several subplots intertwined with the main one that brings even more insight into the author’s thoughts.

by Rudolfo Anaya

“Bless Me, Ultima” is a semi autobiographical book that centers around the author’s transformation as a child to the cultural and spiritual changes around him. The story is told from the perspective of Antonio Márez y Luna, also known as Tony. Tony recounts his younger years and reflects on them as an adult. Ultima refers to a curandera (native healer) that his family houses. Tony is conflicted by Ultima’s native Latin American beliefs and his mother’s wish for him to be a Roman Catholic priest. The book talks about growing up in periods of transition, as well as culture and tradition in such times. Anaya integrates a multitude of traditional Latin American images and references into the story.

by Jhumpa Lahiri

“The Namesake” starts out with Ashoke and Ashima Ganguli, who are Bengali immigrants that moved to Massachusetts from India. They have a son with the “pet name” of Gogol, after Nikolai Gogol, and a “good name” of Nikhil. Nikhil originally prefers his pet name, which has a deep meaning that his parents fail to tell him, but starts changing his mind in an attempt to become more American. This puts a strain on his relationship with his parents, as he grows resentful of his culture and becomes sensitive to mentions of it. The Namesake tells the story of resenting and embracing culture, something familiar to far too many people that immigrated to other nations.

by Min Jin Lee

“Pachinko” follows Sunja, the daughter of Hoonie, a man with a cleft foot, and Yangjin, the daughter of a poor farmer. Sunja becomes pregnant, and this threatens to bring disgrace on her and her family. Sunja gets a lucky break when she is given the opportunity to marry a minister, Isak, and flee to Japan. However, when she arrives in Japan, she finds out that Korean people are not treated well there, and things get even worse as World War II begins. The main themes in Pachinko are power, racism, and stereotypes. It offers a historical look at how these themes might have developed in earlier times.

by Riya Jones

Schools need greater diversity of literary voices in their students’ required reading lists AN ARRAY OF AUTHORS

How many times have you heard high-schoolers lament the ubiquity of old, white, straight, male authors and viewpoints in the classics? Students often have trouble connecting to the works they encounter in English class, and a large part of this disconnect is due to the fact that required books aren’t indicative of the journeys and struggles experienced by many students, particularly in relation to race, sexuality, and gender.

One of the best ways to simultaneously increase diversity in required reading lists and boost student engagement is to incorporate student choice into book selection. If teachers take time at the beginning of the year to gauge student interest in a list of works that fit the course and make an effort to include students in the conversation about required reading lists, this can give students a greater sense of agency in their learning. This will also give voices to students who do not feel represented in the typical western canon.

Another way teachers can increase the breadth of authors offered for study is to incorporate small reading groups into their classes. If students have some level of individual choice in which authors and themes they wish to explore, this can also improve classroom engagement. Of course, not every title assigned by teachers has to be student chosen. Many students had valuable experiences reading novels they were assigned in class and would have never otherwise chosen. However, incorporating student voices to some degree in the creation of required reading lists, rather than leaving the process of choosing texts a mystery, could better reflect the lived experiences of a diverse student body and show students that they, too, have a say in what constitutes great literature.

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