Culture 6: Inclusive Literature Book Review

 

Culture 6:  Inclusive Literature Book Review

A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Brock, Rose. 2018. HOPE NATION: YA AUTHORS SHARE PERSONAL MOMENTS OF INSPIRATION. New York, NY: Philomel Books. ISBN 9781524741679.

B. PLOT SUMMARY
This book brings together some of the most notable young adult writers of today.  They each share writings that are meant to inspire young people.  Each writing addresses the theme, “Hope is a decision.”

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)
This book is a compilation of writings from a diverse group of authors.  They each bring their own style, life experiences, thoughts, concerns, culture and background to their essay.  The only thing that unites this book is the theme.  “Hope is a decision.”  The editor does a great job of tying these essays together. 

 

Each author brings their unique perspective on hope and in turn inspire.  They utilize specific life experiences to tell a story of inspiration.  Angie Thomas begins her essay by explaining her unique experience with her home state of Mississippi.  She recognizes her frustration and why it exists and also points out that things in her state are not like they were years ago during civil rights.  Progress has been made but she states that far too many Mississippians have trouble letting go of the that past.  She goes on to tell of the story how despite all of this she has hope for things changing.  Nicole Yoon tells a love story.  It details the challenges her and her husband faced early on in their relationship because of their racial differences and ends with why she had hope for the future of her relationship.  Jenny Torres Sanchez tells a story about her dad and why she now has an unshakable belief that things can get better.  These are just a few examples of this uplifting book.

 Although this book is marketed towards young adults because it is full of writings by those who write YA, I as an older adult am also inspired by reading it.  The authors lift their unique voices and share stories that are meaningful and helpful to inspire all.  Every reader can find an essay that resonates with them.  The writings include various subjects like politics, education, travel, rejection, love, racism, perseverance, religion, urology, and family just to name a few.

D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Texas Topaz Reading List Selection

Junior Library Guild Selection

Kirkus Reviews: “A salve when days are bleak.”

Booklist: “This amazing outpouring of strength and honesty offers inspirational personal accounts for every reader who wonders what to do when everything seems impossible.”

School Library Journal:  "An important and inspiring read for thoughtful teens."

E. CONNECTIONS
Students should share their own personal moment of inspiration.

Look for this book comprised of several YA authors:
Giles, Lamar. FRESH INK: AN ANTHOLOGY. ISBN 1524766283

 

 

A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Khan, Hena. 2017. AMINA’S VOICE. New York, NY: Salaam Reads. ISBN 9781481492065.

B. PLOT SUMMARY
Amina is a middle schooler who is finding her voice in the world.  Born of Pakistan Immigrants Amina and her brother are American adolescents and behave as such.  Amina and her family are a part of the small Muslim community in their town.  They are proud of their religion and their way of life.  When their community is threatened Amina finds away to cope and heal by lending the community her voice.

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)
The author interprets the main character’s family to be middle class possibly upper middle class.  The parents work very hard.  The family has everything they need and the children in the family are able to participate in extracurricular activities that require financing.  The author describes their clothing as modern American when they are at work or school, and traditional Muslim when attending Sunday School, complete with the scarves that are worn around the heads.  The family is able to blend into both worlds.  They understand the rules of both and conform.

The author does not describe skin color, but Khan does describe physical attributes like height and hair.  The focus in the story is on the culture of the family.  The family upholds the Muslim celebrations and religious practices as well as blend in American celebrations too like Halloween. 

Both children in the family are very involved in so called American activities.  Amina loves to play the piano and sing.  She loves playing and singing music from the 1960s.  Mustafa loves playing basketball for his school.

The children are learning to read Arabic from the Koran.  They are entered into a competition where they are judged on how well they speak it. The author explains a few Arabic phrases and other phrases in Urdu.  When Baba’s brother comes to visit, he comments that they should stop speaking in English to their children.  He said that the parents should only speak to them in Urdu and ignore them until they speak back in Urdu. It is very important to Thaya Jaan, Baba’s brother that his niece and nephew know the culture of their homeland.

The community values family, friends and religion.  They stick together and help each other.  When an act of violence is committed against the community, and the mosque damaged many in the town regardless of religious affiliation come together and support the Muslim community in their time of need. 

This is an authentically written book that explores many sides to being an American.  Amina and her brother who are born citizens assimilate into the culture while upholding the culture of their parents’ homeland sometimes not by choice.  The parents who are naturalized citizens keep their given names where Soojin Amina’s friend is about to become a naturalized citizen along with her parents.  Soojin’s parents have already taken American names and when Soojin is an official citizen she plans to also take an American name.  Amina does not agree with this.  She thinks that her friend does not have to give up her name to be an American.

There are white Americans in this story.  At first, they appear to be typical school bullies, but Amina soon learns that they are just ignorant in other cultures.  These classmates of hers truly are concerned and care about others.

This story opens up the world of first- and second-generation immigrants.  The reader gets to see how different cultures process the experience.  The author also shows reactions to the cultures from natural born citizens.



D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominee

South Carolina Book Award Nominee

NCTE Charlotte Huck Award Nominee

Publishers Weekly: “Watching Amina literally and figuratively find her voice—bolstered by community, friendship, and discovered inner strength—makes for rewarding reading.”

Booklist: “Written as beautifully as Amina’s voice surely is, this compassionate, timely novel is highly recommended for all libraries.”

Horn Book:  "A relatable portrayal of a tween who wants to fit in, and who’s devoted to her faith even amid her confusion about her family’s varied approaches to it."

E. CONNECTIONS
Think about Soojin and how she is becoming an American citizen.  As a brand-new American citizen, she is going to choose an American name.  If you could rename yourself like Soojin, what name would you choose and why.

The companion book for AMINA’S VOICE:
Khan, Hena. AMINA’S SONG. ISBN 1481492063

 

 

A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Martin, Ann. 2014. RAIN REIGN. New York, NY: Feiwel and Friends. ISBN 9780312643003.

B. PLOT SUMMARY
Rose Howard is a high functioning autistic eleven year old that loves homonyms.  In fact love is not even a strong enough word to describe it.  She is obsessed with thinking of them.  So much so that she names her dog Reign because her dad found the dog in the rain.  Rose’s world consists of her dog, her dad and her uncle.  A storm hits the town and ultimately changes everything.  After the storm, Rose finds herself left standing with only her uncle. 

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)
The story is told from Rose’s point of view.  We see everything through her eyes. This allows the reader to peak into the mind of a child with Asperger’s.  What the reader gets to see is just how very black and white they see the world.  Rose reads the driving manual for the state and so she learns all of the rules of the road.  When she sees people committing driving infractions it upsets her greatly.  She becomes a “back seat driver” of sorts.  She was kicked off the school bus because her correcting the bus driver got to be too much.  The bus driver asked that she be removed.  This also allows the reader to see how smart she is.  An eleven-year-old able to read and comprehend the entire manual.

The author also demonstrates how children with Asperger’s are high functioning and yet have deficits that can be striking.  For example, Rose cooks dinner every night for her and her dad, but she is uncomfortable when there are too many people in the store.  She can complete her homework, but she cannot always figure out the appropriate way to speak to people.  She must use the sentence starters that her aid gives her. 

The author does not give a lot of detail about body types or facial features.  It is clear that Rose’s family are white and that the students and teachers at her school are also white.  Skin color and diversity of culture is not the focus of the story.  The focus is Rose and her determination to live in her world and learn to make the world around her fit into it. 



D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Schneider Family Book Award for Middle School

Josette Frank Award for Older Readers

Dolly Gray Children’s Literature Award

NCTE Charlotte Huck Award

Publishers Weekly: “Newbery Honor author Martin (A Corner of the Universe) is extremely successful in capturing Rose's perspective and personality....”

Booklist: “Simplicity, clarity, and emotional resonance are hallmarks of Rose's first-person narrative, which offers an unflinching view of her world from her perspective . . . A strong story told in a nuanced, highly accessible way.”

The Horn Book: “Rose is a character we root for every step of the way. She is resilient, honest, and, in her own odd way, very perceptive; a most reliable narrator.”

School Library Journal: “Though Rose's story is often heartbreaking, her matter-of-fact narration provides moments of humor. Readers will empathize with Rose, who finds strength and empowerment through her unique way of looking at the world.”

E. CONNECTIONS
Rose Howard loves homonyms.  Think of 10 using the characters rules.  At least two of your homonyms should not be from the book.

Other books about children with disabilities include:
Draper, Sharon. OUT OF MY MIND. ISBN 9781416971702
Lord, Cynthia. RULES. ISBN 0439443822

 

 

A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Pitman, Gayle. 2014. THIS DAY IN JUNE. Washington, DC: Magination Press. ISBN 1433816598.

B. PLOT SUMMARY
This is a children’s picture book that depicts the pride parade and the LGBT community.  The book gives history and back ground of the celebration along with explaining traditions.  This book sheds light on this life style in an appropriate manner for young children.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)
This picture book uses colorful detailed images to capture the celebration of the pride parade.  The pictures show all kinds of people.  Different skin colors, ages, nationalities, genders, hair styles, hair lengths, hair colors, heights, and weights.  All of the people are on one accord celebrating together.  The author states that the book is age appropriate, but I do not think that all of the illustrations are age appropriate. 

The text of the book is very simple.  At the end of the book there is a reading guide that states background information for each page of the book.  There is also a “Note to Parents and Caregivers” section that explains how the book can be used.  Resources are also given in the book.  This book is published by the American Psychological Association. 

The author suggests that the book helps parents and caregivers be proactive in bringing up these issues and conveys acceptance, respect and understanding.  It also provides tips for talking to children about sexual orientation and gender identity in age-appropriate ways.  I agree that this book does just that, but I do not agree that such a book is appropriate for a child as young as four years old. 


D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Stonewall Book Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature

Publishers Weekly: “Pitman, in her first book for children, salutes the LGBT parades that take place across the U.S. in June. Her couplets keep things marching steadily forward, but it’s Litten’s artwork that creates a sense of joyous excitement and showcases the diversity on display.”

School Library Journal: “This beautifully illustrated book is a great addition to a school or personal library to add diversity in a responsible manner without contributing to stereotypes about LGBT people.”

E. CONNECTIONS
Draw a picture of your interpretation of the rainbow flag.

Other children’s picture books that explore gender identity:
Thorn, Theresa. IT FEELS GOOD TO BE YOURSELF: A BOOK ABOUT GENDER IDENTITY. ISBN 1250302951
Sanders, Rob. PRIDE: THE STORY OF HARVEY MILK AND THE RAINBOW FLAG. ISBN 0590465651
Baldacchino, Christine. MORRIS MICKLEWHITE AND THE TANGERINE DRESS. ISBN 1554983479