The best books are the ones that simultaneously ask us to reflect upon ourselves while also urging us to learn about the lives of others. Chapter four of Teaching Young Adult Literature Today by Judith A. Hayn and Jeffrey S. Kaplan(2012) explains why many young adults lose their love of reading as they enter middle and high school classrooms. The chapter titled “Identifying Obstacles and Garnering Support,” names many of the same causes for disinterested readers as the video by Penny Kittle entitled “Why Students Don’t Read What’s Assigned in Class.” Some of these obstacles are familiar in the sense that they mirror many of the high school experiences of my friends. Hayn and Kaplan (2012) explain, “…Researchers asserted the need for adolescents to feel connected to what they are reading”(p.74). So many of the books taught in my high school were unrelatable for students. Hayn and Kaplan(2012) discuss the reading of classics in high school such as The Crucible. This was a text read in my own tenth grade English class that did not interest my peers. However, when we were able to choose what books to read, like the students in Penny Kittle’s video, our class discussions were livelier and students actually completed the required reading for homework.
One of the best options for reading material in a young adult English class described in Hayn and Kaplan’s book would be a classic that is also relatable to young adults. In this way, the curriculum would continue to offer the required classics that would appear on standardized tests while also helping students maintain an interest in the reading. One such book that I have read so far this semester is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. This classic is also relatable because Francie, the main character, endures everyday challenges along with the struggle of poverty and losing her father. Francie’s loneliness and longing for a friend would be relatable to young adults now who feel lonely even when they are surrounded by social media and connected through cell phones. Smith’s writing transcends time and continues to be relevant to the lives of young adults today.
While reading Developing Library Collections for Today’s Young Adults by Amy S. Pattee (2014), I was reminded of the importance of diverse collections. In order for young adults to relate to texts, those texts must be as diverse as the young adult readers. Pattee (2014) writes, “By emphasizing the ‘needs, interests and abilities’ of the young adult community served by the library’s young adult collection and by noting that these ‘needs, interests and abilities’ reflect ‘a diversity of political, economic, religious, social, minority, and sexual issues,’ a library’s policy becomes a statement of advocacy for the needs and interests of the library’s…population”(p. 33). Thinking of the library as an institution of advocacy for diverse voices is both exciting and hopeful. Diverse stories and tools must be available to young adults if they are to grow into conscious, informed citizens.
The book I have chosen for my reading log that promotes diversity is A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea: The Journey of Doaa Al Zamel by Melissa Fleming(2017). This novel tells the true story of Doaa Al Zamel’s life as a Syrian refugee. Doaa and her family leave Syria after being confronted with violence and war at the hands of the government. However, once in Egypt, Doaa and her fiancé Bassem decide to travel to Europe by way of a smuggler’s boat. After a shipwreck, Doaa is stranding at sea for four days and her fiancé tragically drowns. Doaa’s story is one of courage and strength. Young adults should be encouraged to read Doaa’s story because it will open their eyes to the struggles of others all over the world. Doaa is a young adult who shares many of the same challenges as American young adults. She wants to get an education and be happy, making Doaa relatable to readers. However, she also faces tremendous pain and suffering, which shows young adults the power of the human spirit.
Here is a video of Doaa speaking on behalf of refugees at an award ceremony:
Doaa is speaking out because she wants others to know her story. Just as Pattee argues a library should be an advocate for diversity, Doaa argues that the Syrian refugee crisis deserves recognition and that people in power need to help refugees. I would not have known Doaa’s story had it not been for the shelf of new books being featured in the young adult section of my library. As a future librarian, I would encourage patrons to read books like A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea because reading diverse books is one of the most effective ways of building empathy in ourselves. I would also encourage book talks about this book to continue discussion of issues some people may think have already been solved but remain problematic, such as the Syrian refugee crisis, which is no longer covered by the main stream media but continues to affect thousands of lives.
In these ways, the readings assigned for this class thus far have impacted my view on library collections for young adults. I am now more certain that young adult collections, as well as literature in classrooms, must be relatable to young adults while also expanding their knowledge of people different from themselves. Only by reading diverse books will young adults gain a greater understanding of what it means to walk in another person’s shoes.
References
Fleming, M.(2017). A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea. New York, NY: Flatiron Books.
Hayn, J. & Kaplan, J. S. (2012). Teaching Young Adult Literature Today. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
OFID.(2016 June 16). OFID Annual Award Winner: Doaa al Zamel. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/RvtMiE3fKjY.
Pattee, A. S. (2014). Developing Library Collections for Today’s Young Adults. Lanham, MD: The Scarecrow Press.
Smith, B.(1943). A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. New York, NY:HarperCollins.