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...one teacher's attempt to read more books from writers whose voices are typically left out of the literary canon.
...one teacher's attempt to read more books from writers whose voices are typically left out of the literary canon.
FIND MY RECENT REVIEWS HERE
FIND MY RECENT REVIEWS HERE
About Me
About Me
I am a teacher, a writer, a mom, a wife, a daughter, a friend, and a lover of humanity. This project is my attempt to add a tiny crack to the literary canon by spending a year exclusively reading authors that have typically been left out of a tradition dominated by white, cis-gendered, heterosexual males. By doing this work, I hope to broaden my understanding of the world as well as expand my school curriculum and give students the tools to explore literature that helps them see people--from themselves to their neighbors to a stranger halfway around the world--in all of their variegated, enchanting, complex, human glory.
Inspiration
Inspiration
The idea for this blog came to me while reading Ibram X. Kendi's book, How to Be an Antiracist. In it, he defines a racist as "One who is supporting a racist policy through their actions or inaction or expressing a racist idea." This simple definition made me realize that I am a racist. I don't express racist ideas, but my inaction regarding racist policies makes me racist. During my thirteen years teaching, I have over and over taught books by Golding, Orwell, Huxley, and Shakespeare, not thinking about the underlying message I was giving to my students: "These white, cis-gendered, heterosexual men are the custodians of knowledge." From my life experience, I know that this message is inaccurate. This blog is a place where I plan to work on being an antiracist. Here I will review books that reflect the knowledge of the diverse humans that populate our nation and the world. From there, I hope to pull more varied books into my classroom for students to see that knowledge is not held by only a select few.
Some Crackin' Titles
Some Crackin' Titles
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin - First book in a fantasy trilogy that reverberates with themes from the real world: climate change, non-traditional partnerships, gender role reversal.
because they wanted to by Mary Gaitskill - Short stories that explore the difficulties of understanding another human being.
There, There by Tommy Orange - A novel that obliterates the narrow view of Native Americans portrayed in history books and films.
Psalms of The Dining Room by Lauren Schmidt - A collection of poems that lifts up those who have been dehumanized and sings to them.
The Prince of Los Cocuyos by Richard Blanco - A memoir that shows Blanco's Miami childhood as the gay son of Cuban immigrants to be surprisingly relatable.
Running by Cara Hoffman - A novel set in the dirt and sprawl of Athens that shows what truly intimate friendship looks like.
The Beautiful Struggle by Ta-Nehisi Coates - A memoir that records the erratic dips and jumps of teenagerdom, when being cool and understanding the world always feel just out of reach.
Crackin' Titles for Teens
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Ghost by Jason Reynolds
War Girls by Tochi Onyebuchi
Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur
American War by Omar El Akkad
5 to 1 by Holly Bodger
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