Books Offer Young People the Message: You Are Not Alone

by Mary Wimmer

 Image by John Fleissner

“Books are sometimes windows, offering views of worlds that may be real or imagined, familiar or strange…When lighting conditions are just right, however, a window can also be a mirror…Reading, then, becomes a means of self-affirmation, and readers often seek their mirrors in books.”

                                      ― Rudine Sims Bishop

This summer, inspired by the Milwaukee Brewers fourteen-win streak, I revisited the video of my favorite baseball song “Centerfield” by John Fogerty. Years ago, I shared the video with the students in my social emotional learning classes after reading a story about Jackie Robinson. There he was in the video, number 42, wearing his Brooklyn Dodgers baseball cap and the weight of the country’s hopes on his shoulders.

Jackie Robinson, under tremendous pressure as the first black player to play in the major leagues, endured racism and death threats. With strength of character, dignity and talent, he helped the Dodgers win the World Series over the Yankees in 1955. In his life story, my students learned about resilience, a quality educators aim to help students develop because, let’s face it, too many young people are going through tough emotional times.

Three books about Robinson were held from shelves after the passage of a Florida law requiring school district staff to review library books to determine their appropriateness for students. A book doesn’t need to be banned to keep it from the hands of children, according to PEN America, who maintain a list of books they describe as “either completely removed from availability to students, or where access to a book is restricted or diminished, either temporarily or permanently.”

Restrictions through legislation in states like Florida are not the only reason for the increase in banned books. Books are being challenged or banned due to complaints from parents, other individuals or organized groups. These are primarily books about race, racism, equity and social justice, books with LGBTQ+ characters or content, and those with “sexual content,” according to the American Library Association. In one study, researchers found the majority of books on the PEN America 2021-2022 index were written by people of color featuring characters of color.

Jane Addams Book Award Winners

One year, I created a bulletin board honoring Jane Addams book award winners in our elementary school library. The books were beautifully illustrated with well written stories told from diverse perspectives. Jane Addams, a 1931 Nobel Prize winner, worked with the poor and immigrants, promoted peace and helped stop the practice of child labor. Several of the annual book award winners have been challenged or banned, here are just a few: 

In “The Day You Begin,” by Jacqueline Woodson, the opening line states a simple reality. “There will be times when you walk into a room and no-one there is quite like you.” In this picture book, Woodson points out how children may feel like outsiders because of how they speak, what they eat, what they wear, their skin or how their hair curls. Four children learn it is okay to be different. After sharing their stories and getting to know their classmates, the children find joy in having more in common than they’d imagined. Woodson writes in a gentle, poetic voice about acceptance, friendship and celebrating what makes us unique.

Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan, a young adult novel, tells the story of 12-year-old Esperanza, whose father is murdered in Mexico and who travels to the United States seeking safety. She is challenged to take care of her sick mother amidst life threatening working conditions in California during the Great Depression. The story is a window into life in a company farm camp where Esperanza witnesses immigration sweeps and the fight for better working conditions. Based on her grandmother’s life, Munoz Ryan captures how Esperanza is comforted by family and friends, the memory of her father and the traditions of her culture.

Rick by Alex Gino is a middle grade novel about Rick, a 6th grade student seeking information about gender issues and grappling with a best friend who bullies others including the LGBTG+ students Rick is getting to know. In the school’s Rainbow Spectrum club, Rick increases his understanding of various gender identities. Through his relationship with his grandfather, he is helped to break free from his mean-spirited friend and gain new friends and confidence in himself. For LGBTQ2+ youth who consistently report high rates of mental health struggles, this book’s affirmative approach could be a game changer in the life of a young person.

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi is a young adult, nonfiction book tracing racism and antiracism in the United States. With a detailed and at times humorous tone, Jason Reynolds describes historical figures and events beginning in 1415 through modern times including Abraham Lincoln, W.E.B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells, James Baldwin and Martin Luther King Jr. This is an engaging, fast-paced history class adapted for young adults based on Ibram X. Kendi’s National Book Award winning Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America. 

Researchers at Stanford University found that curriculum about individuals and groups’ historical struggles (such as described in “Stamped”), especially those connected to their own cultural and racial background, has been found to increase attendance, grade point average and credits earned for at risk high school students.

I can vouch for the power of learning about history. As a teenager, I read my older brother’s copy of Night by Elie Wiesel, a testament to the importance of speaking out against oppression. I was deeply moved by Wiesel's account of surviving as a Jewish prisoner at Auschwitz and Buchenwald. History became a long-time interest; my favorite teacher to this day is my high school European history teacher.

I dove into learning about my own cultural heritage after my mother died young and I became a parent myself. There I found music, history and literature that connected me to something I found meaningful and, in the process, forged new connections to my mother and our Irish ancestors.

Book bans hurt young people with the effect of reducing the number of diverse books available to recognize themselves in stories and characters. Important learning opportunities may be missed since reading diverse books helps students develop the ability to understand others’ perspectives (empathy) and critical thinking skills. Increasing access to diverse books increases both the number of hours students spend reading and reading assessment scores.

With high numbers of youth reporting mental health challenges and loneliness, young people need access to widely available, culturally responsive, evidence-based therapies. Books cannot take the place of therapy but can help youth understand their experience and recognize that though they may be made to feel like an outsider, they have value, they belong. A sense of belonging is key to academic success and an important protection against negative outcomes such as dropping out of school.

Navigating what books are appropriate for young people at various ages can be difficult for parents. Parents should be encouraged to consult librarians, teachers and other trusted sources when they have questions. An advantage of reading books about sensitive topics is they offer touch points and informal guides for discussion between parents and their children and adolescents, an important endeavor in this world where young people are exposed to so much unfiltered content in social media and online.

As youth struggle to find a sense of safety and identity in an increasingly complex world, access to a broad spectrum of literature is essential. All children and teens benefit from seeing through windows into new worlds and looking into mirrors holding affirmations of their worth.

In “Centerfield,” John Fogerty sings “Put me in coach, I’m ready to play, today.” For young people watching from the bench, books offer the message “you are not alone.” As Hank Aaron wrote “When I was going through the things I had to go through---doubting myself---I knew this was only the tip of the iceberg of what Jackie Robinson had gone through. I said to myself I would be doing him an injustice if I quit. And this gave me the strength to continue.”

Exercise your right to read freely by checking out the Jane Addams book award winners and other banned and challenged books for stories of courage, new ideas, insights from historical events and diverse perspectives.