If I had my way, I would be teaching a YA Lit course that focuses on issues teens face in our world today. Their hard work, dedication, and courage makes a difference in my classroom, in our lives, and slowly but surely, in our community. Fortunately, in the past few years, we have been blessed with the outstanding work of authors such as Nic Stone, Jason Reynolds, Angie Thomas, and Kwame Alexander, to name a few. Reading, to many of them, is viewed as more of a chore than the intended escape, reward, or opportunity for enjoyment, growth, and self-discovery. Would you enjoy reading if you weren't able to connect with the words on the page? I wouldn't. Then, why, you ask? Because there are not enough books of this nature that exist, books that help them see a reflection of themselves and the world they live in, and books that contain characters, such as Justyce, that not only help them see the truth that exists in our world today, but also that offer solutions for possible conflicts they may face. In fact, a large number of them have never completed an entire novel, not just because of the absence of a home library, either. Many of my students did not grow up reading and/or being read to daily. And, I don't mean "need" as in reading one book per year I mean all the time, every day, all year long.
I live for books like this because they are exactly what my students, and our world, needs. This is my 20th year teaching high school Spanish and English Lit & Composition in an urban setting district. Dear Martin by Nic Stone, narrated by Dion Graham is an amazing audiobook for teens and young adults, as well as adults, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, and/or SES.
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