Replace or Supplement the Canon with a Diverse Curriculum

The national uprising and protests over the recent racially-motivated murders have caused many to take a step back and evaluate parts of their life that may hold the most bias. For many, this is not something new, and for others, it's the first time they've engaged in social action. As teachers, we have an obligation to educate the youth in a whole and diverse way, not just through the lens of white historians and authors. Many teachers are accepting the role they play in these social injustices and are now working to diversify their curriculum to act as true windows and mirrors for their students. One piece of information that I recently learned in relation to the educational buzz word *DIVERSITY*: a book that has a BIPOC or LGBTQ+ character is not diverse - Diversity comes from an array of viewpoints represented in one larger piece. In our case teachers, that is our curriculum and classroom libraries. I have been at fault for using this word inappropriately in the past. So, please join me in using this word in a proper way in the future. Diversity comes in the form of race, gender, identity, sexuality, religion, age, and more. Please remember that having Black authors in your library doesn't automatically make it diverse. Do you have indigenous authors? Queer authors? Do the characters in the books reflect our diverse world?

More work needs to be done with these texts to actually promote anti-bias/anti-racism (ABAR) in your classroom: deep discussions, self-realizations, research, attitude shifting, bias recognition, and identity discovery. It is not enough to simply teach a diverse curriculum and expect all students to acquire ABAR attitudes. I have listed helpful resources at the bottom to help you learn more.

Below each popular 7-12 text is a list of texts that could be used to supplement or exchange to increase diversity and inclusivity. I've also included topics/articles that could enhance a discussion on various aspects of identity [race, gender, etc.] I will continue to add to this resource as I come across more texts and receive more suggestions. Final note, just because I put it under one text, doesn't mean that it can't pair with another.

Poe Short Stories (Horror)

• "Ghosts of August" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez: A family visits a castle, not planning, to spend the night, but when they do, they awake to a gruesome sight.

• 'El Almohadón de Plumas' ("The Feather Pillow") by Horacio Quiroga: A newlywed couple moves into a new house, and the wife becomes ill. Her death is no coincidence.

• Vanity Fair article about Mexican Folklore: La Llorona

• "Mexico's Most Famous Ghost Stories" listacle

• "House Taken Over" by Julio Cortazar: It tells the story of a brother and sister living together in their ancestral home which is being "taken over" by unknown entities. (@ashleyyearsley)

• The Dark-Thirty by Patricia C McKissak: a children's thriller book, filled with ten tales of supernatural activity occurring throughout times of slavery and civil rights in the south. (@biblioteach)

• The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Woa by Juna Diaz [novel]: Oscar dreams of becoming the Dominican J. R. R. Tolkien and, most of all, of finding love. But he may never get what he wants, thanks to the fukú – the curse that has haunted the Oscar's family for generations, dooming them to prison, torture, tragic accidents, and, above all, ill-starred love. (@i.c.c.b_1082)

• His Hideous Heart: Thirteen of Edgar Allan Poe’s Most Unsettling Stories Reimagined Short Story anthology by a diverse group of authors.

Bradbury/Vonnegut Short Stories (SciFi)

• Octavia's Brood [anthology] edited by Adrienne Maree Brown and Walidah Imarisha: Science fiction stories for social justice movements (@bridget_elizabeth318)

• "Diversity in Sci-Fi: Why Representation Matters" by Boston Public Library

• "Cloud Dragon Skies" by N.K. Jemisin: The main character, Nahautu, has spent most of her life on an Earth much different than the one we live on today. She states that the sky turned from blue to “a pale, blushing rose” one morning when she was a child. The behavior of the clouds changed as well. She refers to the clouds as “dragons”. Many of Earth’s previous inhabitants and their descendants live on the asteroid belt beyond Mars. A visit from a group of these “sky people” changes the course of Nahautu’s life.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

• Watch the updated storyline and diverse cast in the newest movie

• The Verge Article: "TikTok pledges to promote black creators after accusations of censorship"

• The Guardian Article: "Sunrise was called out for disgraceful reporting on Indigenous children. That's not censorship"

• "The Censors" by Luisa Valenzuela: Juan is a young man living in Argentina under the control of an authoritarian government. At the beginning of the story, he writes and mails a letter to a woman he loves named Mariana. However, he quickly begins worrying about what the censors will think about the contents of his letter. (@poweredbylit)

"Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes

• "Plus One" by Karuna Riazi [found in the Unbroken anthology]: A girl imagines her anxiety as something that is attached to her and that everyone can see. During the short story, she takes her pilgrimage to Mecca. Subjects: anxiety, Muslim faith, overcoming fear.

• "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker: The story follows the differences between Mrs. Johnson and her shy younger daughter Maggie, who both still adhere to traditional black culture in the rural South, and her educated, successful daughter Dee, or "Wangero" as she prefers to be called, who takes a different route to reclaim her cultural identity. (@laurapvaughn)

• Ghost by Jason Reynolds: follows seventh-grader Castle “Ghost” Cranshaw as he joins a track team and struggles to deal with his past and his present. (@sammyyyrose)

• "Before and After" by Libba Bray [found in the Hope Nation anthology]: This tells Bray's experience with losing her eye after a serious car accident. She navigates her disability and what it means to have hope.

• The Guardian article: "Sandra Bland, Eric Garner, Freddie Gray: the toll of police violence on disabled Americans"

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

• Scorpions by Walter Dean Myers: The book tells the story of twelve-year-old Jamal Hicks, an African American boy who is pressured into joining a Harlem street gang.(also recommended by @munafoxreads)

• Things Get Hectic Edited by Philip Kay, Al Desetta, and Andrea Estepa: Stories from teens about the violence they've experienced and witnessed in their lives.

• Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds: It's a novel in free verse that tells the story of an African American teen boy at a crossroads. Determined to avenge his 19-year-old brother's death, Will, age 15, takes his brother's gun out of their shared bedroom to kill the person he's certain is the murderer, but it's a long way down in the elevator. (@gina_mac115 and @jessflawrence) *[Graphic Novel coming in October!]*

• The Skin I'm In by Sharon G. Flake: Maleeka suffers every day from the taunts of the other kids in her class. If they're not getting at her about her homemade clothes or her good grades, it's about her dark, black skin. (@laurapvaughan and @jessflawrence)

• All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendon Kielly: two teens—one black, one white—grapple with the repercussions of a single violent act that leaves their school, their community, and, ultimately, the country bitterly divided by racial tension. (@michelle.loves.books)

• Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson: It all starts when six kids have to meet for a weekly chat--by themselves, with no adults to listen in. There, in the room they soon dub the ARTT Room (short for "A Room to Talk"), they discover it's safe to talk about what's bothering them--everything from Esteban's father's deportation and Haley's father's incarceration to Amari's fears of racial profiling and Ashton's adjustment to his changing family fortunes. When the six are together, they can express the feelings and fears they have to hide from the rest of the world. And together, they can grow braver and more ready for the rest of their lives. (@jessflawrence)

• Ghost by Jason Reynolds: follows seventh-grader Castle “Ghost” Cranshaw as he joins a track team and struggles to deal with his past and his present. (@molly.teaches.the.middle)

• Locomotion by Jacquline Woodson: When Lonnie was seven years old, his parents died in a fire. Now he's eleven, and he still misses them terribly. And he misses his little sister, Lili, who was put into a different foster home because "not a lot of people want boys-not foster boys that ain't babies." But Lonnie hasn't given up. His foster mother, Miss Edna, is growing on him. She's already raised two sons and she seems to know what makes them tick. And his teacher, Ms. Marcus, is showing him ways to put his jumbled feelings on paper. (@stroupy)

• TedTalk: I was an MS-13 gang member. Here's how I got out. | Gerardo Lopez

• "Text to Text: ‘The Outsiders’ and ‘Bored, Broke and Armed’" New York Times lesson

• West Side Story (Musical/Film): The story is set in the Upper West Side neighborhood in New York City in the mid 1950s, a multiracial, blue-collar neighborhood. The musical explores the rivalry between the Jets and the Sharks, two teenage street gangs of different ethnic backgrounds.

• The Outside Circle: A Graphic Novel by Patti LaBoucane-Benson: In this important graphic novel, two Aboriginal brothers surrounded by poverty, drug abuse, and gang violence, try to overcome centuries of historic trauma in very different ways to bring about positive change in their lives.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

• Children of Blood & Bone by Tomi Adeyemi: follows heroine Zélie Adebola as she attempts to restore magic to the kingdom of Orïsha, following the ruling class kosidáns' brutal suppression of the class of magic practitioners Zélie belongs to, the maji. (@mrscgatmrg)

• "The Censors" by Luisa Valenzuela: Juan is a young man living in Argentina under the control of an authoritarian government. At the beginning of the story, he writes and mails a letter to a woman he loves named Mariana. However, he quickly begins worrying about what the censors will think about the contents of his letter. (@poweredbylit)

• More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera: After the death of his father by suicide, Aaron Soto finds it difficult to carry on. His mom and his girlfriend Genevieve help, but his grief still overwhelms him. Even worse, his new friend Thomas seems to awaken feelings that he can’t get rid of, no matter how hard he tries. A new procedure from the Leteo Institute claims to erase unwanted memories. As Aaron gets closer with Thomas, he considers undergoing the surgery—even if it would mean losing an inherent part of himself forever.

• The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline: The story is set in a dystopian future in which most people have lost the ability to dream, with catastrophic psychological results. Indigenous people, who can still dream, are hunted for their marrow to create a serum to treat others.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

• A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park: begins as two stories, told in alternating sections, about a girl in Sudan in 2008 and a boy in Sudan in 1985. The girl, Nya, is fetching water from a pond that is two hours” walk from her home: she makes two trips to the pond every day. The boy, Salva, becomes one of the "lost boys" of Sudan, refugees who cover the African continent on foot as they search for their families and for a safe place to stay. (@middleschoolforever)

• Damselfly by Chandra Prasad: Samantha Mishra opens her eyes and discovers she's alone and injured in the thick of a jungle. She has no idea where she is, or what happened to the plane taking her and the rest of the Drake Rosemont fencing team across the Pacific for a tournament. Once Sam connects with her best friend, Mel, and they find the others, they set up shelter and hope for rescue. But as the days pass, the teens realize they're on their own, stranded on an island with a mysterious presence that taunts and threatens them. Soon Sam and her companions discover they need to survive more than the jungle... they need to survive each other. (@poweredbylit)

• Beauty Queens by Libba Bray: When a plane full of teenage beauty queens crash lands on a deserted island, the young women find themselves in a situation that no Miss Teen Dream has ever faced before: a simple struggle for survival.

• "Disrupting Lord of the Flies" by Tricia Ebarvia

Macbeth by William Shakespeare

• BBC Article: "Orson Welles’ Voodoo Macbeth: A forgotten diversity landmark" Could lead to a great discussion on black actors in Shakespearean theatre, race relations during the time of production, and stereotyping within the theatre community.

• Michael Fassbender: “‘Macbeth’ has Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder” (@bridgetelizabeth318 recommended discussing the mental health topics in Macbeth to link to students' experiences)

• Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds: It's a novel in free verse that tells the story of an African American teen boy at a crossroads. Determined to avenge his 19-year-old brother's death, Will, age 15, takes his brother's gun out of their shared bedroom to kill the person he's certain is the murderer, but it's a long way down in the elevator. (@bridgetelizabeth318 recommends "The Sadness" "I Felt Like Crying" and "The Rules" specifically)

• "Disrupting Shakespeare" by Lorena German

• Woman at Point Zero by Nawal El Saadawi: The novel is based on Saadawi's meeting with a female prisoner in Qanatir Prison and is the first-person account of Firdaus, a murderess who has agreed to tell her life story before her execution.

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

• Romiette and Julio by Sharon Draper: Many of the characters in Draper's novel closely parallel those in Shakespeare's play. The plot updates the family feud between the Capulets and Montagues to reflect modern racial tensions between African-Americans and Hispanics in the United States. (recommended by many teachers)

• "Love Song for Lucinda" by Langston Hughes: love poem (@middleschoolforever)

• Pride by Ibi Zoboi: In a timely update of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, National Book Award finalist Ibi Zoboi skillfully balances cultural identity, class, and gentrification against the heady magic of first love in her vibrant reimagining of this beloved classic. A smart, funny, gorgeous retelling starring all characters of color. (@mrscgatmrg)

• If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson: Jeremiah feels good inside his own skin. That is, when he's in his own Brooklyn neighborhood. But now he's going to be attending a fancy prep school in Manhattan, and black teenage boys don't exactly fit in there. So it's a surprise when he meets Ellie the first week of school. In one frozen moment their eyes lock, and after that they know they fit together--even though she's Jewish and he's black. Their worlds are so different, but to them that's not what matters. Too bad the rest of the world has to get in their way. (@atp__)

• Episodes of "Uncivil" Podcast (@middleschoolforever)

• Eleanor + Park by Rainbow Rowell: Eleanor and Park fall in love through mix tapes, comic books, and what seems like an impossibility: the recognition of another unique soul dropped perfectly into an empty space that didn't realize it was waiting to be filled. But when circumstances test their relationship, can love survive? (gina_mac115)

• West Side Story (Musical/Film): The story is set in the Upper West Side neighborhood in New York City in the mid 1950s, a multiracial, blue-collar neighborhood. The musical explores the rivalry between the Jets and the Sharks, two teenage street gangs of different ethnic backgrounds. (@alexandramaee)

• "Disrupting Shakespeare" by Lorena German

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

• Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan: Girl raised on a ranch during The Great Depression. Her mother takes her and flees to a Mexican labor camp when her father dies.

• "Alone" by Maya Angelou: poem about togetherness, but feeling alone (@sbrunn2)

• Bryan Stevenson's TedTalk (@sparkpoetry)

• "The Meanings of a Word" by Gloria Naylor: author analyzes the use and meaning of the "n" word. (@atp__)

• "Incident" by Countee Cullen: poem about being called the "n" word. (@atp__)

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

• Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson (linked is the YA version) Bryan is a defense attorney for inmates on death row. His non-profit has saved 125 people from the death penalty. (highly recommended by MANY teachers)

• Just Mercy (film)

• Monster by Walter Dean Myers: While awaiting trial for a murder he didn't commit, Steven Harmon writes what is happening to him in the form of a movie script.

• All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendon Kielly: two teens—one black, one white—grapple with the repercussions of a single violent act that leaves their school, their community, and, ultimately, the country bitterly divided by racial tension. (recommended by many teachers)

• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas: Starr witnesses the murder of her friend by a police officer, and it sparks her activism. (recommended by many teachers)

• Dear Martin by Nic Stone: Justyce McAllister is a good kid, an honor student, and always there to help a friend—but none of that matters to the police officer who just put him in handcuffs. Despite leaving his rough neighborhood behind, he can’t escape the scorn of his former peers or the ridicule of his new classmates. (@bridget_elizabeth318)

• Born a Crime by Trevor Noah: Trevor Noah’s unlikely path from apartheid South Africa to the desk of The Daily Show began with a criminal act: his birth. Trevor was born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison. (@amaris.noel)

• How it Went Down by Kekla Magoon: When sixteen-year-old Tariq Johnson dies from two gunshot wounds, his community is thrown into an uproar. Tariq was black. The shooter, Jack Franklin, is white. (@mrscgatmrg)

• Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston: brings to life a Southern love story with the wit and pathos found only in the writing of Zora Neale Hurston. Out of print for almost thirty years—due largely to initial audiences’ rejection of its strong black female protagonist—Hurston’s classic has since its 1978 reissue become perhaps the most widely read and highly acclaimed novel in the canon of African-American literature. (@tangerinefieldsforever)

• Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes: Twelve-year-old Jerome is shot by a police officer who mistakes his toy gun for a real threat. As a ghost, he observes the devastation that’s been unleashed on his family and community in the wake of what they see as an unjust and brutal killing. (@mrscgatmrg)

• Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson: novel in verse that discusses the author's childhood as an African American growing up in the 1960s in South Carolina and New York. (@kvanderbeek)

• Kalief Browder Documentary [Netflix] (@sparkpoetry)

• Kalief Browder Article (@mrsreganreads)

• Warriors Don't Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals: [memoir] In this compelling autobiographical account by one of the Civil Rights Movement’s most powerful figures, Beals explores not only the power of racism, but also the ideas of justice and identity. (@rhymeswithgorgeous)

• "Disrupting To Kill a Mockingbird" by Lorena German

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

• Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Two people fall in love, ripped apart by war, both grapple with their identities, reunited 15 years later.

• Fences by August Wilson [there is also a film]: Fencesexplores the evolving African American experience and examines race relations, among other themes. (@edenakerman)

• A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry: The story tells of a black family's experiences in south Chicago, as they attempt to improve their financial circumstances with an insurance payout following the death of the father. (recommended by many teachers)

• Jazz by Toni Morrison: In the winter of 1926, when everybody everywhere sees nothing but good things ahead, Joe Trace, middle-aged door-to-door salesman of Cleopatra beauty products, shoots his teenage lover to death. At the funeral, Joe’s wife, Violet, attacks the girl’s corpse. This passionate, profound story of love and obsession brings us back and forth in time, as a narrative is assembled from the emotions, hopes, fears, and deep realities of black urban life. (@sparkpoetry)

• "Disrupting The Great Gatsby" by Tricia Ebarvia

• Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison: It addresses many of the social and intellectual issues faced by the African Americans in the early twentieth century, including black nationalism, the relationship between black identity and Marxism, and the reformist racial policies of Booker T. Washington, as well as issues of individuality and personal identity.

The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (outcasted, finding identity)

• Lobizona by Romina Garber: An Argentinian girl is marked by her eyes - it tells others who her father is which could make her a threat.

• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas: Starr witnesses the murder of her friend by a police officer, and it sparks her activism. (@ashleyyearsley - Essential Question: Do people need to belong?)

• Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison: It addresses many of the social and intellectual issues faced by the African Americans in the early twentieth century, including black nationalism, the relationship between black identity and Marxism, and the reformist racial policies of Booker T. Washington, as well as issues of individuality and personal identity. (@jessflawrence)

• On the Come Up by Angie Thomas: Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least win her first battle. As the daughter of an underground hip hop legend who died right before he hit big, Bri’s got massive shoes to fill. (@elawithmissg)

The Crucible by Arthur Miller

• Research Cotton Mather's connection to racism and Salem Witch Trials. A short discussion of this can be seen in Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi (also recommended by @bridget_elizabeth318)

• I Tituba Black Witch of Salem by Maryse Condé: expands on the true story of the West Indian slave Tituba, who was accused of witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts, arrested in 1692, and forgotten in jail until the general amnesty for witches two years later. (@edenakerman)

• Discussions/articles regarding hysteria: Muslim ban, Lavender Scare, Trans people, etc. (@heymrsthorton)

• A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry: The story tells of a black family's experiences in south Chicago, as they attempt to improve their financial circumstances with an insurance payout following the death of the father. (@_am.rr)

• Unobscured Podcast: Episodes on Tituba [season 1] (@atp__)

• The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline: The story is set in a dystopian future in which most people have lost the ability to dream, with catastrophic psychological results. Indigenous people, who can still dream, are hunted for their marrow to create a serum to treat others. (@readingmaggie)

• "Disrupting The Crucible" by Julia E. Torres

Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose

• Monster by Walter Dean Myers: While awaiting trial for a murder he didn't commit, Steven Harmon writes what is happening to him in the form of a movie script. (@lizlikes_books)

• PLEASE LEAVE RECOMMENDATIONS in comments or by Instagram @EnglishElixir

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

• "Using Satire to Teach Diversity" by Charisse L'Pree, Ph.D.

• PLEASE LEAVE RECOMMENDATIONS in comments or by Instagram @EnglishElixir

Slaughterhouse-5 by Kurt Vonnegut

• Black Prisoner of War by James A. Daly and Lee Bergman: chronicles the story of James Daly, a young black soldier held captive for more than five years by the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese and subsequently accused (and acquitted) of collaboration with the enemy.

• The Parable of The Sower (@kaayleemillerr)

Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (coming of age)

• There There by Tommy Orange: follows twelve characters from Native communities: all traveling to the Big Oakland Powwow, all connected to one another in ways they may not yet realize. (@saraid23)

• Forged by Fire by Sharon Draper [it's a sequel, but you don't need to read the first to understand the second]: "It’s about a young black boy (3 I think) whose mom leaves him alone to get drugs and he burns the house down. She is sent to jail/rehab and he lives with his Aunt and the whole story is his life up until he’s like 17. It has very heavy topics but almost explained in a “semi light way” for kids to react to/understand. Trigger warnings were needed for drug use, mentions of prostitution, sexual assault, physical abuse, and death. I teach 8th grade. We read it aloud as a class so that I could explain and walk them through unfamiliar issues. It was a great learning experience for all of us." (Review by @alexandramaee)

• The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan: When Leigh’s mother dies by suicide, she travels to Taiwan to meet her maternal grandparents for the first time, determined to also find her mother who she’s certain turned into a bird. Instead, she ends up finding herself

1984 by George Orwell

• "The Censors" by Luisa Valenzuela: Juan is a young man living in Argentina under the control of an authoritarian government. At the beginning of the story, he writes and mails a letter to a woman he loves named Mariana. However, he quickly begins worrying about what the censors will think about the contents of his letter. (@poweredbylit)

• PLEASE LEAVE RECOMMENDATIONS in comments or by Instagram @EnglishElixir

The Odyssey by Homer

• Aruh Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi [trilogy]: When twelve-year-old Aru Shah's schoolmates dare her to prove that the museum's Lamp of Bharata is cursed, she doesn't think there's any harm in lighting it. Little does Aru know that lighting the lamp has dire consequences. She unwittingly frees an ancient demon who freezes her mother in time - and it's up to Aru to save her. (@mrscgatmrg)

• Summer of Mariposas by Guadalupe Garcia McCall: When Odilia and her four sisters find a dead body in the swimming hole, they embark on a hero’s journey to return the dead man to his family in Mexico. But returning home to Texas turns into an odyssey that would rival Homer’s original tale. (@stroupy)

• Ramayana: Divine Loophole by Sanjay Patel [Original: Ramayana by Valmiki]: One of Hindu mythology's best-loved and most enduring tales gets a modern touch: Artist and veteran Pixar animator Sanjay Patel lends a lush, whimsical illustration style and lighthearted voice to one of Hindu mythology's best-loved and most enduring tales. Teeming with powerful deities, love-struck monsters, flying monkey gods, magic weapons, demon armies, and divine love, Ramayana: Divine Loopholetells the story of Rama, a god-turned-prince, and his quest to rescue his wife Sita after she is kidnapped by a demon king.

"A Doll's House" by Henrik Ibsen

• A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry: The story tells of a black family's experiences in south Chicago, as they attempt to improve their financial circumstances with an insurance payout following the death of the father. (@teigsg)

• Blues for Mister Charlie by James Baldwin: It is loosely based on the Emmett Till murder that occurred in Money, Mississippi before the Civil Rights Movement began.

Texts to Create a Diverse WWII Curriculum

*It was brought to my attention that the original title of this section had a different impact than originally intended. As we would teach our students, impact matters more than intent. The purpose of the section was not to decenter Holocaust education - it was to acknowledge that teachers often focus primarily on Holocaust literature and do not cover other WWII literature. This is a case where we should be supplementing, not replacing our current texts. I've also added a few more titles* [8/5/20]

• Branded by the Pink Triangle by Ken Setterington: This is about the persecution of people in the LGBTQ+ community during the Holocaust. (@missfairchildcreates)

• Farewell to Manzanar by James D. Houston and Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston: Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, who was seven years old when she arrived at Manzanar in 1942, recalls life in the camp through the eyes of the child she was. (@turnthe_paige_)

• Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Septeys: It follows the Stalinist repressions of the mid-20th century and follows the life of Lina as she is deported from her native Lithuania with her mother and younger brother, and the journey they take to a labor camp in Siberia.

• Salt to the Sea by Ruta Septeys: World War II is drawing to a close in East Prussia and thousands of refugees are on a desperate trek toward freedom, many with something to hide. Among them are Joana, Emilia, and Florian, whose paths converge en route to the ship that promises salvation, the Wilhelm Gustloff. Forced by circumstance to unite, the three find their strength, courage, and trust in each other tested with each step closer to safety. [connection to Between Shades of Gray]

• Parallel Journeys by Eleanor Ayer: Eleanor Ayer tells the true stories of Helen, a Jewish girl who grew up near Frankfurt, Germany, and Alfons, a boy born just a few miles away on a farm. Helen was shipped to the Auschwitz extermination camp. Alfons embraced the Nazi Youth. Over 40 years later, Alfons and Helen met and found they shared a common purpose--to help people understand that peace and compassion is possible between individuals, and on a larger scale as well. (@missfairchildcreates)

• They Called Us Enemy by George Takei: a graphic novel that tells the story of George Takei's childhood in a Japanese Internment camp during WWII.

• Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr: Two-year-old Sadako Sasaki was living in Hiroshima when the atom bomb was dropped. Sadly, ten years later, she was diagnosed with leukemia, also known as "atom bomb disease."

• "I Never Saw Another Butterfly" Edited by Hana Volavkova: Children's Drawings and Poems from Terezin Concentration Camp (@missfairchildcreates)

• On Both Sides of the Wall by Vladka Meed: This memoir tells the story of young Vladka Meed, sole Holocaust survivor in her family, and relates the harrowing experiences she had while living in the Warsaw ghetto and working for the underground resistance movement. [Click for Exceprts] (@missfairchildcreates)

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

• PLEASE LEAVE RECOMMENDATIONS in comments or by Instagram @EnglishElixir

Hamlet by William Shakespeare

• "Disrupting Shakespeare" by Lorena German

• PLEASE LEAVE RECOMMENDATIONS in comments or by Instagram @EnglishElixir

Animal Farm by George Orwell

• PLEASE LEAVE RECOMMENDATIONS in comments or by Instagram @EnglishElixir

Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare

• "Disrupting Shakespeare" by Lorena German

• PLEASE LEAVE RECOMMENDATIONS in comments or by Instagram @EnglishElixir

Boost Diversity in a British Literature Course

• Visit Ashley Bible's blog post: "How to Diversify Your British Literature Class"

• "Disrupting The Hero's Journey" by Tricia Ebarvia - use with Beowulf

• PLEASE LEAVE RECOMMENDATIONS in comments or by Instagram @EnglishElixir
  

Other Suggested Texts [could potentially replace/supplement a text not on this list]

• "All American Slurp" by Lensey Namio: recalls the Lin family's first few months in the United. States as a Chinese Immigrant family. (@sbrunn2)

• "Amigo Brothers" by Piri Thomas: Best friends must decide what to do when they have to fight each other in the boxing finals. (@sbrunn2)

• "The Scholarship Jacket" by Marta Salinas: It describes a difficult situation that Martha, a Mexican-American girl from Texas, is faced with after she earns excellent grades in school. (@sbrunn2)

• Born Worker by Gary Soto: The story tells of one boy's hard work and of his cousin, a lazy spoiled rotten kid, who is using him for a "free ride." (@alysha_kc + @himscordova)

• "Abuela Invents the Zero" by Judith Ortiz Cofer: is about the relationship between a girl and her grandmother. Abuela comes to the United States from and island, and her behavior embarrasses her granddaughter, Connie. At the end of the day, Abuela explains to Connie how she has made her feel worthless. (@alysha_kc + @himscordova)

• A Mighty Long Way by Carlotta Walls Lanier: When fourteen-year-old Carlotta Walls walked up the stairs of Little Rock Central High School on September 25, 1957, she and eight other black students only wanted to make it to class. But the journey of the “Little Rock Nine,” as they came to be known, would lead the nation on an even longer and much more turbulent path, one that would challenge prevailing attitudes, break down barriers, and forever change the landscape of America.@laurapvaughan

• Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine: As twelve-year-old Marlee starts middle school in 1958 Little Rock, it feels like her whole world is falling apart. Until she meets Liz, the new girl at school. Liz is everything Marlee wishes she could be: she's brave, brash and always knows the right thing to say. But when Liz leaves school without even a good-bye, the rumor is that Liz was caught passing for white. Marlee decides that doesn't matter. She just wants her friend back. And to stay friends, Marlee and Liz are even willing to take on segregation and the dangers their friendship could bring to both their families. @laurapvaughan

• Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom by Lynda Blackmon Lowery: As the youngest marcher in the 1965 voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, Lynda Blackmon Lowery proved that young adults can be heroes. Jailed eleven times before her fifteenth birthday, Lowery fought alongside Martin Luther King, Jr. for the rights of African-Americans. @laurapvaughan

• Internment by Samira Ahmed: a dystopian novel about a teenage girl imprisoned in an internment camp for Muslim Americans.

Diverse Anthologies

• Flying Lessons (@mrscgatmrg)

• Fresh Ink (@mrscgatmrg)

• A Phoenix Must Burn (@poweredbylit)

• Hope Nation

• Hero Next Door

• Unbroken

• (Don’t) Call Me Crazy: 33 Voices Start the Conversation about Mental Health

• Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America

• Meet Cute

• Dear Heartbreak: YA Authors and Teens on the Dark Side of Love

• Our Stories, Our Voices

• A Thousand Beginnings and Endings

• Take the Mic: Fictional Stories of Everyday Resistance

• It’s a Whole Spiel: Love, Latkes, and Other Jewish Stories

• Ink Knows No Borders: Poems of the Immigrant and Refugee Experience

Further Resources for Anti-Racist/Anti-Bias Education:

• Facing History

• Teaching Tolerance Social Justice Standards

• Anti Racist Education by Teaching Tolerance

• "The Missing Links: Enhancing Anti-Bias Education with Anti-Racist Education"

• "“Who’s got the power?”: A critical examination of the anti-bias curriculum"

• "Anti-Bias Education: The Power of Social-Emotional Learning"

• "Creating an Anti-Bias Learning Environment"

PLEASE leave comments on this post or message me @EnglishElixir on Instagram if you have more suggestions. I'll update this resource as suggestions come in.

I think of this as a collaborative blog post between many, many people, but I'm happy to publish it all in one place. Please know that at the time of publishing, I do not make any money from my blog, and I will keep this resource free forever.

Fight the good fight, teachers!

Amanda