3 Young Novels that should be required for all!

Alexie, S., & Forney, E. (2007). The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian. New York: Little Brown.

Arnold Spirit, Jr. is on verge of discovering who he really is as a young Native American man. After a string of negative events that occurred he decides, with the support of his parents to attend a white school, hoping to start over. He soon gets his new beginning after standing up to a bully and dating a girl he’s pining over. Things are looking up when sudden deaths affect him heavily and he has to deal with reality of being an outcast in all aspects of his life. In the end, he discovers that he doesn’t have to label himself as belonging to only one culture, he accepts that he is a nomad and can adapt too many types of surroundings (such as “white” and “Indian”).

Many adolescents will be able to relate to this book due to its adapting and discovering who they really are. Kids in high school often feel as they don’t belong and are trying to fit in. Having a young child who leaves to a completely different school and ends up getting that new beginning really can give a child a sense of “ok things can get better.” This book has won several best book of year awards in 2007 and been on the NYT Bestseller list. 

Anderson, L. H. (1999). Speak. New York: Penguin.

A young woman goes from being a semi normal teen, friends, parties, and a pretty great life. All of a sudden, everything changes, no one talks to her including her best friend, and she’s skipping classes, failing classes, and really doesn’t care about anything except for Art. In art she can escape it all, she is able to be silent and no one question her. In fact the entire year she really hasn’t said much to her family, classmates because she has no friends and to her teachers. It’s not until she has to battle her monster that took her voice the first time, however she won’t let him take it from her again. This time she wins and an unlikely person shows his true colors for everyone to see.

Many times it’s the quiet ones you have to look out for and this book is proof of that. As an educator you really have to stop and think about why a child is so secluded. Everyone ignored Melinda, thought she was weird and just another emo person. I can see this book creating a mirror effect with victims of sexual assault especially in high school where if the predator is a person who doesn’t meet the stereotypical criteria. Many victims may feel like they are not alone and they need to realize that no matter how bad things get they aren’t.  This book has won many awards and I can see it being a topic of many discussions even at home parents with children. 

Garden, N. (1982). Annie on my mind. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux.

Liza is a private school teen with successful parents, and a more privileged life. Annie is a public school teen who have parents who work average wage jobs and is on the cusp of poverty. When these two worlds collide they are turned upside down. A basic friendship soon turns into love as Liza’s life is challenged with a few rebellious hardships in school. Though she conceals her true feelings due to fear of judgment, an opportunity comes for Annie and Liza to spend some real time together alone. As their relationship deepens, they are caught and lives are gravely affected in a negative way which proves too much for Annie and Liza’s relationship. They go their separate ways in college and are reunited in the end once Liza realizes she doesn’t want to hide who she really is anymore.

Acceptance, with the way the world is today, this is a great book to begin helping anyone LGBT feel like they aren’t the only ones struggling with their sexuality. As an adolescent, discovering your sexual orientation can be a defining moment and coming out can be the best or worst event in your life. As you read what Liza is going through the memories, the mental battle of back and forth, the feeling of love and hope, so many can have a vicarious experience or a mirror effect. This can also assist parents in experiencing how their children or anyone they may know is feeling going through this. This novel is definitely seen as a breakthrough book for the LGBT community and has paved the way for many more books dealing with the subject.