Inclusive Literature Book Reviews

 

Clare LeZotte, Ann. 2020. SHOW ME A SIGN. New York: Scholastic. ISBN: 9781338255829

Plot Summary: A young girl, named Mary Lambert, is living in Martha’s Vineyard in 1805 in a predominantly deaf community.  When a young scientist comes to visit their small town, she discovers that not everyone is open the deaf culture.  The scientist uses Mary as his experimental subject to try to discover why there are so many deaf people in this community.  Mary learns a lot about how the world views the deaf community.

Critical Analysis:

          LeZotte does a great job of showing a community that embraces the deaf community without a second thought.  The hearing characters all seem to speak in sign language and automatically change over to signing when the deaf characters are present.  LeZotte also touches on some racism issues when it comes to the English immigrants living alongside the Wampanoag, Black, and Irish residents.  LeZotte does a great job of sharing a story filled with community, adventure, and some personal tragedy that shares a new perspective on the deaf community for the readers.

Review Excerpts:  

Kirkus Starred Review: “A vivid depiction of Deaf community along with an exciting plot and beautiful prose make this a must-read.”

Publisher’s Weekly Starred Review: “LeZotte (Here Comes Julie Jack), who is deaf, deftly connects the islanders’ prejudice against the Wampanoag to the mainlanders’ view of deaf individuals as lesser; Mary’s progressive attitudes feel modern while aligning with her character’s sensibilities.”

Connections:

          At the end of the story, the author offers some extra information including history of deaf communities in Martha’s Vineyard, a question-and-answer series with the author, the American Manual Alphabet, and the British Two-Handed Alphabet. This gives a chance for the readers to access a little more insight into the deaf community.  Students could use this to launch further research into the Martha’s Vineyard history and the history of sign language and how it came about. 

          Students could also check out LeZotte’s companion book SHOW ME A SIGN.  What a great way for readers to learn more about the deaf community and learn to appreciate another language and culture.

Budhos, Marina. 2006. ASK ME NOW QUESTIONS. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9781416949206

Plot Summary: Budhos tells an incredible story of a fourteen-year-old, Nadira Hossain, who is an immigrant from Bangladesh living in New York City right after the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. Her family’s Visas expire, so they travel to Canada to seek refuge where the father is arrested and the mother lives in a shelter.  Nadira and her sister move back to New York to live with their aunt and uncle and struggle in fear every day of being noticed. 

Critical Analysis: This is a powerful novel for scholars to check out in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Budhos showcases how a teenage immigrant feels the fear and terror of being “labeled” and “assumed” as a terrorist in the wake of a historical event.  Budhos also brings to light the number of illegal immigrants that Nadira sees everywhere.  In a big city like New York that offers promises to immigrants, it’s no wonder that the main character was seeing illegal immigrants all around her.

          This book is still significant for young readers to interact with because I have seen young adults still placing the stereotype of “terrorist” on Muslim/ Arab Americans to this day mostly because of the 9/11 attacks.  It’s important for the readers to realize that just because a few people of a cultural group commit terrorist acts, doesn’t mean everyone from that culture is terrible.  

Review Excerpts:

Kirkus Review: “A perceptive peek into the lives of foreigners on the fringe.”

Publishers Weekly Review: “…the events of the novel are powerful enough to engage readers' attention and will make them pause to consider the effects of a legal practice that preys on prejudice and fear.”

Connections: This would be a great book to lead students to research our country’s foreign relations before and after the 9/11 attacks.  Students could also include research on the Patriot Act of 2011 to see how it might have affected Arab and Muslim immigrants at the time.  Students could further find out if certain stereotypes are still being applied to present day Arab and Muslim Americans.

          Another book for students to enjoy is TELL US WE’RE HOME, also authored by Marina Budhos.  This will allow readers to have an extension of authentic inclusive literature.

Brock, Rose (Ed). 2018. HOPE NATION. New York: Penguin Books. ISBN: 9781524741853

Plot Summary: This book is a great collection of short stories by some of the top young adult authors.  The stories include a Muslim living in the world post 9/11 attacks, a young girl feeling rundown from life experiences including the death of her grandfather, and an African American living in Mississippi describing a present-day bigotry that she sees in her everyday life.  Each story offers a different perspective with the underlying theme of offering just a little bit more hope to young readers of today.

Critical Analysis: This short story collection is one of the best ways to offer a variety of perspectives with a connecting theme to the readers.  Sharing the stories from the perspective of young adults allows for more young adult readers to relate and see themselves in the stories.  The ease of the reading and the real-life examples offered allow for this book to go beyond the teenage or young adult reading range.  These are some powerful stories that will also influence any adult reader. 

          Since we all experience moments of struggle, whether it be small or large, these stories offer ways to push through, handle, or even deal with certain struggles.  

Review Excerpts:

Kirkus Review: “This work comes at a crucial time, as many people struggle to find hope in a confusing and disappointing world.”

Goodreads Review: “To help embolden hope, here is a powerhouse collection of essays and letters that speak directly to teens and all YA readers.”

Connections: The minute I started to read this book, I immediately thought of the CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL series.  These books showcased short stories that were easy to read and each book in the series had the same underlying theme like “pets” or “moms.”

          After reading this short story collection, teachers could have students think of a time where they had to push through or learn to live with some type of struggle.  Students would work to share this experience in a simple story.  The teacher could then compile their stories into one book.

LaCour, Nina. 2017. WE ARE OKAY. New York: Penguin Random House. ISBN: 9780142422939

Plot Summary:  Marin is a college freshman who has a left a rough past.  She left San Francisco to head to New York after the sudden passing of her grandfather.  Secrets about her mother’s death and Marin come to light.  She’s now about to share her troubles with her best friend, Mabel, who is set to visit over Winter Break.  Marin fights to accept feelings of grief along with what might be more than friendship with her childhood confidant, Mabel.

Critical Analysis:  WE ARE OKAY is an excellent novel for older teens to explore the grief process along with rediscovering friendship and relationships with those around them.  LaCour keeps her readers on her toes as it isn’t explicitly said until later what secrets Marin holds involving the death of her grandfather.  Readers are also enticed to see what happens between the relationship of Marin and Mabel and Marin and Hannah, a newer friend.

          LaCour tells Marin’s story using flashbacks and weather metaphors.  When Marin flashes back to San Francisco, it’s sunny and bright where the reader can tell that Marin feels happy and safe. As the story moves forward, Marin’s grief sets in along with the dark, wintry, and wet weather in New York that showcases Marin’s sadness and loss.

          Despite some of the language, this is a great novel to help older teens move through a significant grief period. 

Review Excerpts:

Goodreads Review: “Mabel is coming to visit, and Marin will be forced to face everything that’s been left unsaid and finally confront the loneliness that has made a home in her heart.”

Kirkus Starred Review: “An elegantly crafted paean to the cleansing power of truth.”

Connections: This book could be used in a bibliotherapy (using books as a therapy source) treatment plan for a group of teenagers that have experienced an extreme loss.  Grief is hard to understand at any age, but especially difficult for teenagers.  Students in this situation could relate to Marin.  They could also use the events in the story to discuss how she handled her sudden grief and if this can be applied to their own lives.

          The publisher, Penguin Random House, offers a very useful teacher’s guide here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/311368/we-are-okay-by-nina-lacour/9780142422939/teachers-guide/

          Discussion questions are included along with some suggestions of future books to enjoy and connect.