The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Alexie, S. (2007). The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian.  NY:  Little Brown.

The more things change, the more they tend to stay the same.  Junior is mocked, disregarded, and devalued by members of his Native American tribe.  His immediate family, his rambunctious friend Rowdy, and his cartoon drawings were at one time his only allies and solace.  The prospect of someday joining far too many other adults whose lives were spent gambling and boozing until they destroyed themselves and their families was not appealing, so Junior, in an audacious move, enrolled in a school off the rez where the only other "Indian" was the mascot.  Though already tanked, Junior's popularity among his people bottoms out when he is viewed as a traitor.  He picks up a few new friends along the way, but misses Rowdy, who is out for blood during a rival basketball game.  As opposed to breaking him, the malice only strengthens Junior's resolve.

I am often baffled by the concept of intra-racial discrimination.  The idea that an oppressed people would further alienate one another as opposed to establishing a united front is mind boggling.  Junior's only "offense" was having the nerve to dream; his consequence was to live a nightmare on the rez among those who should have been his biggest supporters.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Anderson, L. H. (1999). Speak. NY: Penguin

Silence is the only power a secret possesses.  Melinda Sordino will enter her freshman year of high school completely alone.  Abandoned and shunned by nearly every teenager she once called a friend for derailing an out of control party by calling the police, the outlook for Melinda's social status is bleak. The year appears dismal until she is challenged in art class to give life and meaning to her blindly selected muse (a tree).  Fumbling and failing to create a piece that speaks  to her, she sets off on a different journey of discovery each time a subsequent attempt is made.  The only way to remove the road blocks to her creativity is to free herself from the guilt and shame of allowing herself to become Andy, the Beast's, prey.  Melinda finds that there is strength in numbers when she offers a warning on the door of a bathroom stall to avoid The Beast at all cost.  The admonition reverberates when far too many others echo the sentiment.

I was impressed by the symbolic start-stop-discard-repeat-until-I-get-it-right pattern displayed each time Melinda abandoned an idea she formulated to breathe life into her art project.  It is identical to the process of trying to give a voice to a statement of importance by choosing silence, rehearsing, and mulling the words over until the perfect combination exists to speak our truths.

El Deafo by Cece Bell

Bell, C. (2014). El Deafo. BY: Abrams

El Deafo is a poignant tale of a little girl's (rabbit's) struggle to adapt to hearing impairment and altered speech brought on by a life altering bout with meningitis.  Delivered in graphic novel format, Cece takes reader's along on her quest to achieve balance, make friends and simply fit in following her family's relocation to Roanoke, Virginia.  A bit self-conscious about wearing her new, larger hearing aid pack to school, Cece discovers that though unsightly, the device gives her an uncanny ability to hear so clearly that she is privy to private conversations, and can alert classmates of the approach of the teacher which earns her near celebrity status among her peers.  Her hearing is not just good, it's super.  Her new super power can only be complimented by the creation of a super hero persona, thus the birth of El Deafo.  Betrayed by one pseudo-friend (Laura), and pitied by another (Ginny), in the end, Cece strikes a just right balance with Martha and Mike who see and accept her for the super, cool kid she is.

This novel would be a perfect classroom read-aloud and addition to a speech therapist's/counselor's library to encourage students with impediments and ease feelings of inadequacy and promoting peer sensitivity while highlighting the notion that the only obstacles that can't be overcome are those that are not faced.

Annie On My Mind by Nancy Garden

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

The headmistress of Foster's Private School is on a witch hunt.  Disappointed when Liza Winthrop, popular student body president failed to report an underground ear-piercing practice, she uses the discovery of Liza with an unknown girl (Annie Kenyon) in the home of her lesbian teachers as grounds for dismissal from the school during as school board hearing.  She simply can not have Liza drawing negative attention to the school when donors are desperately needed.  Though it chooses not to take a stance on Liza's revealed sexual orientation, the board rules to terminate the employment of her teachers on the basis of improper influence.  Confused about the slew of events that ensued, Liza and Annie end their relationship.  They graduate from high school and attend college on two separate ends of the country, but the distance does nothing to erase their memories.  Annie has forwarded many letters to Liza that have gone unanswered, but that certainly does not mean that Annie has not been on her mind.  Instead of responding in writing, Liza phones Annie and the two make plans to reunite after the semester draws to a close.

I think this text could easily become a weapon in the hands of homophobic individuals who would argue that when kids are exposed to alternative lifestyles, they are easily led astray by the free attitudes of those deemed as deviants as evidenced by Annie's initial declaration of love in "it's O.K. if you don't feel the same; just thought you should know..." format to a seemingly unassuming Annie who never contemplated her sexuality along with the encouragement of Liza's lesbian teachers.

George by Alex Gino

Gino, A. (2015). George. NY: Scholastic.

Adolescence is a challenging time to navigate further complicated when a daily farce must be enacted.  The topic of transgender identification is on full display in this novel written from the point of view of a ten year old whose body causes the external world to refer to him by his birth name, George, but whose heart screams "My name is Melissa!"  After reading and discovering that the class play will be a rendition of Charlotte's Web, Melissa approaches her teacher to announce her intention of auditioning.  She is rejected and betrayed in the face of Ms. Udell's reaction and is further taunted by mean-spirited classmates when she develops the strength to begin verbalizing her gender identification.  Though few offer genuine support for allowing the aspiring actress to tell her story, including her contradictory, critical mother and macho older brother, she is confirmed through the total acceptance of her best girlfriend Kelly who challenges her to yell instead of whisper that she is Melissa, not George, and celebrates her with a true girl's day out complete with a gender identifying wardrobe to boot.

The goal and the charge of any worthwhile school library program administrator is to support the notion that our facilities must reflect the interests of all of its patrons.  George is a needed addition to promote a sense of belonging and educate the greater population of the need to accept individuals for who they feel they are without bias, prejudice, discrimination, or malice.  Well done, Alex Gino.

It's Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris

Harris, R. (2009). It’s perfectly normal. Boston, MA: Candlewick Press.

Breaching the topics of sex and sexuality with prepubescent children can make most adults a bit squeamish.  Too much information can overwhelm or generate interest in experimentation.  Too little can result in being lead astray due to misinformation obtained from unauthoritative figures, namely peers.  Narrated by "The Bird" and "The Bee", this text is sure to generate tons of questions and promote an open dialogue about topics that can and should not be shunned or shied away from.  The publication is divided into six chapters with an itemized table of contents and index making it possible to focus upon singular topics without losing meaning if the entire text is not completely read.

Vivid pictorial images and dialogue between the cleverly-named narrators seek to destigmatize topics ranging from masturbation, homosexuality, birth control, and surrogacy to STDs and HIV while promoting a positive body image and extolling the virtues of making responsible sexual choices which justify placing this body of work within middle and high school libraries.  It would also be a wise acquisition to include within a counselor/nurse's library and can supplement sex education lesson resources within science curriculums.

Our course text speaks about the importance of adolescents adapting to the changing nature of their physical bodies using Havighurst's Theory of Developmental Tasks.  It's Perfectly Normal seeks to eliminate the wonder, shame, and anxiety felt at this stage and replace them with empowerment.

Monster by Walter Dean Myers

Myers, W. D. (1999). Monster. NY: Harper.

Life imitates art imitates life.  There is power in the written and spoken word.  Labels attached to individuals can inspire, enrage, or become internalized.  Most of all, they stick.  Monster.  That's the label that has been assigned to sixteen year old Steve Harmon.  Implicated as a participant in the robbery/murder of a drugstore owner by an acquaintance desiring a lighter sentence, Steve reflects on how he has gotten to this point in journal, narrative and scripted format causing readers to truly think about whether or not having knowledge about the crime that would be committed and failing to disclose it are grounds enough to assert his guilt or decide if we are being duped.  Despicable and sympathetic characters populate the novel like apparent gunmen Bobo Evans and James King, disputed eyewitness Mrs. Henry, and Steve's defense attorney who is not wholly convinced of his innocence even after being found not guilty by the jury. 

I admittedly sympathized with the accused while reading the text, backstory, and upbringing of the main character and staring at the cover art.  I saw the faces of many of the promising students I've taught over nearly 17 years in education whose existences are identical.  I have supreme faith in the American judicial system, but I shudder to imagine all the lives that are forever altered when holes and cracks are filled with young people who as a result of poor association, inadequate defense, or improper investigation carry the label Monster when guilty verdicts are returned.