Dear Dawn and LM Netters,
I hear what you are saying and I think I understand. I work as a school
librarian for incarcerated youth in New York City. I think the phenomenon of
this genre's popularity is interesting and relevant to all of us and thank you
for bringing it up in this forum.
Of course you and I work in different situations. I am ready to acknowledge
that there may be a world of difference between your patrons and the students
I serve. I do want to share my experience, though, and I hope that others
on this listserv from diverse geographical regions will share theirs in too.
Triple Crown Books are the most frequently requested titles in our school
libraries. When I started teaching in this system I received requests for these
books almost daily. Sometimes students became angry when I explained that
the school would not permit me to give them such titles. Sometimes students
were angry that I had not read the books, too. Often their comments to me had
a racial element. I am Jewish and work in a place where almost all of the
students I serve are African-American or Latino. I became curious about the
experience I was having and decided to do some action research.
I read a number of books in the genre including Coldest Winter Ever, Gangsta,
and Dutch. I then designed a questionnaire which I gave to students when
they indicated interest in the genre. I learned from their responses two
things of note: 1) Many (although not all) students said that this genre was
important to them because it reflected the world they knew. 2)Some students said
that these books helped them understand situations they had experienced
themselves. 3) A number of struggling/striving readers told me that these are the
only books they can read. I learned that for many students, reading these
books have resulted in their first optimal reading experiences as adolescents.
A great deal of reading theory supports this.
I have to say, after working in what students refer to as "the ghetto" while
living in mid-town manhattan, that these really are different worlds. There
are similarities, of course, but there is also a wide, and often
unacknowledged gulf between what is familiar and "normal" to me and what is
familiar and
"normal" to some of these students. It is powerful for each and every one of
us to read a story which includes a familiar setting, a familiar vernacular, a
familiar culture, and a familiar way of thinking. While these stories may
seem "adult" to us adults, for young people born into gangs, the children of
prostitutes, or prostitutes themselves, these are not adult themes. For
students who have sold drugs, there is nothing the least bit adult about drugs
being
sold. I have met more than a few sixth and seventh graders who are pregnant
and/or are parents already.
I do not disagree with you that the books are doing nothing to uplift their
readers' real-life situation. Except for this: they are getting some people
who would otherwise not be excited about reading, excited about reading.
Whether it's because of a familiarity with the language, a perceived "coolness"
of the genre, the page-turner drama, or the sex, they're reading. They're
doing more for making reading "cool" than sneaker companies and fast food
restaurants.
I think it is wonderful that you are putting together programs like the one
you described. It truly is sad that no one showed up. I hope you won't give
up on this great idea and will give it another shot. Everybody needs a
passionate and caring responsible librarian to help them find the better books,
the other books, the ones that will make them miss their stop on the bus while
turning them on to new thoughts, ideas, and worlds.
I look forward to hearing from school librarians who do circulate these books
across the U.S. and around the world.
Best Regards,
Jessica Fenster-Sparber
Library Coordinator
New York City, New York
literacyforteens@aol.com
**************************************
See what's
free at http://www.aol.com.
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