Visualizing Understanding in YA Lit…

Mirrors, windows, and doors — finding relatable identity stories through YA lit!

Seeing oneself in Young Adult Literature — actually any literature is so important — especially when it comes to multi-cultural works! When I first read my first work “A Gift for Sadia” at a book signing in Minneapolis, Minnesota, I was approached by a young Somali Woman who identified herself as a kindergarten teacher in the Minneapolis Public Schools. She told me how excited she was to buy my book to read to her kindergarten class because the protagonist looked like her — she wore a hijab just like my main character, Sadia. Her experience is reflected in Boles’ article when she writes: “Minority students feel recognized and understood when their culture is acknowledged.” (Boles, 2006) Similarly, the kindergarten teacher I met felt my picture book allowed her students to see that her Muslim identity was captured in the book and like many characters in books, offered a pathway forward that allowed all of her students to explore:

1. Seeing oneself in YA lit (and seeing their teacher); 2) Building empathy for others by exploring their experiences vicariously; and 3) Finding one’s own voice through struggling along side the problems the main character faces and learning how to problem solve in difficult situations.

To this end my infographic sets off my first multicultural thematic library book club that will explore the sub-theme of empowerment for YA females. I want to use these four titles over semester I to invite interested readers to explore the idea put forth by an essay entitled “Windows, Mirrors and Sliding Glass Doors” by Dr. Bishop.(Bishop, 2017) In her essay Dr. Bishop used the concept of “‘Windows, Mirrors and Sliding Glass Doors’ to explain how children see themselves in books and how they can also learn about the lives of others through literature.”(Blogger, 2020)

The four young adult books I have selected offer my readers the chance to explore multi-cultural themes within the context of also being female. Protagonists experience religious persecution, being raised Black in an all white suburb, being Muslim in the U.S, and being gay and what it feels like to speak up and make a way for their beliefs and identities.

My infographic (above) serves to help cement the concept of seeing oneself or seeing beauty in otherness in the pages of books to help one find strength through these identity stories, make the stories one’s own, or offer a chance to see the world through another’s eyes. YA lit offers these mirrors, windows, and doors so a reader can sample something meaningful and learn! When one can connect with a text personally and “choose” to be in a book club that offers a thematic entry point and students can “choose” to be readers. In this way, “choice” becomes an intricate part of engagement for my readers and through library programs, we can make a thematic reading list to intrigue readers, and from there, let them select a meaningful read! Reading comprehension can be further scaffolded through small group discussion time and audible listening sessions to keep everyone focused.

The young woman in the picture on the first frame of my infographic “gif” offers a window or doorway of its own into seeing someone’s reflection in a mirror juxtaposed with the word beauty to further emphasize the fact that we are all beautiful in our own ways and every female empowerment story will lead the reader to find that beauty! Reading this initial picture will frame the start of our book club and allow my students in the library to have a visual understanding of how they will interact with the texts we explore together within the theme of female empowerment. The image offers deep insight as we talk further about Bishop’s essay on understanding the purpose of multicultural literature.

Creating this visual tool helped me pair a key photograph with the simplified concept of the three things I want my students to come away with (as described above) as they sample the selected works of fiction we will explore together. I think having this visual will serve as both a lure to promote this new multi-cultural book club to highlight our multicultural library collection, but also offer a jumping off place to quickly understand and engage in the importance of Bishop’s understanding of the importance of multi-cultural lit as we journey with main characters who demonstrate the “other” in literature. Through the photograph of the female looking in the mirror, juxtaposed with the text “beauty,” we gain confidence for the reader as we begin reading these exceptional YA works of literature. It is a visual so simple to sink in, yet so deep to embrace as we struggle with main characters who feel like outsiders in their own stories and have to carve their own paths forward to find their unique voices.

Sources Cited:

Bishop, R. S. (n.d.). Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors. https://scenicregional.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Mirrors-Windows-and-Sliding-Glass-Doors.pdf.

Blogger, G. (2020, September 30). Windows and mirrors and sliding glass doors: Ensuring students see themselves and others in literature. Institute for Humane Education. https://humaneeducation.org/windows-and-mirrors-and-sliding-glass-doors-ensuring-students-see-themselves-and-others-in-literature/.

Boles, Maria, “The Effects of Multicultural Literature in the Classroom” (2006). Senior Honors Theses. 62. https://commons.emich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1061&context=honors