in-the-news – Heise Reads & Recommends

A Text Set to See Themselves In – Providing the Mirror or Window to get to the Sliding Door

Jillian Heise — Mon, 06 Mar 2017 03:34:00 +0000

Books have the power to open eyes, hearts, and minds. These three books are particularly powerful for the raw, honest, real way they deal with police brutality and how it impacts black teens in our society – the same ones that sit in front of us in our classrooms – in their every day lives. I could too easily see my students in the pages of these stories, which makes them all the more impactful. These are the kinds of books our teens need to see in their classrooms, read, and discuss.

For me, teaching mostly kids with different backgrounds than I come from, these books were a window into other lives. I was not from the same culture or neighborhood as most of my students, or where many of these incidents are happening. In seeking ways to better relate to the reality of my students’ lives and communities, I turned to books. How could I get to know them? How could they trust me? I’m not sure if I ever did it as best as I could, but books were one big way I could try. Books were an entry into conversations. They were a window for me to try to better understand where my students might be coming from. They were a way for me to gain perspective. They were a way for me to look at my own biases and privilege. They were the window I needed to be able to open the door. And these three books seared deep into my heart.

For some of my students, these books would be windows also, in a different way, into the lives of their classmates. But for many of my students, these books would be mirrors – and how often do they really have that? Reading about kids that talk like them, react like them, think like them, have the same concerns they do? Seeing kids who look like them, have friends like them, are surrounded by families like theirs, live like them in neighborhoods like theirs? Not very often. Seeing themselves on the cover of a book? Rarely. And that is why books like these, and initiatives like We Need Diverse Books so we can get more books like these, are important – because kids need both those windows and mirrors. They need to be able to see themselves in books, that kids like them can be the main character, that they have value, the validation for their thoughts, that they are loved, that their lives matter. When I shared All American Boys as a read aloud with my 8th graders, I could see it in their faces and hear it in their comments each day – what this book meant to them, how they could relate to it, how real it felt to them, what it made them think. I had that same class of students in mind when I was reading The Hate U Give and Dear Martin.

I have often heard reference to books being mirrors and windows, but it wasn’t until last fall when I became aware of the source, and the deeper explanation. Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop originated the idea that many now reference. She talks about windows as “offering views of worlds that may be real or imagined, familiar or strange.” And about mirrors, “…we can see our own lives and experiences as part of the larger human experience.” But she also talks about sliding glass doors which “readers have only to walk through in imagination to become part of whatever world has been created or recreated by the author.” The thing is, it’s the third part of it, the sliding glass door that seems to often be left out, but is perhaps the most important part – it’s the part that, in my interpretation, allows us to step into those other worlds and become part of them for the time we are in that book – and isn’t that the power of reading? Being able to develop empathy, understanding, new perspectives by living in someone else’s shoes for a short time. Especially for books as powerful as the ones being written about these real issues that are affecting kids in their lives today, this mirror, window, sliding door access becomes even more important for them to see they have a place in our society, no matter what perspective they may bring.

And that’s the thing about the windows, they’re different for everyone because background knowledge and experiences are what you bring to any circumstance and they impact how you see things. What Jason, Brendan, Angie, & Nic have done with their books is create incredibly readable books providing windows and mirrors, and hopefully opening these sliding doors for teens, and adults, in our society. My students were living with these fears, and through the characters these authors created, I was able to see through their windows and was better able to have a sense of what many of my students were living with. Without these books, I wouldn’t have had that perspective or been able to walk through that door. So read their books. Think about them. Share them. Talk about them. Put them in your classrooms and on your shelves for teens to find themselves, their friends, or new perspectives and understanding in.

ALL-AMERICAN BOYS & Why My Students Needed to Read This Book

Jillian Heise — Sun, 11 Oct 2015 23:30:00 +0000

Title: ALL-AMERICAN BOYS

Authors: Jason Reynolds & Brendan Kiely

Publisher: Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books (Simon & Schuster imprint)

Release Date: September 29, 2015

Number of Pages: 320

Source of Book: Bound Manuscript from Publisher

Recommended for: 7th grade & up

In an unforgettable new novel from award-winning authors Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely, two teens—one black, one white—grapple with the repercussions of a single violent act that leaves their school, their community, and, ultimately, the country bitterly divided by racial tension.
A bag of chips. That’s all sixteen-year-old Rashad is looking for at the corner bodega. What he finds instead is a fist-happy cop, Paul Galluzzo, who mistakes Rashad for a shoplifter, mistakes Rashad’s pleadings that he’s stolen nothing for belligerence, mistakes Rashad’s resistance to leave the bodega as resisting arrest, mistakes Rashad’s every flinch at every punch the cop throws as further resistance and refusal to STAY STILL as ordered. But how can you stay still when someone is pounding your face into the concrete pavement?
But there were witnesses: Quinn Collins—a varsity basketball player and Rashad’s classmate who has been raised by Paul since his own father died in Afghanistan—and a video camera. Soon the beating is all over the news and Paul is getting threatened with accusations of prejudice and racial brutality. Quinn refuses to believe that the man who has basically been his savior could possibly be guilty. But then Rashad is absent. And absent again. And again. And the basketball team—half of whom are Rashad’s best friends—start to take sides. As does the school. And the town. Simmering tensions threaten to explode as Rashad and Quinn are forced to face decisions and consequences they had never considered before.
Written in tandem by two award-winning authors, this tour de force shares the alternating perspectives of Rashad and Quinn as the complications from that single violent moment, the type taken from the headlines, unfold and reverberate to highlight an unwelcome truth.

My thoughts:

I’m not sure my words will be able to adequately express the importance of this book and the urgency I feel to get it into hands of my urban teens specifically, and all teens generally.

This is a book to start conversations, in our classrooms and with each other. It’s a book to make you take a step back and look at bias in your own life.

The power in this book lies in the stripped down simplicity-two boys, two views, one incident, which, through the honesty and realness of the characters who are dealing with complex issues of race, community, perceptions, stereotypes, and assumptions, is able to address a timely issue in a way teens will be able to relate to without feeling lectured at.

Reynolds and Kiely have written a story that stays true to the teen voice and the inner struggle of trying to understand things that don’t make sense, and wanting to change but not knowing how, wanting to fight for what’s right in the face of outside pressures, and how that all impacts relationships with family and friends.

It’s a gut-wrenching book because of how easy it was for me to picture my own students’ faces and voices in place of Rashad’s & Quinn’s, and in how it made me think about privilege while keeping the focus on these characters and the many real people who have been affected by racial incidents of police brutality. I especially appreciated that the two characters were the forefront, but had friends, teachers, and family who all affected their actions and decisions in a true to life way.

It’s honest, real, powerful, and oh so important.

It’s a book people need to read.

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This book is so important I chose to use it as a shared read aloud with my 8th graders. We were lucky enough to have Reynolds & Kiely visiting Milwaukee on tour and our local independent bookstore, Boswell Books, facilitated having them visit our school. Jason visited my students last year, and they couldn’t stop talking about how much they enjoyed the visit and asking when he would be coming back. There was such a strong connection from them for what he shared, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to host him again so soon, and for this book in particular.

I’ve never heard a classroom full of 8th graders as quiet as when I’ve been reading this book.

We’ve already had powerful discussions about perceptions vs lies; how knowing someone’s story can change our views; what our immediate reactions might teach us about biases; our anger, hurt, and fear about the realities of racism; how hard it can be to say what you’re thinking with difficult topics; the way media portrays black youth; the difficulty of standing up for what’s right; and how the way we present ourselves can impact opinions.

I’m eager to see where time for deeper analysis will take these kids.

I’m so proud of the respect they’ve shown this topic and their willingness to embrace this book – they’ve been thoroughly engaged from the first page through the serious, funny, and relatable. I only get them for two years, we only read this book for two weeks, but I know the impact will last far beyond that.

Thank you Jason Reynolds & Brendan Kiely for writing this book that provokes thought, addresses perceptions and realities, and begs for discussion.

My 8th graders may not yet realize or know how to thank you for all of this

…but it matters…they matter…they are seen…they are seeing…and this book shows them that.

I asked my 8th graders to share initial thoughts after we finished the last page of the book. This is what they had to say:

“All-American Boys is amazing. I’m literally at a loss of words to explain how I feel. It was so powerful.” (Larry)

“I think this book is really good. But there’s more than just good. There is a deeper meaning to the book.” (Harrison)

“This book is so powerful. It has let everyone know about racism that has been going around lately.” (Madelyn)

“[The authors] produced a thoughtful way to write about what is going on these days.”(Malik)

“I feel this book had a goal to have you look at society different and it did…” (Alex)

“I liked this book a lot! It is definitely a part of my Top 10. I think it is a different way to talk about police brutality. I am scared for my black family.” (Aalisiyah)

“All-American Boys was a really powerful story. Altogether the story was amazing.” (anon)

“This book gives the best inside look on black and white societies and perspectives of teenagers.” (Kimi)

“All-American Boys really affected me. Why are black people portrayed as the bad guy? I think this book shows that this is wrong. People appear to be more racist than they think. It’s sad that not many people notice this.” (Carlos)

“I think most people can relate to this book.” (Rosita)

“These are things that are happening today, police brutality. It’s not just in the book, it’s in real life this stuff happens in real life. And it’s not fair.” (Roman)

Those reactions, and the discussions that will follow, are why I feel this book was so important to share with my urban students, and why I hope All-American Boys will be shared widely with students across the country.