Literature is a powerful tool in moving kids toward adult understanding, and now more than ever, do we need our children to be elastic in their thinking, to fine tune their course to true north of their moral compasses.
Reaching back into some classics and throwing in some new edgy titles, we can start to introduce the complexities of things like bigotry, gender identity, politics, and tough subjects like dealing with disease and death. Stories provide context and dynamic for teens to understand conflict and come to grips with the sticky fact that life often doesn’t resolve neatly like in fairy tales.
For these more challenging issues, the following books come highly recommended by teachers and parents alike.
Chasing Shadows by Swati Avasthi
This book takes place on the streets of Chicago and opens with the kids bonding around ideas of courage and nobility gleaned from comic books, Hindi myths and the parkour phenomenon. Soon enough they bond through these ideas’ connection to reality, when they are rocked by a random act of violence that shreds their world.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
One famous story referencing this book is about a solider on the front lines in in WWII who wrote to Smith telling her that the book saved him. A raw story about a young African America girl with big dreams growing up in ruthlessly racist New York, this book came to define the impact that racism has on children and women.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal. But when a fellow patient named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten. This is a tough but brilliant read, ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.
The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
A poor kid outside of Munich during the war, Leisel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t live without–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement. A metaphor for the ways in which stories can save our lives.
Beat the Turtle Drum by Constance C Greene
This is a story about two sisters who have all the romantic innocence of sisterhood that youth could offer. A simple story about the shock of death and all the painful facets of grief, this book won award after award for its fragility and bravery.
We cannot protect our children from inevitable sufferings that accompany living a long and full life, but we can arm them with visceral and potent stories that give us guidance in making it through the hard times. Independent reading is a healthy way of diving into the fray safely and learning how to overcome immense challenges.