Social Justice in YAL (blog 2)

Social justice books are very relatable for some of their readers and should be something that more people welcome into their personal libraries. Reading about a topic that may hit close to home is something that could be a very comforting thing for some people, while for others it may be a bit triggering.

When it comes to English, there are a lot of different opportunities for what direction you want to focus on in regard to books and their topics. For my Inquiry Blog Topic, I plan on exploring the topic of Social justice in young adult literature books. My understanding of this topic is mostly just basic information; the main goal is to put other individuals' lives into perspective. Creating this perspective allows the reader to create a level of empathy, and more of an understanding toward the main character(s). There are several different topics that are included in the term "social justice" which allows an even larger audience to be able to potentially connect or find ways to connect to it. When I think of a potential question I have regarding this topic that I may focus on, I think about the question: why are so many people against talking about this subject in schools? Depending on where the school is located, gun violence and other social justice topics could be very real things for the students. People should be more aware of the topics these books cover instead of being banned from talking about them. Currently, I am in an MPS school where there have been students who have lost their lives to gun violence and/or have lost friends or family members because of it. Social justice involves everyone; it should not be a topic so heavily debated, which is why that is something I would like further exploration concerning. 

Although some books involved in this topic may not be for everyone due to everyone having a different personal situation, all of the books are eye-opening for readers no matter your background. I am interested in seeing the variety of ways each author addresses the topic(s) and how they may or may not relate to each other in some way. Social justice books have been actively written about for many years by a wide variety of authors such as Angie Thomas, Jason Reynolds, Brendan Kiely, and so many others. The topic is slowly becoming more popular, though, in the last few years as these social issues have been making more news headlines and gaining attention. 

The topics these books cover should not be something that goes ignored, and I believe bringing them into a classroom is a step in the right direction. Below are some resources I have gathered as I begin to dive deeper into the topic of Social justice in young adult literature books.

1. What is Social Justice Literature? (Fable.co)
2. What is Social Justice? (youtube.com)
3. Teaching Social Justice through Young Adult Literature. | Jacqueline N. Glasgow | (jstor.org)
4. Incorporating Social Justice in the Curriculum | Lorena Germán | (edutopia.org)
5. 10 Creative Ways To Use Diverse Books in the Classroom | Cicely Lewis | (weareteachers.com)