Aronson is 100% right when he says that nonfiction is the neglected stepchild of young adult literature. I distinctly remember historical fiction young adult books, like red badge of courage, or fictionalized books that were somewhat grounded in reality, like Hatchet. But I can't recall a creative nonfiction book that I read before the age of 16 or so. At 16, I took AP Human Geography, and for my final project in the class, I read the book Cod, which was a nonfiction book about the global impact of Cod. My parents still make fun of a line I had in my essay, "thankfully the civil war came along" which was probably a dumb thing to say, but for Cod a large scale war was a great thing. But still, this book was targeted at adults, and I was no longer reading young adult literature. There seems to be a definite void there that could be filled with engaging, intelligent nonfiction books for young readers.
And I can see why this can be especially true for boys. As men, we are expected to be more grounded in reality. I know that my parents felt that comic books and fantasy novels were a stage to be grown out of though I never really did. But if not fantasy or comic books, what material would be best for boys? I agree with Aronson that nonfiction books fill that gap because they appeal to what boys want to do (at least in my experience) which is to learn new cool things. When I look back on most of my current hobbies, they started as cool things to learn. Guitar, writing, singing, cooking, brewing, bike riding, video games, even dog training began as cool things to learn how to do. There are countless other things I began because I thought it would be cool to learn but gave up on (skateboarding was an especially painful experience). But I think there really is a desire within boys to master their little universes, and usually they can do so incredibly well (the amount of 13 year olds who have completely smoked me in a bluegrass jams is staggering). I'm not totally sure that this doesn't translate to girls. In fact, I think it does, but there is a cultural bias for girls to be reading nonfiction and young adult romance etc. But, I bet given the opportunity many girls would be more than happy for the chance to master their universe as well (I have been smoked by an increasing amount of girls in bluegrass jams too, although usually on mandolin or fiddle, not as much on guitar).
I think it would be really easy to integrate nonfiction into the middle and high school curriculum. Replace all those boring out dated and ineffective textbooks with trade books. Some could be historical fiction, some could be biography, some could just be interesting and well written nonfiction. But Social Studies and Science classes are begging to have more interesting reading material. Even in the English and Language Arts curriculum, why not integrate material that overlaps other subjects? (All books do though don't they?) Sarah Vowell's The Wordy Shipmates would be a perfect companion piece to a Hawthorne short story like the Minister's Black Veil. Even memoirs like selections from David Sedaris could have a place in the ELA classroom. I think the only impediments are curriculum and administration, but I think that Aronson makes such compelling points, that a few quotes could persuade even the most resistant administrator.
Yes! We, girls, would certainly like to master our universes, too, Will. Thanks for the support!
ReplyDeleteAnd did you realize that Cod is a great example of a micro-history? That's what Seattle librarian Nancy Pearl calls books that explore a specific topic to extreme degrees. Learn more: http://n.pr/kuY79R
Hmmm I've seen some pretty resistant administrators in my day. There's strength in numbers though. Maybe what we need is a network of English teachers developing Common Core-correlated units/projects that integrate contemporary nonfiction in wondrous and exciting ways? New group for the English Companion Ning?
I really like that you mentioned having "more interesting reading material" in Social Studies and Science classrooms. I find that the nonfiction I like to read is usually science-y even though I more of a humanities-oriented person, and I think it's because reading a well-crafted book on science is an easier way for me to connect than by working in a lab or by listening to a lecture. Incorporating nonfiction material in these classrooms could be a great way to engage all students.
ReplyDeleteI think your idea of ditching traditional textbooks in favor of more creative, colorful, and interesting works of non-fiction is a great one! I can't remember anything from a single stodgy, boring textbook I had in school, except for the fact that important terms were usually in bold, and I'd always make sure to memorize and study them before a test. Alas, though, I don't think any administrators would allow us to throw out the textbooks. I guess we'll just have to get by with sneaking better works into our curriculum whenever possible.
ReplyDelete-Susie Potter
I liked the NPR article. Actually it is a tradition of my friend andrew and I to listen to NPR during our Saturday brew days (Car Talk and Wait Wait Don't Tell Me are my favorites, but This American Life and the Story are also Awesome!) Susie, have you taken reading across the curriculum with Dr. Lois Huffman? She highlights some great ways to integrate what she refers to as trade books throughout the disciplines. And hopefully someday we will have kindles and laptops in every middle and high school classroom, then there'd be no more textbooks at all. Think of all the back pain we'd save too.
ReplyDeleteI find the idea of "micro-history" intriguing, because I like the idea of allowing students to pursue an area of interest to them. Will, I think you really hit the nail on the head with your observation that reading to learn how to do something cool is far more compelling than reading because someone tells you to read.
ReplyDeleteI also think letting students pursue their own interests is a good way to combine writing with reading. For instance, the whole class could read a central text (like The Scarlet Letter, for example) and then every student could select his or her own primary source or non-fiction text from a list of approved items: a biography of Hawthorne, one of Sarah Vowell's essays about the Puritans, a history of the Massachusetts Bay colony, early case law about adultery, or an essay about the different religious views of sin.
Students could write about their own topics as they relate to the novel, and then read and comment on each others' work. This essentially results in a collaborative text study and "jigsaws" many aspects of a single piece of fiction.