The book that changed your life

[Karen]

So, this isn't really a request for books to assign in class, but I am looking to develop a list of books that I can recommend to students who don't like to read :)

I teach at a small liberal arts college made up mainly lower income and working class kids and middle class kids who fell through the cracks. In general, they never were exposed to books as fun or empowering or even interesting. They think of books as things to avoid (and often rightly so, reading is a real struggle for them). So I want to generate a list of books that are super engaging and might empower them to see reading as something they can use to understand their own lives. Fiction or non-fiction is okay.

Example:
Victor Rios' Punished
Toni Morrison The Bluest Eye

[Jeanne]

What a great question!


For me, it was Carson McCuller's The Ballad of Sad Cafe, among others.

But for others, maybe:
Ernesto Quinonez's Bodega Dreams. (Much of it was written in my kitchen so I'm a little biased. But think it speaks to a lot of young people. Ernesto himself grew up low income and a very lackluster student in Spanish Harlem. He always welcomed opportunities to meet young people who came from backgrounds similar to his own.)

Junot Diaz's Drown.

[Kjerstin]

I don't have an answer off the top of my head, but I'm going to mull over this and see if I come up with anything.

[Kjerstin]

Okay - came up with something. Precious. I have my students read it every year and many say that it changes their lives.

[Karen]

Oh, great suggestions! Thank you :)

[Charlotte]

My students love Gang Leader for a Day about a doctoral student at Chicago who goes over to the projects to try to study poverty. It's a wonderful read but deals with serious sociological issues in a way that a student who doesn't like to read might relate to.Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets

[Kristy]

I think this is a brilliant idea, and I'd love to get a longer list going. I realize I'm quite late to the game, but I just came across this discussion. Anything by Sherman Alexie would work well, but especially the short novel, Flight. I also thought McCullers' Ballad of the Sad Cafe was incredible.

[Ami]

I want to second "Gang Leader for a Day." I assign it for every introductory criminology course and students absolutely love it! The feedback I receive makes me believe it has affected students' lives in a really meaningful way. They don't think about inner cities, poverty, and crime the same way.
Charlotte wrote: "My students love Gang Leader for a Day about a doctoral student at Chicago who goes over to the projects to try to study poverty. It's a wonderful read but deals with serious sociological issues i..."