Saturday, October 28, 2017

Reading Can Seriously Damage Your Ignorance

In our current political climate, all sides tend to post information that isn't true. Much of that false information now comes from social media sites and can go viral in minutes. My job as an English teacher is to help my students determine what is actual news (backed up by verifiable facts) and what is fake news (not backed up by verifiable facts).

In addition to shared false information, there seems to be a lot of hate in our country right now - once again, on all sides. I am so lucky to be an English teacher because I can recommend books that are mirrors and windows for my students. Students can see themselves in books - mirrors, and students can see others in books - windows. There is no better feeling in the world when a student, after finishing a book, says to me, "I loved that book! It made me think about things differently."

We all have or biases and prejudices, but many times that comes from our fear of the unknown. Reading, fiction or nonfiction, is one of the best ways to challenge our biases and prejudices. Do we end up agreeing with an author's perspective, thinking about the author's perspective in a different light, or totally changing our thinking because of what the author was putting out there?

I love to read books and articles from many perspectives. This is how I remain an informed citizen and how I am able to empathize with others. I don't always agree with what an author has to say, but, at least, I can say I have a new perspective and something to think about and read about further. In the end, "Reading can seriously damage your ignorance." And . . . isn't that what an informed democracy is all about?

The Lines We Cross by Randa Abdel-Fattah


This is one of those books that "can seriously damage your ignorance." Both sides of the refugee debate are shown in this young adult book by Randa Abdel-Fattah. To be honest, I had never really considered the ideas of those against accepting refugees into the country, but this book forced me to look at all sides of the issue. Just like the Take a Knee issue here in the United States, people of all different races, ethnicities, religions, etc. have ideas on how to deal with the ever-growing refugee populations around the world. In fact, when my students were looking at the Take a Knee issue in my classes, one of my students, who is black, disagreed with the majority of the students and felt that taking a knee was disrespectful. Just like my student, there were minor characters in the book who were immigrants themselves and felt that taking in refugees was wrong. I think it's important to be able to hear all sides and have an informed perspective. It would be great if people who are against taking in refugees would read this book, too, because there is so much information to learn from both sides. Ms. Abdel-Fattah does an excellent job of allowing all voices to be heard in the book, but she does have her own perspective, which is obvious when reading her book.

Goodreads blurb: A remarkable story about the power of choosing tolerance from one of the most important voices in contemporary Muslim literature, critically acclaimed author Randa Abdel-Fattah. Michael usually concerns himself with basketball and hanging out with his friends, but every once in a while, his parents drag him to meetings and rallies with their anti-immigrant group. And it all makes sense to Michael. Until Mina, a beautiful girl from the other side of the protest lines, shows up at his school, and turns out to be funny, smart -- and a Muslim refugee from Afghanistan. Suddenly, his parents' politics seem much more complicated. Mina has already had a long and arduous journey leaving behind her besieged home in Afghanistan, and the frigid welcome at her new school is daunting. She just wants to settle in and help her parents get their restaurant up and running. But nothing about her new community will be that easy. As tensions increase, lines are drawn. Michael has to decide where he stands. Mina has to protect herself and her family. Both have to choose what they want their world to look like.

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