In my Adolescent Literacy course, I was just assigned an article by Natalie Wexler titled “Teaching with Whole Books Boosts Comprehension and Engagement.” In this article, Wexler describes how the assignment of whole books in education settings has rapidly decreased, as student engagement and attention span has declined. As an English major myself, I was taken aback by this data. Reading, and novels in particular, has played such a pivotal role in my life and the way in which I interact with the world around me.
Lois Lowry’s Number the Stars is one of the first full books I remember reading…and reading…and reading again. My third grade self saw Annemarie as a friend, walking through her life during World War II. This was one of my first real interactions with this time in history and this book built upon both my understanding and sympathy.
In seventh grade, I read The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. As I made my way through this novel, my thirteen year old brain worked to comprehend the racism depicted amongst the pages, forcing me to face the reality for so many people in America. Many nights I found myself in tears, in horror over what I was reading.
During my junior year of high school, I chose to read An American Summer: The Story of Love and Death in Chicago by Alex Kotlowitz for my class’s nonfiction unit. As someone living right outside of Chicago in an affluent neighborhood, I was never face to face with the city’s violent history. Kotlowitz’s book forced me to consider how my life on the North Shore of Chicago could be drastically different from those living 29 miles away from me.
These books, along with countless others, have been formative in the way I think both academically and socially. I have taken turns in the shoes of others, feeling a fraction of the pain while growing in empathy. My world view and the way in which I interact with those around me is greatly impacted by the books on my shelf.
If students are no longer being assigned full books, what will be the cost for our society?