{"id":13917,"date":"2020-12-01T08:25:32","date_gmt":"2020-12-01T16:25:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/educatorinnovator.org\/?p=13917"},"modified":"2020-12-09T09:00:11","modified_gmt":"2020-12-09T17:00:11","slug":"graphic-novels-help-teens-learn-about-racism-climate-change-and-social-justice-heres-a-reading-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/educatorinnovator.org\/graphic-novels-help-teens-learn-about-racism-climate-change-and-social-justice-heres-a-reading-list\/","title":{"rendered":"Graphic novels help teens learn about racism, climate change and social justice \u2013 here’s a reading list"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Karen W. Gavigan<\/a>, University of South Carolina<\/a><\/em> and Kasey Garrison<\/a>, Charles Sturt University<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Teen activists worldwide are making headlines for their social justice advocacy on everything from climate change<\/a> and immigration<\/a> to substance abuse<\/a> and LGBTQ issues<\/a>. As young people get more vocal about these issues, this trend is being reflected in the graphic novels<\/a> they are reading.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a relatively new genre. The term graphic novel first came about when cartoonist Will Eisner<\/a> used the phrase to get publishers to recognize his 1978 work, \u201cA Contract with God: And Other Tenement Stories<\/a>,\u201d as a novel rather than a comic book. Later, to help others understand the term he coined the definition: \u201ca long comic book that would need a bookmark.\u201d<\/p>\n

Later, the cartoonist Art Spiegelman created \u201cMaus<\/a>,\u201d which relayed his father\u2019s experiences during the Holocaust through pictures in which Jews were mice, Germans were cats and Poles were pigs. The book became the first Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel<\/a> in 1992. It was a game-changer, giving credibility to a format that many people, and even Congress<\/a>, had previously criticized.<\/p>\n

Sales have soared<\/a> since then.<\/p>\n

Because the combination of text and images<\/a> in graphic novels can communicate issues and emotions that words alone often cannot, more educators and parents are finding them to be effective tools for tackling tough issues<\/a> with kids. The acclaimed author Nikki Giovanni<\/a> has put it this way. \u201cA comic book is no longer something to laugh with but something to learn from.\u201d<\/p>\n

We are library and information science professors in the U.S.<\/a> and Australia<\/a> who are curating a collection of these books to share with educators, parents and students. Here are some highlights, grouped by category.<\/p>\n

Racism and other forms of bigotry<\/h2>\n

In the graphic novel memoir \u201cThey Called Us Enemy<\/a>,\u201d actor, activist and Star Trek legend George Takei<\/a> partnered with co-authors Justin Eisinger<\/a> and Steven Scott<\/a> and the illustrator Harmony Becker<\/a> to share his family\u2019s experience during World War II. During this time, U.S. citizens like Takei\u2019s Japanese American family were forcibly moved to internment camps<\/a> and treated like criminals. Takei encourages readers to give their voices to those who are silenced so that history does not repeat itself.<\/p>\n

Another good example in this vein is \u201cNew Kid<\/a>\u201d by African American author and illustrator Jerry Craft<\/a>. Its main character, Jordan, attends a private school where he is one of the few students of color. Jordan feels like a fish out of water, struggling to fit in at school and his neighborhood. New Kid” recently won the Newbery Medal<\/a> \u2013 the first time that a graphic novel<\/a> has won the prestigious U.S. children\u2019s literary award.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Exerpt from \u2018They Called Us Enemy.\u2019<\/span>
\nPenguin Random House<\/a>, CC BY-SA<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Addiction and mental illness<\/h2>\n

Jarrett Krosoczka<\/a>, the author and illustrator of \u201cHey Kiddo! How I Lost My Mother, Found My Father, and Dealt with Family Addiction<\/a>,\u201d makes his dysfunctional childhood as normal as possible by expressing himself through drawing. His powerful graphic memoir can help spark discussions about challenging issues with teens.<\/p>\n

Another author and illustrator who drew her own path is Katie Green<\/a>. With stark black-and-white illustrations, she presents the story of her struggle and recovery from eating disorders in \u201cLighter Than My Shadow<\/a>.\u201d A scribbly black cloud in the book represents Green\u2019s disorders and the anguish that came with them.<\/p>\n

Climate change<\/h2>\n

The graphic anthology \u201cWild Ocean: Sharks, Whales, Rays, and Other Endangered Sea Creatures<\/a>\u201d explores the plight and beauty of endangered animals. Overfishing, global warming and other man-made dangers threaten the lives of these sea creatures. This eco-themed book, edited by comic artist and author Matt Dembicki<\/a>,
\nhelps students connect with climate change issues. Reading the book may motivate them to develop ideas to help save our seas.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Excerpt from \u2018Wild Ocean: Sharks, Whales, Rays, and Other Endangered Sea Creatures.\u2019<\/span>
\nFulcrum Publishing<\/a>, CC BY-SA<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Immigration and refugees<\/h2>\n

As the number of worldwide refugees increases, so has the number of graphic novels about them.<\/p>\n

\u201cEscaping Wars and Waves: Encounters with Syrian Refugees<\/a>,\u201d by the visual journalist Olivier Kugler<\/a>, \u201cEscape from Syria<\/a>,\u201d by foreign correspondent Samya Kullab<\/a> together with illustrator Jackie Roche<\/a>, and \u201cThe Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees<\/a>\u201d by author and illustrator Don Brown<\/a>\u201c are powerful stories about Syrians forced to leave their homes and families. Their stories of the refugees\u2019 struggles paint a stark picture of a problem that today\u2019s young people may well have to fix in the decades ahead.<\/p>\n

LGBTQ teens<\/h2>\n

LGBTQ<\/a> and intersex<\/a> teens often feel isolated, confused and afraid while coming to terms with their sexual orientation and gender identity. Reading graphic novels with characters like themselves can help them understand it is OK to be who they are. Likewise, putting a book with these characters in the hands of non-LGBTQ teens can help them empathize with LGBTQ friends.<\/p>\n

\u201dBloom<\/a>,\u201c by writer Kevin Panetta<\/a> and illustrator Savanna Ganucheau<\/a>, is a graphic novel about Ari, a recent high school graduate. He feels pressured to work in the family bakery rather than following a musical career. When Ari hires a young man as his replacement, love is in the air and ready to bloom.<\/p>\n

\n

[You\u2019re smart and curious about the world. So are The Conversation\u2019s authors and editors.<\/em> You can read us daily by subscribing to our newsletter<\/a>.]\"The<\/p>\n

Karen W. Gavigan<\/a>, Professor of Library and Information Science, University of South Carolina<\/a><\/em> and Kasey Garrison<\/a>, Senior lecturer, Charles Sturt University<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

This article is republished from The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Image caption\/credit: The success of \u2018Maus\u2019 made the genre more visible. Photo by Noam Galai\/Getty Images for New York Comic Con<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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