Featured Youth

For decades high school English syllabi have included the “classics”, novels that students have traditionally learned, read, and studied that reflect a singular point of view: the perspective of a white male author. Catcher in the Rye. 1984. The Odyssey. Huckleberry Finn. Lord of the Flies. The Great Gatsby. All of these novels are commonplace in the English classroom but, as conversations around race and diversity become reoccurring, educators have begun to expand their reading lists and students are at the forefront of advocating for more inclusive, accurate, and diverse literary texts and curriculum.

Overcoming culture shock does not have to compromise your own culture and can actually shape you to be more empathetic towards others. Novelly Author Eluney Gonzalez has written about this topic and speaks in depth about it in episode 1 of the Read to Heal Podcast.