Human Rights Issues in YA Literature

Sometime in the mid-1990s, when I was around 10 or 11, my grandmother gave me a book called Zlata's Diary, written by a young girl (@ZlataFilipovic) living through the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Around the same time, two new students arrived in my school; they were Bosnian refugees. After reading Zlata's Diary, did I fully grasp the recent trauma my new classmates had experienced? No, but neither can I say that now, as an adult, I understand their experiences. However, reading Zlata's Diary did open my eyes to the experiences of a girl my age half a world away. It made me curious--not cruel--towards the new kids at my school. It did not traumatize me or give me nightmares, but instead put my life and "problems" into a broader context; suddenly, not being allowed to have my ears pierced seemed unimportant. It sparked in me a curiosity about people in other areas of the world. It caused me to question the evil that exists in the world, but it also inspired me be a source of goodness.

As an adult, I continue to be drawn to literature about people living in places and times that are not my own. Reading Never Fall Down (@McCormickWrites) was both a horrifying and inspiring experience for me. As I read, I continued to have flashbacks to Beah's A Long Way Gone and Wiesel's Night. Like Beah and Wiesel, the protagonist, Arn Chorn-Pond, suffers greatly as he endures the Khmer Rouge's violent reign over his homeland, yet he also rises out of that hopelessness and, as an adult, works tirelessly as a human rights advocate.

Never Fall Down is a fairly simple read for high school students, yet its subject matter is complex and challenging, making it a perfect read for both reluctant readers and high-achieving students. In an English/language arts classroom, discussions of novel text might include the literary themes of war, perseverance, and the will to survive, or the writer's process of turning a true story into a work of fiction. McCormick's choice of voice for her protagonist would be a valuable lesson topic, as well. Finally, this book beckons a discussion of the role of the arts in a people's cultural identity. Why did the Khmer Rouge find it so important to wipe out all traditional Cambodian music and art? What is the value of traditional songs, images, and stories?

Social Studies teachers could also use this text to teach about a variety of historical eras. Never Fall Down not only gives readers insight into the Cambodian Genocide, but also provides a platform for discussing other mass killings such as the Holocaust and those in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Sudan, Rwanda, and the massacres that are occurring in Syria even as I type these words. The innocence of McCormick's child narrator and his at-times naive perspective on the atrocities he witnesses help students to comprehend an otherwise overwhelming topic.

Although it might be tempting to censor books that contain graphic war imagery and violence from middle and high school students, it's also important to remember that living in a bubble disadvantages everyone--victims and bystanders alike. Students should not be prevented from learning about historical or current events just because they paint a picture that not everything in our world is all roses and butterflies. If we want students to become agents of change, we have to show them what needs to be changed. At the same time, we cannot simply hand students books about tragedies and expect them to feel empowered. Opportunities for empowerment--community service projects, food and clothing drives, petitions or letter/email-writing campaigns--should be an integral part of students' experiences, too.

A few of my favorites:

Kiva @kiva

Habitat for Humanity @Habitat_org

Hope in Haiti