When it comes to literature, teaching the classics is important. But it's a good idea to add contemporary titles to your curriculum, too, especially if your students sometimes have trouble connecting with older texts.
That’s why we created the Discovering Literature collection, a curated selection of noteworthy books that are capturing the attention of teachers and students across the country.
September’s Discovering Literature Digest spotlights four astounding stories of courage, all written by Black authors and featuring strong Black protagonists. Students of all backgrounds will enjoy following each narrative, learning more about American history and society along the way. The perfect addition to any classroom library, these YA novels will surely spark discussion on responsibility, integrity, and identity.
All the Days Past, All the Days to Come
In this highly anticipated novel, Mildred D. Taylor concludes the story of the Logan family, made famous in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. Now a young woman, Cassie Logan is on a journey to find her purpose in life. Her search takes her all around the United States, from Ohio to California to Massachusetts, ultimately returning home to Mississippi at the height of the civil rights movement. As they follow Cassie’s odyssey, readers will observe key moments in US history, reflecting on the impacts of prejudice and injustice then and now as monumental events unfold.
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The Awakening of Malcolm X
Written by his daughter Ilyasah Shabazz in collaboration with author Tiffany D. Jackson, The Awakening of Malcolm X offers an insightful look at the activist’s early years. At the start of his sentence at Charlestown Prison, Malcolm Little felt he had no future. But as the days go by, Malcolm makes moves to better himself both intellectually and spiritually. He befriends other prisoners, explores the prison library, and joins the Nation of Islam. By the time his sentence ends, Malcolm Little emerges from prison a changed man—Malcolm X.
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Angel of Greenwood
Known as “Black Wall Street,” the Greenwood neighborhood of Tulsa, Oklahoma, is home to two very different teenagers. A follower of W. E. B. Du Bois, Isaiah, the town troublemaker, believes Black people should stand up and claim their place as equals. Angel, the goody-goody church girl, supports Booker T. Washington’s views, believing Black people should rise without conflict. Strangers at first, the two grow closer while working the same after-school job. But on May 31, 1921, everything changes when a vicious white mob destroys Greenwood, killing hundreds and displacing thousands. Told in alternating perspectives, Angel of Greenwood sheds new light on a nearly forgotten piece of American history.
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Concrete Rose
A prequel to The Hate U Give, this powerful novel explores the story of Maverick Carter, the father of the former book’s protagonist, Starr. With his dad in prison, seventeen-year-old Maverick takes care of his family the only way he knows how: dealing for the King Lords. Things seem under control until Mav learns he’s a father. With a son to raise, Mav resolves to finish school and set his life straight, but between his new responsibilities and old loyalties to his gang, Mav must make tough choices if he is to become the man he wants to be.
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Find even more exciting books in the Discovering Literature collection!