Introduction: The Power of Young Adult Literature

Young adult texts engage students; provide windows, mirrors, and sliding-glass doors to experiences readers may not otherwise have; motivate students to become life-long readers; and can lead to powerful action in the world. While censors seek to undermine teachers’ expertise, education, and authority, this book aims to provide support for effective anti-racist teaching both in and out of English language arts classrooms. As readers, how we view ourselves and what we see as potential for our own futures are influenced by our literacy environment and practices. This edited collection—written by the nation’s top experts in teaching young adult literature—provides resources to empower English language arts (ELA) teachers to foster development of identity, Criticality, and advocacy in their classrooms by encouraging students to explore their own and others’ cultures and reading practices, question systems, disrupt structures, positively engage with the world around them, and advocate for themselves and others.