Cultural Books & Ideas

Examples of Cultural Books and Usage

Book	Discussion purposes
“Boy Meets Boy” By David Lethivan	Explore the LGBTQ culture. Sexual orientations develop through interactions with the same and opposite sex. LGBTQ culture is relevant and thoughtful discussions about it can be therapeutic for youth who are struggling with their identities.
“ Jerk California” By Jonathan Friesen	A great book to launch a discussion on syndromes, diseases, and disabilities that affect students. This book is specifically about a young male who suffers from Tourettes and what his life is like.
“Zeitoun” By Dave Eggers   “Persepolis” By Marjane Satrapi	·        An excellent book about the life  and mother nature changing events that occurred in Zeitoun’s life as an American. You can discuss the Muslim culture and American culture and how society changed after 9/11. ·        Persepolis is a graphic novel biography of the authors life growing up in Iran during the revolution and her personal struggles. This book can tie into current events and can be compared with Zeitoun.
“ Bronx Masquerade” By Nikki Grimes   “ American Born Chinese” By Gene Luen Yang	Great for teens to discuss teen life across cultures as well as relationships that they encounter and how they cope with changes and self identity.
“ Eagle Feather” By Clyde Robert Bulla   “The Heart Of A Chief” By Joseph Bruchac   “The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part Time Indian” By Sherman Alexie	·        Eagle Feather is a folk tale that depicts the life of a typical Navajo Indian male. ·        Heart of a Chief gives another perspective of Indian life. The author who is part Indian writes about life on a reservation and a young male conundrum. ·        True diary of a part time Indian is an autobiography of the author’s childhood living on a reservation and his struggles.   These books can be used to talk about authenticity and stereotypes about the native American culture.
“Diary of Anne Frank” “Night” By Elie Weisel   “Maus” By Art Speigelman	These books can be used when exploring WWII and the Holocaust. These books offer personal experience and what life was like for Jews during this time.
“Memoirs of a Geisha” By Arthur Golden “ The Joy Luck Club” By Amy Tan	These two books can be used to explore the lives of Chinese and Japanese culture of the early 1930’s and 1940’s.