In the coming months of 2024, multiple stories and memoirs will be released to comment on social issues going on in the United States. Many of the books touch on racial injustice, the struggles of being a teacher, and other new releases by authors of all backgrounds.
“Teachers Speak Up!: Stories of Courage, Resilience, and Hope in Difficult Times,” edited by Sonia Nieto and Alicia Lopez Nieto, and “Humans Who Teach: A Guide for Centering Love, Justice, and Liberation in Schools” by Shamari Reid both include stories about how teachers in modern schools are struggling to share love and education in healthy waysduring socially and politically chaotic times in the country.
“Humans Who Teach: A Guide for Centering Love, Justice, and Liberation in Schools” is now available and “Teachers Speak Up!: Stories of Courage, Resilience, and Hope in Difficult Times” will be released on April 26.
“The School Leaders Our Children Deserve: Seven Keys to Equity, Social Justice, and School Reform” by George Theoharis focuses more on the teachings of social justice in schools and how important this kind of education is in society. The book will be available April 26.
Published in January and available now, “This Is the Honey: An Anthology of Contemporary Black Poets,” edited by Kwame Alexander, includes pieces by Black poets and writers of our time in one collection.
Ladarrion Williams will be releasing his first novel, “Blood at the Root,” on May 7. Blood at the Root is a fantasy novel that tells the story of teenager Malik who is determined to figure out the reason for his mother’s disappearance ten years earlier, while also learning about his heritage and family history.
New releases and further information about books with social justice themes can be found online at SocialJusticeBooks.org.
“Towards the end of high school, I read ‘The Hate U Give’ by Angie Thomas, and I thought it was a really eye opening book that provides a crucial perspective on racial injustice in the US. I also read ‘The White Album’ by Joan Didion recently, which talks a lot about her definition of feminism in the 70s. It made me think a lot about the differences between earlier feminism and today’s.”
– Kathleen Chiodo, ‘24
“‘Amazing Grace’ by Johnathan Kozol takes you through the South Bronx, describing the hor- rendous conditions and tragic stories of people young and old. Kozol, who wrote from his own visits and experiences, shared many descriptions of just how unfortunate these conditions are, but how through all of this there are these amazing children he was able to connect and work with. As a social work student, this book stuck with me greatly. It was another perspective of how certain populations live, and the struggles that impov- erished children & families go through daily. I would recommend this book to anyone, especial- ly students who may want deeper insight on this topic.” – Kayla Goncalves, ‘24
“This book focuses more on the social aspects of the US today, but I read ‘I Never Thought of It That Way’ by Monica Guzman for one
of my classes last year. It talked about the fact that many Americans can’t have conversations with people of opposing political perspectives. Guzman talks about different solutions and how to keep an open mind.”
– Danny Martoccia, ‘24
