Everything you ever wanted to know about YA non-fiction but were afraid to ask. Psych! But, three things you should know. #bookhenge

 #1: What’s the difference between text books and non-fiction?

Before I read the selected essays, my initial thought was, “Why would Aronson call non-fiction the neglected stepchild?” After all, non-fiction is a popular genre among YA readers. However, it wasn’t the readers to which Aronson was referring, but rather the genre itself. He says that non-fiction is the neglected stepchild because it is “’good for reports’ and not generally considered great literature” (105). Perhaps this is true of our students’ history texts, but there is plenty of read-worthy nonfiction literature lining the shelves of the library in the YAL section. And guess what? Those books are not sitting around gathering dust, either.  It’s not easy tracking down a checked-in copy of one of the YALSA’s award-winning non-fiction titles. But, Aronson does point out that there is a difference between the history text and creative non-fiction. Creative non-fiction can appeal to students’ interest in thinking while the tired textbook offers up only “factual” information, deterring the reader from drawing his own conclusions or forming his own opinion. I use the word factual loosely, hence the quotation marks, since I’m not entirely sure how cut and dry the facts are. In addition to Aronson’s points about the muddled memories and individual interpretations of history, we mustn’t forget the bias that goes into the textbooks our children read. Surely, it hasn’t slipped your mind that last year Texas, the nation’s largest buyer of textbooks, approved a curriculum change that would re-write American history to give it a more conservative slant. See http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/13/education/13texas.html. Hmmm... sounds a little like the backlash against pamphleteering in the 1700s, no?

#2: Why boys hate books

Well, they don’t really. They just don’t care for the typical choices found in a language arts class.  Boys turn their noses up at poetry, fiction, and folktales, but please don’t take it personally, English teachers; their intention is not to send you into early retirement. Sure they may have funny nicknames for you or tell you how totally lame your class is, but it’s only because boys are wired differently.  You see, boys seek out knowledge to help them gain physical confidence. They long for articles about autos, discourse on deep sea fishing, and books about baseball.  Since our primary goals as English teachers are to engage our students in reading and teach them to think critically, why not set aside Shakespeare, and give the boys some reading that will pique their interest?

#3: Why you should not neglect non-fiction  

Non-fiction in an English class? Someone alert the history teachers, quick!  The English teachers are teaching non-fiction. Some may even be teaching history! And why shouldn’t they? Aronson implore us not to forget that children love to learn facts. Not fun facts or factoids but real worldly knowledge.  He suggests that perhaps the best way to accomplish this is through creative nonfiction, an accurate yet readable account of history that challenges students to think critically. Don’t think your students will be engaged by non-fiction? Consider Mark Twin’s famous quote, “Truth is stranger than fiction because fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; truth isn’t.”