Help me give my students a modern day American Dream story, reminiscent of Gatsby but one that captures the complexities, highs and lows of the immigrant story today.
Although I just met my new students, I can already tell they are active, engaged and concerned citizens. In their summer assignments, they read And The Mountains Echoed, Speak No Evil, and The Sympathizer. In their written responses to the respective novel they each read, so many students made real connections to their lives and their communities. Each novel tackles the challenging issues of assimilation, family obligations, sexuality, independence, belonging- just to name a few. And I am already amazed at how deeply these kids were able to extract these themes and ideas from the books.
Our school is filled with inquisitive, hungry, and visionary minds; while different in personality, they share a common concern for the world around them, committed to reading and learning about how to make it better.
I am so excited for the many units ahead where we can delve into the myriad texts on our AP Literature syllabus.
My Project
In December, we will be reading the classic The Great Gatsby. As we learn how to compare and contrast texts, we also want to explore Imbolo Mbue's novel Behold The Dreamers. It is at once a novel that questions the existence and value of the so-called American Dream as well as forces us to look at how that dream may be different for those who are born in other countries and come here for an ostensibly better life. This modern novel is relevant, alive and relevant for teenagers in a 2018 (and 2019!) classroom. I know that, while Gatsby may ring true in their literary ears, Mbue's story will also ring true for the stories in their own lives.
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