Who Am I? Finding Identity in Young Adult Literature

Who Am I? Finding Identity in Young Adult Literature

By: Lindsey Conrad

The title of my annotated bibliography is “Who Am I? Finding Identity in Young Adult Literature.” Finding identity is a prevalent theme in the young adult literature genre and many readers make connections with the characters in the book who are wrestling with real problems that are close to their own lives as teenagers. At the center of the various themes in this type of literature is the question of character and identity. I chose to focus on this theme because it is one of the most difficult issues teens face during their adolescent years. Noted scholars Bean and Moni (2003) write about an enlightened view of identity development that is based on somewhat fixed social structures and class differences. Students who are coming of age have to grapple with the idea that they were born into a family that belongs in a certain class, social structure, and set of values. Often teens have a hard time accepting these roles and they rightfully work to overcome their labels and create a new identity for themselves. The focus in this bibliography is how teens handle difficult situations and work to define themselves: what they stand for, where they want to be, and the goals they wish to strive for. A common thread among the texts I have chosen is dealing with issues that prevent a smooth transition to adolescent identity. Some common struggles are bullying, balancing school and social life, and fitting in. The adolescent readers that are targeted in this bibliography are those who need support figuring out how to take risks and keep in touch with their dreams and goals. These adolescents will be able to make connections with characters in the text that are experiencing similar issues.

I chose this topic because finding identity is one of the most difficult tasks that face teens today. There are so many obstacles and struggles to overcome in order to feel confident and comfortable with themselves. This bibliography presents issues that are common in schools all across America and the characters all work through the struggles in order to overcome them. The readers will gain confidence in knowing that there are other people their age who experience bullying, who do not fit in with the popular crowd, have confusion over their sexual orientation, and stress over balancing school, sports, and a social life. I chose to present a broad range of issues so the texts appeal to a larger range of students. Each text ends in a positive, enlightening manner where the characters feel a sense of accomplishment or conclusion. The relevance of the topic appeals to students at various grade levels and those in a diverse learning community.

This annotated bibliography can assist teachers and fellow educators in the classroom in several ways. There are numerous activities that can be done with these texts such as literature circles, Readers Theater, and action research projects surrounding the issues in the text. When students read a text about bullying or balancing school and social life there are endless inquiry projects that students can research and prepare to present to the class. By reading books with relevant themes students, can work to solves issues within themselves and the larger school community. They can take ownership in their work and see the effects of their projects in and out of school. Overall, the texts in this bibliography include fiction (Stargirl, and Hard Love), fictional text based on true events (Give a Boy a Gun), nonfiction (Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul), poetry (Just Because), short story (To Live Your Dream), and a digital web page (TeenCentral.Net). The multitude of genres allows for the use of many of these texts in the classroom. Each genre follows a specific structure that makes the story unique. A genre approach can deepen the students’ sense of value in the text by allowing the students to view it comparatively alongside other texts.

1. Hard Love

Wittlinger, E. (1999). Hard Love. New York, NY: Simon & Shuster.

Hard Love is the story of two 16 year old teens, John and Marisol, who are bonded together by their common interest of writing zines. A zine is a self-authored magazine where the writer chooses topics and shares his or her stories through a published magainze. John discovers Marisol’s zine and is instantly enchanted by her and her work. John goes out of his way to meet Marisol at a local bookstore and they become great friends. John has been struggling with his relationships with his mother and father who divorced six years ago. Marisol is a lesbian who wants to become liberated from her parents and start a new life in college. After several Saturday coffee dates and phone conversations, John falls in love with Marisol. John understands that Marisol is a lesbian but he is convinced that he can change her. John chooses to take Marisol to his prom and leads his friends to believe that Marisol is his girlfriend. When John leans in for a kiss at the prom Marisol refuses and yells that she thought he understood. Their relationship takes a turn for the worst; however Marisol invites John to a zine conference. John agrees to go in hopes that he can repair his relationship with Marisol and learn to deal with his parent-son relationship struggles. Although Marisol leaves the conference without John, he is revived by their relationship and is prepared to face love in his life.

In this book, zines serve as the point of interest and expression for the two main characters. If this book was taught in the classroom one activity that could be part of this unit is having students create their own zine. Students can author and publish a zine with stories of their choice or stories that meet established guidelines. This activity can meet several standards and help students develop creative writing skills. I chose to include this text in my annotated bibliography because John and Marisol are both struggling to form their own identity. John cannot look past his relationship struggles and he needs to feel loved in order to be validated. Marisol is confident with her sexuality, but her support system misunderstands why she feels this way. Marisol searches for people whom she can surround herself with that understand what she is going through. At the end of the novel both characters are at peace with themselves and the struggles they have identified. Students can see that finding and identity can be done through perseverance and communication.

2. Stargirl

Spinelli, J. (2000). Stargirl. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

Leo Borlock is a junior at Mica High School in Arizona; a school where athletes are popular and each student finds a clique of friends to belong to. When a new girl enrolls at school the student body is awed by her uniqueness. The new girl calls herself Stargirl and she is unlike anyone the students have ever met. She comes to school in eccentric outfits, brings her pet rat with her wherever she goes, and plays her ukulele at lunch time. Stargirl knows everyone’s birthday and sings Happy Birthday no matter who it is. The student body embraces Stargirl’s differences and begins to imitate her; she makes a solid group of friends and fits in with the other students. Leo is amazed by Stargirl and after several weeks of conversation, they become a couple. Leo and Stargirl hang out together everyday and Leo is consistently surprised by Stargirl’s kindness and care for other people. She leaves gifs for anyone who is in need, says hi to everyone on the street, and is always kind. As Leo and Stargirl become more serious, the student body begins to shun Stargirl because she is not like everyone else. Leo and Stargirl become outcasts and Leo battles between being with his girlfriend and keeping his friends whom he has had since he moved to Mica years ago. Stargirl realizes that Leo is uncomfortable without his friends so she tries to conform into a ‘normal’ girl. Even though she dresses and acts like all the other girls at Mica, Stargirl is still shunned. When Stargirl wins the Arizona state speech competition, she expects a huge welcoming back at school; no one is there to greet her. Stargirl realizes that even if she pretends to be like the others she is not and her unique personality is what makes her special. After the school dance, Stargirl moves away and no one ever hears of her again. Leo is saddened by her move and reflects on the lessons he and Stargirl learned about conforming to the group versus being yourself.

Stargirl tells a great story of identity because the main characters struggle with being themselves and being a popular student at school. Stargirl knows who she is, but she loves Leo and wants him to see it as well. The students at Mica High School find Stargirl to be elusive at first, but then they turn on her because she is so unusual. The story teaches a great lesson of accepting others and embracing differences. Stargirl is a great example of a young girl who becomes confident in who she is and finds identity by giving and being kind to others. This book would be great for middle or high school students because fitting in is a theme that most adolescents deal with during their formal schooling years. One great activity that could be done in the classroom with this text is to write a prelude or extension to the story. A prelude would be a creative and engaging task for students because Stargirl just appears on the first day of school. Readers do not learn anything about her past, so creating a fictitious story about where she came from could be a fun activity for students. Also, the book ends with the ‘disappearance’ of Stargirl when she moves away. No one in Mica ever sees or hears from her again. Writing an alternate ending or extension of the book allows students to conclude the story in a new way. Both of these ideas are creative writing assignments, but there are endless discussions that can be had with students about individuality and conforming to fit in with the popular crowd.

3. Give a Boy a Gun

Strasser, T. (2000). Give a Boy a Gun. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Give a Boy a Gun is a fictional story based on real events that happened in the United States. Todd Strasser wrote this book to create awareness of the issue of gun violence in America. In the book, two eleventh grade boys plan and execute a shooting during the Middletown High School dance. The story is told in quotes from the students’ friends, parents, teachers, enemies, and people who had bullied them. At the bottom of each page is a fact about gun violence in schools. The facts include gun laws, gun production, and school shooting statistics. Brendan, one of the shooters was new to Middletown. As soon as he started high school in Middletown the other students immediately began to pick on him for being different. He was a good student, but he was not in to sports and he loved video games. Gary, the other shooter, grew up in Middletown and was troubled because of his parents divorce several years ago. He was great with computers and extremely intelligent. Gary was a very closed-off kid and he kept all his feelings and emotions private. His mom took him to a psychologist after the divorce to try and help relieve some of his pent up emotion. The psychologist never got anywhere with Gary. When Brendan moved to Middletown, he and Gary immediately became friends. They were bonded by the way the other students treated them. Every day the two boys were bullied-- shoved in the hallways, beat up, harassed, etc. The boys reached a breaking point and planned an attack at the school. They used guns stolen from a neighbor and homemade bombs to barricade the students and teachers into the gym. The boys bound the hands of the students and teachers; they shot one boy, Sam, in the knees because he was one who consistently bullied them. They shot one teacher because he was not complying with their demands. Brendan and Gary begin to argue with one another about the plan and Gary shots and killed himself. When the lights in the gym go out one boy whose hands were bound unties his wrists and goes after Brendan. He tackles Brendan to the ground and immediately a group of boys begins to beat him. The only death from the shooting was Gary’s and Brendan was sent to the hospital with irreversible brain damage from his beating.

This book tells an intensely emotional story about teens who are bullied to the point where they seek revenge. The two boys feel that they have no other option because they are harassed and beat up day after day. The teachers ignore the bullying and come up with different excuses for why it’s occurring. This story fits into a bibliography about finding identity because the two boys in the story knew who they were, but they were not accepted. It tells the story of the consequences of bullying, harassment, and what happens when people do not embrace differences. It is extremely difficult to find identity and grow up when no one is supporting you. Even though the book deals with a sensitive topic, it is not overly graphic or detailed. It is factual and real; complete with statistics that complement the events in the story. It is a combination of fiction and reality that presents a real issue for students in America today. There are several activities that can be done with this book. One activity is to have student’s research state and national gun laws. Also, have students look up statistics about school shootings and where the guns that were used came from. The culminating activity from the research can be a research paper or persuasive essay about gun violence in America. Another activity is to examine the effectiveness of telling the story through quotes instead of a traditional format. Does is enhance the story or make it difficult to read? Students can write their own story through the eyes of others by using quotes to tell the story.

4. Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul

Canfield, J., Hanson, M.V., Kirkberger, K., & Claspy, M. (1996). Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul. Deerfield, FL: Health Communications, Inc.

Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul is a compilation of 101 stories written by teenagers. The stories are broken into different categories: friendship, relationships, family, love and kindness, learning, tough stuff, making a difference, and going for it. The stories are inspirational, sad, and real. Anyone who reads this book can find at least one story to relate to. This book is written by teens who have experienced teen issues and understand what it’s like growing up and dealing with them. Teens that sit down and read this book can connect with the authors and reflect on the issues in the book. There is no criticism and judgment in this book, it is a safe place for teens to learn and enjoy the reading experience. There are also stories written by notable celebrities who reflect on memorable moments from their teenage years. This book is great for any student because they have the chance make connections between their life and others around the world. It is always comforting to read a story and know that someone else feels the way you do and that there is always support no matter what you are experiencing. One example of a touching story from the book is a young girl whose father passed away when she was younger. As she gets older she struggles because she is raised by a single mother and does not ever feel the love and protection from a father figure. She details her journey growing up and how she worked to find comfort in the fact that she had a loving mother. This is a story that many students can relate to and feel the emotions the young girl felt.

Chicken Soup for the Soul is a great text for teens finding identity because there are such a variety of stories. The topics in the book have been shaped by the teen authors and include many of the popular themes present in adolescent literature. When teens read the text they experience issues that people their own age are facing, it helps them to understand how to deal with issues or help their friends at school who are dealing with them. This book offers advice to help people and it provides links to additional resources to help deal with issues such as eating disorders, domestic violence, emotional and physical abuse. This book reassures readers that they are not alone and there are people everywhere who can support and help teens deal with difficult situations. By connecting to the stories, teens can work to form their own identity, personality and uniqueness. Students can identify with each of the powerful stories and be encouraged to apply the lessons and connections to their own lives. No matter what grade or subject you are teaching Chicken Soup books are applicable in the classroom. There are books for every type of soul and each one contains inspirational stories. To use the teenage soul book and the finding identity theme in the classroom, teachers can ask students to pair up into partners and write a few positive words about the other person. The positive affirmations will give students confidence and reaffirm their great identity. After the positive characteristics are listed, the students can write a story about the other person that would be fitting for the Chicken Soup book. The students can all put their stories together and create a Chicken Soup book for their own classroom.

5. Just Because

Stewart, E. (2007). Just Because. In Soul Talk: Urban Youth Poetry (pg. 18). Philadelphia: New City Community Press.

Just Because is a poem written by a high school student in the Syracuse City School District. This piece is part of a whole book of poetry that was created in 2007 by the school district, Syracuse University, and New City Community Press. The mission of New City Community Press is to provide opportunities for local communities to represent themselves through stories told in their own words. Ebony Stewart, the young author of the poem, writes about herself and all the stereotypes that have been pressed upon her as a teen growing up in Syracuse. Each line starts with the phrase ‘Just because’ and continues to state a common misconception people make. One example is, “Just because I don’t go to church, doesn’t mean I don’t pray.” Ebony goes through several just because statements and contradicts each one with a fact about her own life. The poem expresses her feelings about how she is labeled because she is a young, African-American girl growing up in an urban setting. When people see her on the street they assume certain things about her because of what she looks like. This poem tells a story about Ebony and all of the struggles she goes through each day. Even though she writes all of the things she is throughout the poem, it ends with the statement that she does not know who she fully is, but she knows who she wants to be.

This poem is a great finding identity story because Ebony’s identity is defined in so many ways, but it is never complete. She is constantly finding herself and experiencing new things. Ebony knows that she will always change the way she thinks and feels, but she will keep in mind where she wants to end up. She has a goal and no matter what happens along the way, she will accomplish it. This poem is a great read for all students in grades 6-12 because it relates to many high school experiences. This poem would be great in any poetry unit and one activity that could be done in a classroom with this poem is to have students create their own ‘Just Because’ poem. Students can write all of the stereotypes that they often experience and contradict them with their own statement. Students may be motivated to write because it is something that happens in their everyday lives. The teacher can post the poems around the room or have students share their experiences and have a class discussion about why certain stereotypes are often associated with adolescents.

6. To Live Your Dream

Farris, J. (2007, September 20). To live your dream. In azTeen Magazine, available online at http://www.azteenmagazine.com/short-story.php?article=217.

To Live Your Dream is a short story that was published in azTeen Magazine, a magazine that was created specifically for teenagers in Arizona. This short story is about a young man named Marc from Arizona who goes to the University of Washington on a football scholarship. He is an extremely talented athlete who is well now at home and at the university. Once he gets to college and has to balance school, sports, and a social life he is faced with a lot of hard work. Once day at football practice, Marc and his roommate are fooling around during defensive practice when they have a chance to rest. The football coach is aggravated because it seems that Marc does not care about football he is more concerned with fooling around with his friends. After practice the coach calls Marc into his office and tells him that he is taking away his starting position until he can prove that he is serious about playing football and achieving his goals. Marc is devastated and he has to call his family in Arizona and tell them that he may not be playing this weekend when they all come to watch. Marc has a chance to reflect on his dreams and goals and realizes that the only way to achieve what he wants is to dedicate himself to football and work extremely hard. The next couple days at practice, Marc comes early and does extra work, leaves late, and gives 100% during the whole practice. By the end of the week the coach acknowledges Marc’s hard work and he earns his starting position back. He also asks an older player on the team for help balancing football and his academics.

This short story tells the tale of a boy who is struggling with the lofty goals he has set for himself. It shares an important lesson for all teens who are working towards achieving a goal. It is not always easy and goals take a lot of hard work to achieve. Part of finding an identity for oneself as a teen is dealing with setbacks and struggles that will inevitably become part of the journey. However, if you know what you want to achieve then you should be willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen. If a teen defines identity by what they do or do not accomplish then this story is a great resource for helping students work towards a dream. This story is relatable to real life and it shows readers that hard work is something that will have to happen in all areas of life to be successful. It is difficult to find an identity and figure out what makes you a unique individual, but hard work can help anyone turn a dream into a reality. This short story can be used in the classroom as a model to introduce students to the short story genre. Short stories are often less popular than other genres so giving students experience reading and writing them is important to any curriculum. Learning to write a short story will help students become more concise in their writing and establish a plot, theme, setting, story, and conclusion within a set framework. This story would fit into any unit on short stories or a genre study.

7. TeenCentral.Net

TeenCentral. Retrieved from www.teencentral.net.

TeenCentral.Net is a website that was created by KidsPeace, an organization of teens who work to help other teenagers deal with coming of age issues. The website is sponsored by celebrities like Amanda Seyfried who has used the site herself. There are a lot of different things to do on the site such as write stories, post videos, chat with others, and resources to help stop smoking, childhood obesity, and domestic violence. This site is completely anonymous; students create a user name and password that they use to communicate on the site. Once an account is created students can post their problems anonymously and wait for responses from experts and other teen members of the site. No matter what is posted, a response is guaranteed within 24 hours. It is a great way to receive help with personal issues or reach out to help others who are experiencing issues in their lives. Along with the teen help line, the site offers pages for ‘topics’ where students can speak directly with others who are experiencing the same problems such as violence, drugs, etc. There are podcasts created by teens posted on the site with an option to post and create your own and also a page dedicated to books that teens may be interested in reading. Along with the teen site there is an option for parents to visit and explore the page under the ‘Parents’ section and also a page for media where students can connect to facebook or twitter.

This is a great website for teens to explore because they can participate as an anonymous member. Teens can chat with others and talk about the things that are bothering them in hopes to seek advice about how to handle the situation. This website fits into the theme finding identity because many teens are forced to deal with difficult situations that prevent them from feeling confident and comfortable with themselves. The events that occur at home and in school undoubtedly affect the way a teen feels, so having an outlet where they can speak to others who are experiencing the same issues is a great resource. Helping teens deal with issues will allow them to figure out what makes them the person they are. This website can be used in the classroom in several ways. One way teachers can incorporate this site is to ask to students to create a podcast or video that educates teens about a particular issues. On the topics page there are several subjects that students can choose from such as: teen violence, fitting in, stress, and friendship. Students can research one of these topics and create a video or audio clip that gives other teens ideas about how to seek help, deal with the issues, and help others who are experiencing the same problems.