This text set aims to present texts, both print and digital, that represent social justice issues that affect both teens and adults. Primarily, texts in this bibliography focus on the theme of being wrongfully accused of crimes due to racism, prejudices, and stereotypes. Also, these texts primarily deal with issues of authority, and how teenagers are often assumed to be the trouble-maker by adults. Furthermore, most of these texts embody the adolescent experience. Specifically, these texts feature characters that are struggling with their own identity and question different aspects of their lives. I have attempted to reach out to both male readers, as well as students who enjoy reading texts about crime and justice. In my experience, male readers are often left to read about female experiences and emotions as young adults, and are occasionally not represented in young adult literature. Furthermore, despite including a texts that does not feature a male lead character, I believe that this selection can ultimately help social studies students realize that outside of the well known historical figures of the Civil Rights Movement, that young adults were also fighting for their rights to equality.
Both the American justice system and issues of young adult identity crisis and development are key to this text set. Issues of teenagers going to jail wrongfully often times because they are not the authority and do not have the control over their lives as adults tend to have are key issues that affect American youth. Furthermore, students of minority backgrounds historically can relate to the issues in this text set. Four of the seven texts I am presenting deal with racism and prejudices that have had significant impacts on the American justice system for decades. The texts that deal with these issues within this bibliography span over fourty years of American history.
Both the American justice system and issues of young adult identity crisis and development are key to this text set. Issues of teenagers going to jail wrongfully often times because they are not the authority and do not have the control over their lives as adults tend to have are key issues that affect American youth. Furthermore, students of minority backgrounds historically can relate to the issues in this text set. Four of the seven texts I am presenting deal with racism and prejudices that have had significant impacts on the American justice system for decades. The texts that deal with these issues within this bibliography span over fourty years of American history.
Other texts included in this set are supplemental to these themes of social justice and how the innocent can be accused and convicted of crimes they did not commit. These texts include adolescent literature, fiction and nonfiction, a screen play, and a documentary. Please note the clip from Twelve Angry Men below, as it is an extraordinary scene that directly links together both the issues of being wrongfully accused due to prejudices, and being a troubled teen. Overall, these texts represent only a small example of young adult literature and supplemental material that deal with the injustices of the American justice system.
In regard to classroom implications, for each text below I discuss how these texts could be used in both an ELA classroom and a Social Studies classroom and different ages. I believe that there are multiple ways to use any of these texts within the classroom, but ultimately, teachers must present these pieces of literature in ways that will be most beneficial to their students. This requires teachers to know their students, the community they teach in, the expectations of administrators, and potential issues with parents.
In regard to classroom implications, for each text below I discuss how these texts could be used in both an ELA classroom and a Social Studies classroom and different ages. I believe that there are multiple ways to use any of these texts within the classroom, but ultimately, teachers must present these pieces of literature in ways that will be most beneficial to their students. This requires teachers to know their students, the community they teach in, the expectations of administrators, and potential issues with parents.
Cormier, R. (2001). The rag and bone shop. New York: Random House.
This fiction novel by Cormier is about a boy named Jason who, at twelve years old, is accused of murdering seven-year-old Alicia Bartlett. Jason, being an introverted teen that does not have a very strong ability to stand up for himself, and has a general innocence and naivety, is interrogated by police and a very clever investigator. This investigator, Mr. Trent, has been called in especially for this case, as he is notorious for his ability to get people to confess to their crimes. As Jason is the prime suspect in this case, Trent tries to manipulate him into thinking that he truly did kill Alicia, and coerces Jason into confessing to murder. Throughout this interrogation processes, readers see Jason struggle with his own identity as he starts to believe that perhaps he is capable of such a horrendous act, even though he did not commit murder; or did he? After the investigation ends, Jason seriously grapples with the idea that he could commit murder, and the story takes an interesting turn at the end that makes us question what it means to be psychologically manipulated into admitting to something that we do not believe we did.
Within this novel, the main themes of this text set (wrongfully accused teens and the consequences, struggle with authority, and identity crisis) are strongly present. This novel is a good piece of adolescent literature that embodies issues that teens are up against in a world run by skeptical adults. I think teens would/should read this book because it not only deals with the issues focused on in this text set, but it also makes teenagers think about the complications of friendship and how adults can twist innocent plutonic relationships into inappropriate behaviors.
Overall, this is a book that I think can be taught in a middle school ELA classroom in a unit that features crime and innocence, as the novel keeps students looking for answers until the end. It could also be used in sections in a social studies classroom, again to show how investigators work and what they look for in a suspect to a crime and some of the tactics to get those suspects to reveal information and potentially confess to certain actions.
Lipson, M. (Producer) & Errol, M. (Director). (1988). The thin blue line (Motion picture). United States: Miramax Films
This documentary film, despite its age, is a tremendous asset to any upper level social studies class that is studying the American justice system, and how it does not always work as it should. In 1976, Dallas police officer Robert Wood was shot and killed during a traffic stop. As witnesses came forward and gave police their testimony, two men were indicted as possible suspects to the crime. Randall Adams, a drifter, was accused of the crime by the one other person that was there at the scene, sixteen-year-old David Harris. After Harris accused Adams, and other community members testified to witnessing the crime (even though they did not) Adams was sentenced to death by the jury. Adams sentence was eventually reduced to life in prison though, where he remained until the release of this film. After this film was produced, Adams was granted a retrial, since the documentary helped to prove that the witnesses committed perjury in his original trial. He was found not guilty in his second trial, and was set free.
Again, this film is a strong supplemental material to a unit on the American justice system, and how police and regular citizens will sometimes do anything to find a scapegoat for a crime, regardless if it is the right person or not. Students will enjoy this documentary because it illustrates a real case of being wrongfully accused. Adams was almost put to death, and if it had not been for the U.S. Appellate court, he would have been executed for a crime he did not commit. Regarding the other themes of this text set, this documentary actually takes an opposite stance on teens being seen as the “trouble maker”. Harris, the guilty man in this case, led police to the evidence, and turned in Adams as the murderer. It was not until years later that Harris, who had already been imprisoned for another murder, admitted to what he did to Adams.
Hoose, P. (2009). Claudette colvin: Twice toward justice. New York: Melanie Kroupa Books.
The biography of Claudette Colvin is an interesting and important tale of a young girl living in Montgomery, Alabama during the Civil Rights Movement. Colvin, like Rosa Parks, refused to give up her bus seat to a white person, ultimately getting her arrested. However, unlike Parks, Claudette did not gain the approval and support of her peers. As a younger girl, she was not regarded as a role model for civil rights. However, she decides that she cannot stand for the injustices of Jim Crow laws anymore, and becomes a plaintiff in the US Supreme Court case Browder v. Gayle, a less famous case that attacked the Montgomery busing industry for its segregated services, and won.
This biography contains many primary sources within it. Hoose, the author, had detailed interviews with Colvin regarding her life and the trial. He includes many photographs from the era which help enhance the reality of the Civil Rights Movement and the struggles black people had to go through, especially in the South. The themes presented in this biography directly correlate to the overarching ideas of this text set. Colvin was arrested for being black and standing up for her rights under the 14th amendment, despite the laws of segregation that were in place in the South. Furthermore, she embodies the experience of many blacks during the Civil Rights Movement, and also embodies the life of a black teenager growing up in this incredible era in our history. This book should be used at multiple levels when teaching about the Civil Rights Movement, as it depicts the life of an “unsung” hero that fewer people know about. It is fit for teens in that it illustrates the actions of a girl their age that does not stand aside and let adults and peers tell her to back off of the rights she is entitled to.
Magoon, K. (2009). The rock and the river. New York: Aladdin Books.
This novel by Magoon depicts a boy’s struggle with identity and what he stands for during the Civil Rights Movement. In this book, Sam, a thirteen year old African American boy, is the son of a civil rights activist that preaches nonviolence similar to Martin Luther King Jr. However, as the Black Panther Party is on the rise, promoting violence and forceful protest, Sam is torn on whom to follow. To make matters more difficult, his older brother Stick decides to join up with the Panthers, further intensifying his decisions. Sam attempts to keep his father’s ideals intact, but no longer wishes to sit by and watch his friends and family attacked by racism without revenge. Sam joins up with his brother, but his decisions lead him down a path of violence that he did not foresee.
To me, this book is one that powerfully depicts the issues of relationships and authority during the Civil Rights Movement. I think this book should be used in an ELA or Social Studies class that is focusing both on the dynamics of family relationships and how racial issues were dealt with during this era to compare them to how we deal with racial tensions now. The established parental authority in this book is interesting because it is illustrates that even a father like Roland Childs, who has direct connections to Martin Luther King in this novel, cannot control the actions of either of his two sons. The idea that teens and parents do not always agree and take different courses of action in life is central to this book, outside of the Civil Rights Movement. Furthermore, this book could be used in conjunction with the Claudette Colvin biography to compare and contrast how different teens in different situations went about fighting for their rights. This book does not deal with wrongful accusation in a court case, but the other themes central to this novel make it a good text to connect to this bibliography.
Myers, W.D. (1999). Monster. New York: Harper-Collins Publishers.
Myers’ critically acclaimed fiction novel about Steve Harmon, a sixteen-year-old black boy accused of murder, is a not only a story about his trial and experience living in prison until it is over, but it is about his inner struggle with his own identity. Steve is constantly questioning who he is and if he is indeed guilty of a crime. He is referred to by the prosecution and the parents of the deceased as a “monster”. Is he a monster? This question is thematic through the book, and by the end of the trial, even after the verdict on Steve is in, he is not sure of what he sees when he looks in the mirror.
In this novel, racial prejudices and stereotypes are highly prevalent. The book takes place in an urban area, and all of the characters accused of being involved are of non-white backgrounds. Steve is portrayed by the prosecution as a “typical” black kid looking to get paid by robbing a store keeper. However, he is also portrayed by a teacher who testifies on his behalf as a good student who like to make films and write screenplays. Again, the themes of adolescent identity crisis and wrongful accusation because of racial stereotypes are primary aspects of this book.
Students are reading this book because it presents such a divided look at who Steve really is. Teens can relate to him because he represents any teen who is wrongfully accused of doing something, whether it is committing a crime or doing something inappropriate at home. This book is being taught, and should be taught in high school ELA classes and even in Social Studies classes. Monster could be used in the classroom as a character study, or as a representation of how racial prejudices and stereotypes affect how a person is treated and assumed guilty simply because of their skin color.
Jude is a novel about a boy who is wrongfully accused of selling a fellow student drugs, who in turn overdoses on them and dies, because of his father’s known history as a drug dealer. Prior to this, he lives with his father, who, because of the dangerous life he leads, is shot and killed in his own home, and Jude witnesses the entire thing. However, he fears for his life that if he rats out the murderer, he will be killed as well. After moving in with his mother and attends a new private school, Jude attempts to stay clear of trouble to show his mother that he is not like his father. In an interesting twist, Jude’s mother is the district attorney that must prosecute him. With an interesting cover-up of past events at play, and after Jude ends up in jail, the plot thickens and eventually we find Jude investigating his past as he comes face to face with those who made him the scapegoat.
Again, we see here in this novel that a boy is wrongfully accused of a crime because of his past. What makes this story so interesting to adolescents is that it combines the themes of police authority with parental authority. Students could relate to parents being their own judge and jury at home, but in this story not only is his mother the authority at home, but she is his prosecutor in court. Furthermore, this book could be used in the context of a high school ELA class, although some offensive language is used. This book can be used to supplement a unit on family relationships and identity development for adolescents, but should also be considered for study with the American justice system. Although not a highly academic novel, it is definitely a source that can be referenced while studying these topics. Furthermore, because of its discussion of drug usage and murder, it might be better to suggest to students for an outside of school read.
Rose, R. (Producer), & Lumet, S. (Director). (1957) Twelve angry men (Motion picture). United States: United Artists.
This play is a wonderful piece of literature that can help students see how jury deliberations work. It depicts an aspect of the American justice system that is unique and powerful that all citizens have the potential to participate in. In this play (and film) jurors deliberate over the murder case of a boy accused of killing his father. While the boy’s race is never mentioned, there is one particular scene that lets the reader/viewer know that he is a minority. The video clip attached to this bibliography from Twelve Angry Men is indicative of how people’s prejudice toward minorities can affect the way justice is served. This powerful scene can be used with students either in an ELA or Social Studies class to help students take a critical stance on how powerful prejudice and racism can be, even if it is not overt.
Furthermore, the play demonstrates the dynamics that are at play when adults are in control of a teenage boy’s future. The men with authority in the play are the jurors, who must decide whether the boy is put to death or not for this crime, or if he is even guilty of it. Throughout the play he is considered a stupid and worthless boy, particularly by Juror 3, who is not seeing the boy for who he is, rather, who seems him as his own son, who clearly has wounded his father, as shown in the final moments of the film and play. Despite how old this play is adolescents today must realize that issues with authority, especially parents, were just as prevalent then as they are now, and that these issues will continue to arise in parent/child relationships. There is an updated version of this film as well, featuring actors that teenagers today would recognize.
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