Project LIT Hightstown
One of the things I love about being a Youth Services Librarian is the variety of my job. I spend my days doing story times for babies and preschoolers, helping elementary school students with science experiments and finding new books, and working with teen volunteers. During this past school year, I have been fortunate enough to focus more on our teen patrons through my participation in the local high school’s Project LIT (Libraries In The) Community book club.
According to its Twitter profile, the Project LIT Community is a “grassroots literacy movement empowering readers and leaders in hundreds of schools & communities across the country.” Project LIT was founded by Jarred Amato, a high school English teacher in Nashville, TN in 2016. He says the idea began as a class project when he asked his students to collect donated books to be placed throughout their community as a way to increase the community’s access to books - especially those that feature diverse characters who would be more relatable than those found in “traditional” literary works taught in high schools.
Project LIT has gained traction throughout the country and has led to the creation of book clubs and annual suggested reading lists for high schoolers and middle schoolers. In September of 2018, I attended my first Project LIT book club at Hightstown High School with the high school media specialist, a ninth grade English teacher, and a guidance counselor as well as nine students from varying grade levels. Throughout the school year, we have met numerous times to read aloud and discuss four books from different genres that feature racially diverse characters and tackle some tough real life situations.
The following are the titles we have read this year, which can all be found in various print, electronic and audio formats in our library system:
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
By now, many more people know about this book because of the recent movie of the same name. This novel follows Starr, who witnesses the shooting and death of an African-American unarmed childhood friend by a Caucasian police officer. As the only witness, it is up to Starr to tell the world what happened that night. Can she speak up? What would she say? How will this affect her home life, in a challenged neighborhood, and her school life, at a prestigious private school?
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
Also tackling the topic of gun violence, the novel in verse Long Way Down begins with the death of Will’s older brother. Will is set to follow the rules he has heard his whole life by seeking revenge on his brother’s killer. When Will takes the elevator down from his apartment to confront the person he believes responsible, he is met by a different person from his life to share their tale. Will and readers are drawn into the cycle of violence that is all too common for Will as he contemplates his next move.
Speak: Graphic Novel by Laurie Halse Anderson, Illustrated by Emily Carroll
The graphic novel adaptation of the young adult novel written 20 years ago tells the story of Melinda, a high school freshman, who begins the school year as an outcast. Over the summer, Melinda called the cops at a party after being raped by an older student. This experience causes Melinda to lose her voice and sense of self until she realizes how important it is to speak.
The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives by Dashka Slater
This nonfiction title reads like an in-depth article on the lives of Sasha and Richard – two California teens who were on the same city bus when Richard suddenly sets fire to Sasha’s skirt resulting in Sasha’s hospitalization. Richard is an African-American high schooler from an economically disadvantaged part of Oakland, CA, while Sasha is a Caucasian gender-nonconforming teen from a private high school. The book describes the teens’ upbringing, what led them to the fateful event and then follows the aftermath and trial with factual reporting and interviews from those closest to the situation.
Follow @ProjectLITComm on Twitter for more information and suggested titles.
According to its Twitter profile, the Project LIT Community is a “grassroots literacy movement empowering readers and leaders in hundreds of schools & communities across the country.” Project LIT was founded by Jarred Amato, a high school English teacher in Nashville, TN in 2016. He says the idea began as a class project when he asked his students to collect donated books to be placed throughout their community as a way to increase the community’s access to books - especially those that feature diverse characters who would be more relatable than those found in “traditional” literary works taught in high schools.
Project LIT has gained traction throughout the country and has led to the creation of book clubs and annual suggested reading lists for high schoolers and middle schoolers. In September of 2018, I attended my first Project LIT book club at Hightstown High School with the high school media specialist, a ninth grade English teacher, and a guidance counselor as well as nine students from varying grade levels. Throughout the school year, we have met numerous times to read aloud and discuss four books from different genres that feature racially diverse characters and tackle some tough real life situations.
The following are the titles we have read this year, which can all be found in various print, electronic and audio formats in our library system:
The Hate U Give by Angie ThomasBy now, many more people know about this book because of the recent movie of the same name. This novel follows Starr, who witnesses the shooting and death of an African-American unarmed childhood friend by a Caucasian police officer. As the only witness, it is up to Starr to tell the world what happened that night. Can she speak up? What would she say? How will this affect her home life, in a challenged neighborhood, and her school life, at a prestigious private school?
Long Way Down by Jason ReynoldsAlso tackling the topic of gun violence, the novel in verse Long Way Down begins with the death of Will’s older brother. Will is set to follow the rules he has heard his whole life by seeking revenge on his brother’s killer. When Will takes the elevator down from his apartment to confront the person he believes responsible, he is met by a different person from his life to share their tale. Will and readers are drawn into the cycle of violence that is all too common for Will as he contemplates his next move.
Speak: Graphic Novel by Laurie Halse Anderson, Illustrated by Emily CarrollThe graphic novel adaptation of the young adult novel written 20 years ago tells the story of Melinda, a high school freshman, who begins the school year as an outcast. Over the summer, Melinda called the cops at a party after being raped by an older student. This experience causes Melinda to lose her voice and sense of self until she realizes how important it is to speak.
The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives by Dashka SlaterThis nonfiction title reads like an in-depth article on the lives of Sasha and Richard – two California teens who were on the same city bus when Richard suddenly sets fire to Sasha’s skirt resulting in Sasha’s hospitalization. Richard is an African-American high schooler from an economically disadvantaged part of Oakland, CA, while Sasha is a Caucasian gender-nonconforming teen from a private high school. The book describes the teens’ upbringing, what led them to the fateful event and then follows the aftermath and trial with factual reporting and interviews from those closest to the situation.
Follow @ProjectLITComm on Twitter for more information and suggested titles.
- Miss Liz, Hightstown Branch
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