This episode includes a discussion of How to Be Normal,as well as reading recommendations including:
Also discussed are:
- The ways in which English teachers give students the frameworks to understand the people they want to be, in terms of critical thinking, feminist thought, anti-racism, etc.
- A defence of young adult novels as serious literature, capable of tackling complex issues like abuse, identity and resilience, in ways that resonate with students.
- The ways personal experiences (queerness, neurodivergence, family dynamics) can inform fiction, and shape more honest, nuanced representation.
- How schools can approach “dark” themes in text studies in way that is supportive, trauma-informed, and empowering.
- Using “normality” as a lens to interrogate social pressures and difference, and embrace diversity.
- How texts foster empathy, open dialogue, and give students language for experiences they may struggle to articulate otherwise.
