Reading Across Cultures

Diverse Books for the 7 – 12 Grade Classroom
January – May 2019

All webinars are 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. PST

Register here!

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Once a month, the World Area Book Awards (Américas Award, Africana Book Award, Freeman Book Award, Middle East Book Award and the South Asia Book Award) will sponsor a 60 minute webinar on a book recognized by one of the awards.

Each webinar will feature a presentation by an award-winning author with discussion on how to incorporate multicultural literature into the classroom. The books are appropriate for students in grades 7 – 12.  Please read along with us this spring as we explore the world through these award-winning books. We encourage all readers to join in on the conversations each month and ask the author your own questions live. Be sure to join the conversations: at #2019ReadingAcrossCultures.

All sessions are free and open to the public. Sponsored by the Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs, the South Asia National Outreach Consortium, the Middle East Outreach Council, and African Studies Outreach Council, The National Consortium for Teaching about Asia.

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Webinar Schedule

January 22, 2019

Middle East Book Award, Middle East Outreach Council

The Map of Salt and Stars  – Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar

The first webinar of the series is co-sponsored by the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies at Georgetown University and the Middle East Outreach Council. The webinar will explore the book The Map of Salt and Stars by Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar, winner of the 2018 Middle East Book Award for Youth Literature. The Map of Salt and Stars is part cartography, part poetry, and part call to action. The gripping narrative interweaves the journeys of two strong and intelligent female protagonists: Nour, a Syrian-American girl escaping the violence of the civil war, and Rawiya, a 12th-century girl who dresses as a boy to become apprentice to the famous mapmaker al-Idrisi. Beautifully written descriptions of Nour’s synesthesia help us understand her experiences in new ways. Check out Zeybnab’s instagram where she has worked with schools creating a map of Nour and Rawiya’s travels. You can follow her on twitter or read more about her work on her site.

February 15, 2019

Africana Book Award – Africa Access

When Morning Comes  – Arushi Raina

This month’s book award is sponsored by the Africana Book Award. Please join us in learning more about the book When Morning Comes, by Arushi Raina. This fictionalized account of a student uprising that began in Soweto, South Africa on June 16, 1976 unfolds through the first-person narratives of four young adults from different backgrounds whose lives intersect. An African student, Zanele, secretly organizes the protest against the Afrikaans Medium Decree Act, which required the use of English and Afrikaans (the “language of the oppressors”) in schools. Her apolitical friend Thabo heads a local gang, extorting money from an Indian store owner whose daughter, Meena, is sympathetic to the students. Meanwhile, Jack, a white Afrikaner, meets, befriends, and comes to love Zanele.

March 20, 2019

Américas Book Award; Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs

Lucky, Broken Girl  – Ruth Behar

We will explore the book Lucky, Broken Girl by Ruth Behar – a 2018 Américas Book honorable mention and winner of the 2018 Pura Belpré award. In this unforgettable multicultural coming-of-age novel, based on the author’s childhood growing up in the 1960s, a young Cuban-Jewish immigrant girl is adjusting to her new life in New York City when her American dream is suddenly derailed. Ruthie’s plight will intrigue readers, and her powerful story of strength and resilience, which is full of color, light, and poignancy, will stay with them for a long time.

Additional support generously provided by Florida International University, Tulane University, University of Florida, University of Texas at Austin and the University of Utah.

April, 2019 (TBA)

Freeman Book Award – East & Southeast Asia; National Consortium for Teaching about Asia

Honoring East And Southeast Asian Titles for Children and Young Adults

The National Consortium for Teaching about Asia (NCTA), the Committee on Teaching about Asia (CTA) of the Association for Asian Studies (AAS), and Asia for Educators (AFE) at Columbia University sponsor the annual Freeman Book Awards for new young adult and children’s literature. The awards recognize quality books for children and young adults that contribute meaningfully to an understanding of East and Southeast Asia. Awards are given in two categories: Children’s and Young Adult on the several countries of East and Southeast Asia.

May 8, 2019

South Asia Book Award; South Asia National Outreach Council

You Bring the Distant Near – Mitali Perkins

The South Asia Book Award highlights the work of Mitali Perkins with her work, You Bring the Distant Near. Five girls. Three generations. One great American love story. The book’s characters include Ranee- worried that her children are losing their Indian culture; Sonia- wrapped up in a forbidden biracial love affair; Tara- seeking the limelight to hide her true self; Shanti- desperately trying to make peace in the family; and Anna- fighting to preserve her Bengali identity.