IRL: Resources for Teaching YA Nonfiction

  A Rebel in Auschwitz  by Jack Fairweather Reviewed by A. Najera, E. Munoz, A. Perez, K. Preciado Review: “A Rebel in Auschwitz” by Jack Fairweather tells the deeply moving story of Witold Pilecki, a Polish officer who becomes a hero of the Holocaust by voluntarily infiltrating Auschwitz to gather intelligence and document the war crimes that are unfolding within the camp. Pilecki’s actions are a testament to human courage in the face of adversity. Fairweather consistently illuminates the horrors of Auschwitz and the profound trauma that prisoners experienced throughout their stay at the camp.  This book, if chosen as a part of a lesson plan can encourage a students understanding of the Holocaust; through a different lens than what's commonly placed in front of them, that is a third person perspective. Due to the third person narration, it engages the reader more into imagining the whole story rather than the limiting perspective of first person. It forces the reader to ...

  A Face for Picasso  by Ariel Henley Book Cover for  A Face for Picasso  by Ariel Henley (Henley) Reviewed by Allyson Valdez, Isabella Vergolino-Holiday, Aaron Valenzuela, Natalie Vargas Review: A Face for Picasso by Ariel Henley is a coming-of-age story as Ariel Henley shares her experience with a facial disfigurement and how she navigates life. In Henley’s memoir, themes of identity and societal expectations are prominent. The theme of identity is rather important because Crouzon syndrome is a rare syndrome that alters one's physical appearance and causes the bones in the skull to fuse prematurely. Both Ariel and her sister struggled with their appearances before learning how to embrace their differences. This further implies that their identity is important and something both sisters take pride in. Ariel Henley as a child ( Livermore Lab Events) Following identity, societal expectations is another large theme that is explored throughout the memoir. Given that Hen...

  Numb to This: Memoir of a Mass Shooting Book Cover for Numb to This: Memoir of a Mass Shooting  by Kindra Neely Reviewed by Susan Anderson, Aida Charco, Julia Fernandez, Kaylee Fero, Viridiana Garcia

  Apple (Skin to the Core) by Eric Gansworth Reviewed by Tyler Huor, Justin Lee, Dayna Miller, & Brian Monreal   Review: Apple: Skin to the Core is a memoir composed of verse and prose poetry detailing the life of Onondaga author and college professor Eric Gansworth from early childhood to middle age. This memoir sheds light on the injustices faced by Indigenous Americans in the Northeast, beginning with the schools they were forced to attend, Eric’s grandparents included. With the school’s mantra: “Kill the Indian! Save the man,” Eric’s surviving grandparents returned scarred from the boarding houses and refused to pass down their traditions (9). While not entirely separated from his culture, Eric grows up feeling estranged from his own while adopting a more anglo-fied lifestyle that was influenced by his relatives, specifically his maternal grandmother. From beginning to end, Eric captures the complex duality of culture he endured the first half of his life through poe...