2. Kindred by Octavia Butler (to explore the complexity of race in the history of the U.S., and show that science fiction need not be a genre whose content or readership is limited to science buffs or "techies," but can also represent and speak to everyday people and pressing contemporary concerns)
3. Zaatar Diva by Suheir Hammad & Slingshots: A Hip Hop Poetica by Kevin Coval (yes, I'm cheating as well by having two titles in one slot, but since these are both poetry collections, and in many ways feel like they're in conversation with one another, offering multiple overlapping themes from divergent but interconnected perspectives- about family, ancestry, accountability, and commitment to social justice domestically and in Palestine/Israel- these accessible and empowering texts would be the class's introduction to contemporary poetry)
4. The God Of Small Things by Arundhati Roy (for the brilliant use of language, character development, and too many craft jewels to count)
5. Zami, A New Spelling Of My Name by Audre Lorde (to introduce the 'biomythography' genre as a twist on the notion of memoir, and support/encourage early attempts at students' creative writing, that will more often than not draw from autobiographical content)
A side note... Picking five books for this assignment was grueling. So many more I could have justified. So this is today's list, liable to change at the drop of a dime.
and it's unlikely that you would have time for these anyway :)
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