I’ve had a bunch of folks ask what books I’m reading this summer. Now, before you go and peg me as a crazy book loving freak-a-zoid, know that I, while I love reading and all, I am not a superwoman most of the time when it comes to reading large volumes of books. I get lucky to finish my book club book once a month. 

So side note, I guess this is where I should announce this publicly… I’m in graduate school! I am working on my Master’s Degree through Baker University, starting in January 2018 and finishing in April 2019. I have been learning more than I thought I would, to be honest. It has been a long journey for me to actually have the desire to get a higher degree, as I have felt for the last ten years of my career that I don’t know what I’d get a Master’s degree in. Lord knows I am not cut out for administration. I have not felt the call to work in Special Education as a career path. Curriculum and Instruction just sounds bo-ring. Counseling is more schooling and hardcoreness than I am interested in at this point in my life. I was really interested in LIbrary Science, but for a long time, there were no online library science degrees available. Where did that leave me? Paralyzed.

Randomly one day back in December 2017, I was forwarded an advertisement for Baker’s cohort graduate program. I knew someday I wanted to take the plunge, so I went to the interest meeting and found that they have an all-online program (a must at this phase in my life). I checked into it, and it just made sense to work toward a Master’s in Education. I did more research and found a “media specialist” degree through Fort Hays that requires a Master’s Degree, but would be only 18 more hours to obtain. And so, my friends, that is the path I am currently on. The media specialist will likely come sometime in the [hopefully] near future, but for now, I am working toward completing my Master’s Degree in the spring of 2019! Woot for learning!

All of that to say!

This summer I have been excited to be taking Multicultural Adolescent Literature as a course. Although the reading has been killer for me (averaging two novels a week is true insanity), my mindset has been broadened in a good way. The concept of “I don’t know what I don’t know” has kinda been mind-blowing. Refreshing. Love it when God opens my eyes to my naivety and helps me see people the way He sees them. That’s stinkin’ cool.

So anyway! About that book list! Here’s what I’ve been reading this summer to complete this course. I starred my favorites, and carroted the most thought provoking. I also italicized the ones I feel would be appropriate for a younger reader (i.e. a 6th grader).

• *^Monster (Walter Dean Myers)
• Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty (G. Neri)
• Dark Dude (Oscar Hijuelos)
• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Mark Haddon)
• In Darkness (Nic Lake)
• *Dear Martin (Nic Stone)
• ^Persepolis (Marjane Satrapi)
• Homeless Bird (Gloria Whelan)
• *^The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (Sherman Alexie)
• *Cloud and Wallfish (Anne Nesbet)
• ^Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (Benjamin Alire Sáenz)