When it comes to literature, teaching the classics is important. But it’s a good idea to add contemporary titles to your curriculum, too, especially if your students sometimes have trouble connecting with older texts.
That’s why we created the Discovering Literature collection, a curated selection of noteworthy books that are capturing the attention of teachers and students across the country.
From exploring moments in time to studying different cultures, nonfiction offers many ways for students to learn more about the world around them. Both educational and entertaining, this month’s Discovering Literature selections tell incredible true stories about historical events and the people who lived through them.
Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence
Based on the true experiences of three Aboriginal girls in the early 1930s, this book explores a dark moment in Australian history. Under assimilationist policy, mixed-race Aboriginal children were sent to the Moore River Native Settlement, a reform camp. Determined to escape from the deplorable conditions of the settlement, girls Molly, Daisy, and Gracie embark on the long journey home to Jigalong, using the pest-exclusion fence built across the country as a guide.
Buy this book
The Last Nomad
When she was six years old, Shugri Said Salh left the capital of Somalia to live with her nomadic grandmother, becoming the last in her family to follow this tradition. This memoir explores her childhood spent roaming the Somali desert, her return to the city, and her eventual arrival to the United States by way of Kenya and Canada as a civil war refugee. At each step of her amazing journey, Shugri faces her situations with resilience and hope.
Buy this book
Never Caught: The Washingtons' Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge
This historical account covers the true story of Ona Judge, an enslaved woman who planned a daring escape from George Washington’s estate after the American Revolution. When he was elected president, Washington left Mount Vernon, bringing his slaves, including Ona, with him to Philadelphia. It’s here that Ona fled north in search of freedom. Never Caught details Washington’s various—and unsuccessful—attempts to find Ona and the clever ways she evaded his search.
Buy this book
Killers of the Flower Moon
In this nonfiction account, journalist David Grann chronicles one of the most infamous crimes in American history. After oil was discovered on their land in the 1920s, members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma became the world’s richest people per capita. Soon after, a series of murders ripped through the community. In response, the newly formed FBI, led by director J. Edgar Hoover and a former Texas Ranger named Tom White, took up the case, leading to the discovery of an unthinkable conspiracy.
Buy this book
Find even more exciting books in the Discovering Literature collection!