My Recommendation

I think out of all the books from this semester, Copper Sun would be the best choice for your Emerging Scholars. This book is beneficial to readers of all ages, especially high school students. At this point, the students will have learned the history behind the story and are mature enough to handle the more intense subject matter. The novel tells a powerful story from a unique perspective that will be new to the students reading it. Amari’s journey to freedom illustrates that there is no obstacle that cannot be overcome and that you can do anything as long as you never lose hope. These lessons, and the many others found in this book, would be valuable to any teenager in the midst of the difficult transitional period they all must face. Though the two main characters are girls, I believe readers from either sex could gain a lot from reading this novel. I recommend Copper Sun for your group of adolescents because it is exciting to read and it would provide its readers with a message of hope at a crucial time in their lives.

Mulan: a Mixture of the East and West

Disney’s Mulan is westernized, but not overly so. While Disney definitely added some western values to the original story, I think the movie maintains a balance between the old storyline and American additions that is necessary for its audience. The songs are typical of other Disney Classics, with a small hint of the oriental mixed in (they are also some of the most fun Disney songs to sing). The beautiful young girl ends up with the manly man, but only after proving her strength, heroism, courage, and that a girl can fight as well as that manly man. Hollywood made its mark on the story, but it also includes some of the critical points from the original. Critics may argue that the western elements hurt the story, but I would argue that the film includes those elements in order to better connect with the audience, while educating them about Chinese culture and a story that is central to it. The Disney version of Mulan enables people of nationalities other than Chinese to relate to a famous Chinese heroine. Though I enjoyed the original version, and believe Disney could have stayed closer to it, I think the film gives its young American audience an interesting look into Chinese culture, even if it is not completely untouched by western influence.

Black and White

Black and White is based on real experiences observed by the author. This novel enables readers to see what the author has seen. When young people read this book, they are given the opportunity to better understand the unfortunate situations that other adolescents find themselves in because of poor choices. Good kids make bad decisions, which, as in the case of this story, can change their lives. Volponi’s depiction of these two kids, their atypical friendship, and the choices that affect their future, is based on real people and experiences. This novel pays tribute to the true-life experiences on which it is based by revealing the nature of the regrettable circumstances surrounding the events that occur both in the novel and in real life, as well as the nature of the teenagers that get involved in them. Through the story he tells, Volponi exposes the truths that are often ignored in favor of stereotypes and assumptions. Black and White honors the real stories on which it is based, sharing the truth in the hope that the future may bring change for the better.