Weekly Geeks Challenge: Outsiders

This week, the Weekly Geeks Challenge is to write about a social issue and to include graphics of books related to the topic.  This fits in with Teaching Tolerance Tuesday and is something I'm interested in.  I'm not sure that my chosen topic is absolutely a "social issue" but I believe that it is -- and, seeing as this is my blog -- I'll go with my gut.  I've decided to choose a couple of books that talk about being "other," about being an outsider. 

I have long been fascinated with what makes some kids fit in with a crowd so easily and what it is about some kids that forces them to struggle to make any friends at all.  Three middle grade books jumped out to me as soon as I thought about this topic, as they are much loved favorites of readers (and teachers) everywhere, and much loved favorites of mine, personally.

   

The first is The Hundred Dresses, by Eleanor Estes.  It tells the story of Wanda, a young girl who is teased and ostracized because of her claim to have 100 dresses at home, even though she wears the same dress to school each day.  It is Wanda who struggles to fit in, but we leave the book with strong emotions for Wanda and for her tormentors, as we realize that they suffer, too, once Wanda leaves school.  Though this book was written in the 1940's, it is every bit as relevant and moving today as it was when it first came out.

Next, there's Loser, by Jerry Spinelli.  In this book we meet Donald Zinkoff, one of my favorite characters in children's literature.  He is full of life and curiosity and is unapologetically different.  Because of his differences and because being different doesn't bother him as others may wish it did, Donald is teased mercilessly to mixed results.  This is a book that is about embracing what makes a person unique, about being an outsider with confidence. 

Finally, in what might be one of the starkest examples of being on the outside, we come to The Giver, by Lois Lowry.  It is the story of Jonas, a 12-year old boy who lives in a community where everything is pre-ordained and everything is, for the most part, equal.  Inhabitants of the community feel no pain or extreme pleasure, there is no hunger or suffering or fear -- but there is also a lack of joy, excitement and love.  Jonas is selected to become the "keeper of memories", and is given a vocabulary and experiences which teach him that there is more to the world at large than his community.  His learning makes him, by definition, "other" and this is something that Jonas finds incredibly hard to reconcile.

What makes this a social issue, then, is the way that we, as a society, respond to, include or exclude these kids who are different.  It is a social issue because the ways in which we respond to these children influence who many of them become and how many of them see themselves.  There are, of course, children like Donald Zinkoff who are comfortable with being unique, but there are so many more like Wanda, who struggle to fit in, who want to be a part of a group.

I'm not sure what the solution is for these kids and for their contemporaries, but I do believe that if our kids are exposed to fantastic books like these (and so many others) -- books that are not heavy-handed but that carry weight and depth -- they might begin to shift their thinking, just a bit.  And this is, at least, a start.

Comments

[Heather]

Great topic! Being one of the "outsiders" myself when I was in school, I know how big of an impact it can have on who you turn out to be as an adult. And you're right - the way adults (parents especially, but all adults) respond to these kids is vital. Thanks for the excellent post.

[Stephanie]

What a wonderful post. I've read both The Giver and Loser. Actually, your post reminded me of another Spinelli book, Stargirl. If you haven't read it, I'd recommend it 100%. It's about the same topic really. Fitting in.

Now that I have kids of my own, this is near and dear to my own heart.

[Wendy]

Great subject...I just finished reading Nineteen Minutes, by Jodi Picoult and this issue of being an outcast or not fitting in is a huge theme in the book.

[Jenny]

Thanks for your comments about this post -- the subject of being an "outsider" is one that I also hold close to my heart, both when I think about my own growing-up days, and when I think about my son.

Wendy -- 19 Minutes is one of my favorite books. I actually posted about it not too long ago, for one of my Teaching Tolerance Tuesday posts. I've read the book a couple of times now, and each time I read it I notice something else and find myself working through new thoughts and emotions...

[dew]

Great topic! Wow, this week's theme is really expanding my wishlist. I've read The Giver (a few times!) but I added the other two to my wishlist.

What's interesting to me is that so often the kids who were the outsiders in school are completely skilled socially as adults. I think outside factors like not fitting in socioeconomically or racially or whatever where you go to school is the problem. Other times, just being shy can make you an outsider. And sometimes, just having one bad day and pissing off one popular kid can ruin your social life for years. I think kids who have no older siblings to guide them in how to be have at school also tend to be outsiders more often than those with older siblings. School is a strange little microcosm.

[Jenny Schwartzberg]

Speaking of Jerry Spinelli, what about Maniac Magee? I love that book and really, isn't it about the ultimate outsider coming into a town and eventually becoming accepted as part of the community? It always moves me very deeply when I reread it.

[Jenny]

Dew -- good point about school being such a strange little microcosm - it really does seem that the things that count when it comes to fitting in aren't the things that actually matter out in the real world.

Jenny -- I love Manic Magee -- It's one of my favorites! I've read it so many times and have talked about it with so many kids... I'm glad you brought it up here.