From: Lyn Miller-Lachmann <lynml_at_me.com>
Date: Sun, 06 Nov 2011 19:10:52 -0500

I agree with Ann in terms of the books I've chosen to highlight on the blog. We have four general categories. These are economic disparities (in the case of young people the challenges of growing up in disadvantaged circumstances they did not create), ethnicity/gender/disability (factors leading to marginalization that Ann mentioned), war & peace/refugees, and environmental issues, including youth activism to protect the environment. A lot of the books I've reviewed deal with the experiences of refugees. Yes, you can dismiss this as "bad things that happen" but they happen because of the decisions of other people, for the most part people with power who use their power to harm their fellow human beings. But because literature for young people serves to give hope, these books do tend to show youngsters taking action and/or showing resilience.

Lyn Miller-Lachmann

On Nov 6, 2011, at 10:05 AM, AAngel_at_aol.com wrote:

When looking at novels to include in my blogs on The Pirate Tree, I have defined social justice issues as those issues that marginalize or make someone an outsider. Within that broad definition, I've discussed economic disparity, single parenting and its effects on adolescents, cultural differences, gay and lesbian-themed books, disabilities and social disorders so far. If a book tackles a social issue, I think it belongs on our blog. But I'm not sure this is how Lyn or the others sharing this blog perceive social justice issues. Perhaps Lyn can chime in? Ann Angel
Received on Sun 06 Nov 2011 07:10:52 PM CST