My People

There is a book on the summer reading list that all the fifth graders had to read. I found out right away that most of the students strongly disliked it, so I started encouraging discussion.

Now, I have not read this book. And once I realized it was going to be a discussion topic I should have at least read a good summary. But I didn't. I just kept asking the students to talk about their feelings on the book.

There have been one or two students in each class who do like it, though. And I try to get them to talk too, to get a different perspective. In one of the classes a young lady told me she liked the book because she liked reading about "her people."

This young lady has beautiful tan skin and curly black hair. Her race simply isn't obvious. I had to ask her, "What people are we talking about?"

As it turns out, we were talking about African Americans. It's a civil rights book.

Boy am I an idiot.

I have listened to another of K. L. Going's books on CD, for what it's worth.