Walking in Someone Else’s Shoes: Implementing Diverse Literature in ELA Curricula to Build Empathy in Adolescents

Abstract

This paper advocates for the inclusion of diverse literature in secondary English/Language Arts classrooms to build empathy in adolescents from homogenous communities to better prepare students to engage in an ever-evolving society. Current scholarship focuses primarily on how reading diverse books impact and build empathy among students at the primary level (PreK-5). However, the importance of continuing the incorporation of diverse literature at the secondary level (6-12) to further develop adolescents’ worldviews, perceptions, and empathy has been under-explored. The research presented illustrates how essential diverse literature is in the development of critically and culturally conscious citizens. By using literary and pedagogical theories, this paper aims to decenter the dominant White perspective within ELA curricula, which is applied through my discussion on the impact of diverse literature on empathy and development and through my analysis of the classroom applicability of five Young Adult novels: Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley, Only this Beautiful Moment by Abdi Nazemian, All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely, Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay, and I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez. I approach this task with a method of combined scholarly and pedagogical analysis. This helps to situate the building of adolescent empathy within the existing scholarship, demonstrating the impact of diverse literature and providing practical ways for educators to incorporate diverse literature into their curriculum.