TCH 236-What it Means to Be A Black Youth

The book my book club and I read this week to help answer our inquiry question, of what is means to be a black youth, was a book entitled The Skin I’m In, by Sharon Flake. The book is a realistic fiction novel, most likely written for the 6th-8th grade audience. I really feel as though this would be a great novel for middle level students to read, as it highlights many different important aspects and issues, such as bullying and loving yourself, that are very prevalent in the lives of middle schoolers, and topics that need to be discussed with young adolescents.

A quote that I found that I would read to my students to get them enticed to read this novel, is a quote that states, “To look in the mirror and like what you see, even when it doesn’t look like your idea of beauty.” (The Skin I’m In). I found this to really highlight the tones of the book that I want to share with my students, and I think that they would get really excited about the novel post sharing this blurb with them. This quote begins to suggest a discussion to be had with students, and important meanings from this book can begin to become evident when analyzing the quote, and moving forward with discussions with students, in regard to this quote.

The book is centered around main character, Maleeka Madison, a low income, african american girl that is severely bullied for the way that she looks, as well as her socio-economic status. Maleeka is even bullied by people who of our the same color of skin as her, and told that she is ‘too black’. This really causes Maleeka to have internal conflicts about how she feels, and how she wants to feel. Throughout the novel, Maleeka looks up to her teacher, Miss Saunders, who has a rare skin condition that has left her with very visible birthmarks. Miss Saunders embraces who she is and what she looks like, and Maleeka longs to feel the same as her teacher. Feeling very alone, Maleeka struggles to form connections and relationships with people who are positive in her life, and feels as though no one is on her side. That is, until, she realizes that Miss Saunders has been on her side all along. Maleeka struggles to find her place in the world, and gets herself into a couple of different situations, even becoming a part of a gang to receive protection. All the while, Maleeka is just trying to find herself, and form her own identity, regardless of people may try to convince her of her identity.

Some themes that I had pulled from this novel as I was reading it, were the themes of person versus world, and the theme of the search for identity. These two themes are something that we see throughout a lot of the novels during our inquiry based lessons in class, but I feel as though each novel provides a different glimpse at these themes, and their importance remains consistent throughout.

Throughout the course of the entire novel, Maleeka is bullied for her appearance. She is scrutinized for the color of her skin, and even her socio-economic status. Maleeka is constantly told by the rest of the world who she is, and how she should feel about herself. Maleeka longs to feel as good about herself, despite feeling different, just like her teacher, Miss Saunders, but she must overcome this battle between her peers’ harsh words, and her own beliefs about herself. I think that this theme is important, because it offers an issue that a lot of individuals are struggling through, and that is feeling like they are alone, and fighting against what seems like a world that is entirely against them. I think the overall message throughout this novel that the author is trying to portray, is even when you feel like the world is against you, there is always someone there and there is always someone you can reach out to. Whether it is someone that seems so irrelevant to your life, or someone that is extremely prominent in your life, there is always a resource or person to go to when you are struggling, or feel lost. In this case, applying this message to this theme in the novel, and taking a look at who was there for Maleeka when she was feeling like she had no one and no place in the world, Miss Saunders provided that hope and role model that Maleeka needed. There is always someone out there, whether we acknowledge it or not. So, do not give up hope!

The next theme, searching for identity, can also be described and illustrated through Maleeka’s longing for finding her group of people, becoming comfortable with the skin she is in, and essentially, finding how she fits in within society. This is an ever growing process for Maleeka, as the people she begins to associate with are not always the best. She wishes to find her place in the world, but also stumbles through various conflicts with different groups of people, that lead her to finding out who she really is. I think this theme is important, and I have chosen it to discuss, because during young adolescence, children are struggling to find out who they are, regardless of their background, idenedity, and their socio-economic status. I think this theme is applicable to everyone, because-we have all been there! Finding yourself is no small feat.

In The Skin I’m In we see there is a common motif throughout the course of the novel, and that is the use of a common concept, that relates to our theme of person versus world. This common concept, that is a motif throughout the course of the novel, is that no matter how much you might be suffering, there is always someone that is there for you, or there is always a resource to go to for help. Miss Saunders, essentially, is a motif throughout the book. The use of this motif shows us how Maleeka is convinced there is no one on her side, when really throughout the entire book, Miss Saunders is on her side. I think this is really a very deep, and rather beautiful message for young adolescents to read about. This motif reminds readers that despite how it may not always be obvious, people are on our side, regardless of who we are. It is the quality, and not the quantity, of the people that are on your side that matter most, as illustrated through this motif used throughout the course of the novel.

As I was reading this book, I am not really sure why I made so many connections to the book, 13 Reasons Why, by Jay Asher, but I found there to be common themes within the two. Both main characters from each novel, are bullied about who they are and where they come from, and it drives these characters to make very rash decisions, that may have not always been the best. For Maleeka, joining a gang was a decision that may have not had the most positive outcomes. For Hannah, in the novel, 13 Reasons Why, she ends up committing suicide. There is a theme throughout both novels, or a motif if you will, about how there is always someone there, despite how you may feel. Hannah had a friend that was there for her to talk to, but she did not notice because she felt so bottled down by the horrible events that were occurring in her life, it was hard to tell. For Maleeka, a teacher was there to support her and be her role model, someone she really needed. Of course, it is not easy to always notice these people, but they are there. This, I believe, is what caused me to make connections between 13 Reasons Why, and The Skin I’m In.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and the messages and meanings that it had behind it’s story. I found it to be a very valuable book for children of all backgrounds to read, and it is surely something I would love to use within my classroom one day. The themes are something I think that a lot of individuals would be able to resonate with, and I personally even resonated with throughout reading this novel.

When connecting this novel back to the essential inquiry question, of ‘What is Means to be a black youth?’ I think that this book does so in a very enlightening way, but one that is also heavy and saddening to me. This poor girl in the novel is bullied so much for the color of her skin, and does not feel like she fits in with the rest of her peers, or be able to make the connections she wants, and this is something that individuals of color, I am assuming, struggle with daily. It shares how cruel kids can be based upon their outwards appearance, and this is something that speaks a lot to what is means to be a black youth. #Awesome #Read #YALIT