Before Diversifying Your Library Collection- Read This!
By: Lauren Lynn
Caution: The next few sentences will be a pearl-clutching moment for many librarians! Is Mary Hoffman’s Amazing Grace one of your favorite books? Well, it is not one of mine! Don’t get me wrong- the story and the illustrations are great and the book has an important message that needs to be told. As for me, it falls into the category of a “struggle book.” A struggle book is a book that has African American/Asian/Latinx character(s) who must “struggle” to overcome segregation, racism, and/or civil rights. Struggle books often have characters who have to prove themselves-like our friend Grace who proves to her classmates that a black girl can play the role of Peter Pan.