Considerations for Evaluating Young Adult Literature Multicultural Books

Ask the following questions when evaluating multicultural books for young adults:

Literary Qualities

• Does the book meet the qualifications for good literature?
• Does the book exhibit the qualities expected in its genre?

Accuracy and Currency of Facts and Interpretation

• Are thoughts and emotions portrayed authentically?
• In historical fiction, is the content realistic for the time period?
• Does the content intensify the reader’s sensitivity to the feelings of others?
• Does the author present a balanced view of the issues in the book, especially nonfiction?

Stereotypes in Lifestyles

• Are culturally diverse characters and their settings contrasted unfavorably with an unstated norm of Anglo American middle class suburbia?
• Does the story go beyond oversimplifications of reality and offer genuine insights into another lifestyle or culture?

Plot

• Do European Americans in the story have all the power and make the decisions?
• Do people from diverse backgrounds function in essentially subservient roles?
• Does a character from a diverse background have to exhibit superior qualities (excel in sports, get A’s) to succeed?
• How are “problems” presented, conceived, and resolved in the story?
• Are people from diverse backgrounds considered to be “the problem”?
• Do solutions ultimately depend on the benevolence of a European American?
• Are the achievements of girls and women based on their own initiative and intelligence, or is their success due to their good looks or to their relationships with boys?
• Are sex roles incidental or paramount to characterization and plot?
• Could the same story be told if the sex roles were reversed?

Theme

• Would the book limit or promote an adolescent’s self-image and self-esteem?
• Would the book limit or promote an adolescent’s aspirations?
• Can a reader from any culture become so involved with the book that he or she can identify with the characters and vicariously experience their feelings?