I used this article with great success in my class last night. Sadly, it’s sort of a novel concept — how do the books you read shape who you are — but the conversation about language also fueled a good conversation.

Kakutani quotes James Baldwin:

Language is both “a political instrument, means, and proof of power,” and “the most vivid and crucial key to identity: it reveals the private identity, and connects one with, or divorces one from, the larger, public, or communal identity.”

No better place to start a course on literacy and adolescence, on pedagogy and schools…