Under the Melanin Sun and The Dear One

In today's society, a teacher has to be aware of so many factors when addressing his/her students - divorce, IEP's, race, religion and also family members. I think Jacqueline Woodson's books are great books to open up a classroom discussion on same sex familiies. Students who are not used to a home where both parents are the same sex may have questions or even prejudices against different types of relationships and Woodson's novels open up a discussion forum to help educate people about what they might not know.

I thought that From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun was beautifully written. Woodson really allows her readers to get into the mind of an adolescent young man who has to deal with the fact that his mother is gay. This is a different situation that that of a child who is raised by two same sex parents from birth. Melanin was forced to deal with changes in his lfe and in his mother's life. I thought the ending of the novel was really strong when Melanin takes the time to talk to Kristin on the beach. He finally sees them as two people who are getting to know one another rather than one straight black boy and one white lesbian. I think this book is a great way for students to understand that acceptance of change (of any kind) sometimes takes time. Melanin was not immediately happy for his mother, but with time, he started adjusting to the idea. I grew up with a boy who had a gay father. His mother knew that his father was gay, but chose to have a child with him anyway but my friend didn't know that his father was gay until we were 12 years old. His father thought that he was old enough to know the truth at that point. Well, for years my friend struggled to accept his father's decision and also with his own sexuality. We were just coming to an age where boys and girls start liking one another and he was confused if he was gay because his father was gay. In addition, my friend had to deal with the cruelty of other students because once they learned about his father - the mental abuse was all over the place. He had to defend his father when he wasn't even sure how he felt about his father.

I also think that The Dear One was a great book on acceptance. There was the acceptance of the young, unwed mother into Feni's home and the acceptance of the gay couple on the pary of Rebecca. I loved this book. I think that the beginning of the story is a great way to take the glory out of teen sex. I think that this too can be used to open up discussions about teen sexuality and teen pregnancy. Many children think that certain topics are taboo and they end up making foolish mistakes becuase they are uneducated about the truth. I also like how young Feni is and how she is jealous of the attention that Rebecca gets when she comes to live with Feni and her mom. However, it made me sad to realize how young Rebecca was when she held Feni's dolls.

Woodson had a beautiful writing style and I really think that her books would be an asset to any classroom.