Guide

A Guide to Religion in Young Adult Literature for Teachers and Librarians

By: Paige Foreman

NOTE: I am currently trying to figure out how to post a PDF file to this page. 

Introduction:

I created this guide specifically for teachers and librarians so you can take a quick look at the books I read for the project and decide whether to teach them in your class or add them to your library. In the guide, I will provide a short synopsis, list themes, explain how the book incorporates religion, and list keywords as well. If you want to know a bit more about each book, consider checking out the blog posts for the project.

I hope you consider including Young Adult books that deal with religious themes in your curriculum or library as religion seems to be a big taboo in Young Adult literature. There’s not a lot of quality Young Adult books that deal with religious themes, and it might be because of America’s general attitude towards religion. Americans just don’t like to talk about it! Including such books in your curriculum or library can help children become more knowledgeable and tolerant of other religious views. As a Nerdfighter, my overall goal is to reduce “World Suck,” and I believe a lot of World Suck stems from religious intolerance.

Here are the books discussed in the guide:

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. by Judy Blume

Godless by Pete Hautman

The Chosen by Chaim Potok

Looking For Alaska by John Green

Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan

I hope this helps! If you would like to see other books that have religious themes, please check out the book list link provided on the “resources” page in the blog. Please post any feedback you have for me on my blog.

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.

By: Judy Blume

Synopsis:

Margaret has just moved to the suburbs of New Jersey from New York City because her parents think her Jewish grandmother has too much of an influence on her. Her parents don’t practice any religion, but they say Margaret can choose her religion when she’s ready. Margaret is also in middle school, and all of a sudden, she becomes worried about when she’ll have her period, whether she needs a bra or not, and how to square dance with a cute boy. Her teacher, Mr. Benedict, has assigned everyone a year-long project on a topic of their choice, and Margaret chooses to do her project on religion. As Margaret juggles the project, puberty, and religious grandparents that are always trying to convert her, she talks to God about it all.

Themes:

Dealing with puberty, friendship, and family.

Religion in the Book:

In the book, Margaret’s family is composed of people who have very different religious views. Her parents are nonreligious, her grandmother is Jewish, and her other grandparents are Christian. Margaret feels caught in a sort of “tug of war” over her because everyone wants her to pick their religion. Margaret does have a relationship with God from the beginning of the book, but she doesn’t consider it a religion, as she doesn’t go to church. At the end, Margaret realizes that God is not necessarily something found in a church—it is something found within yourself.

Keywords:

Family, Religion, Friendship, Puberty, Judaism, Christianity

Godless

By: Pete Whitman

Synopsis:

Jason is tired of the Catholic religion, which is always forced upon him by his parents and his teen church group. One day, when getting beat up by a guy much smaller than he is by the water tower, he has a religious moment of realization. The water tower provides life to the town, so therefore, the water tower is God. Jason, along with his gastropod-collecting best friend, found the religion of Chutengodianism. Originally founded as a joke, the Church of the Ten-Legged One (the water tower) grows in size and the teens become more serious about their faith. They start to do stupid, dangerous things in the name of their religion…

Themes:

Religion as an Institution, Atheism, the Nature of Religion.

Religion in the Book:

This book is basically a satire of organized religion, and the book portrays organized religion as an institution. It also comments on the nature of religion and how religion develops. Jason’s parents are Catholic and religious fanatics, but Jason is an atheist. Once Jason’s parents find out about his atheism, they force him to read books about the Catholic religion, but they later realize that they can’t change him. This is a good book for teens that are considering atheism.

Keywords:

Atheism, Catholic, Satire, Church, Institution

The Chosen

By: Chaim Potok

Synopsis:

The book is about a friendship between two Jewish boys in Brooklyn at around the end of World War Two. One boy, Reuven Malter, is the narrator and is a traditional, Orthodox Jew. The other boy, Danny Saunders is a Hasid and is a prodigy who loves psychoanalysis. They meet at a baseball game, where Danny hits Reuven in the eye when he is pitching, so Reuven is rushed to the hospital. Danny later visits him to ask for forgiveness. From then on, the two boys become best friends. The book also explores the boys’ relationships with their fathers. Danny’s father is Reb Saunders, who is a sixth generation Rabbi, and Danny is expected to take his place even though he doesn’t want to. Reuven’s father is David Malter, and he is more open-minded and accepting of modern America. A powerful book about family, friendship, and what it means to be Jewish in America.

Themes:

Judaism, The Difference Between Choosing and Being Chosen, Religious Traditions and How They Can Conflict With Modernity.

Religion in the Book:

The book talks primarily about Judaism, and the two boys belong to two different branches of the Jewish religion—Orthodox Judaism and Hasid Judaism. The two boys’ fathers represent two different ways of approaching the Jewish religion in a changing America. Reb Saunders wants to keep the same traditions and not change while David Malter is willing to adapt his religious beliefs and traditions to fit with a rapidly changing America. Potok supports the latter perspective. In the book, neither of the boys choose to be Jewish—it is a fate chosen for them, and this influences how they make major life decisions.

Keywords:

Judaism, the Chosen, Religious Traditions, America, Culture, Holocaust, Brooklyn, Hasid, Orthodox

Looking For Alaska

By: John Green 

Synopsis:

Looking For Alaska is about famous-last-words-obsessed Miles Halter, who moves to a boarding school in Alabama. Up until he goes to the boarding school, his life has been one big non-event. He leaves his Florida home to seek a “Great Perhaps.” There, Miles is transformed into Pudge and becomes friends with the Colonel (a genius with a napoleon complex) and Alaska Young, who is funny, smart, beautiful, and self-destructive. Pudge falls in love with her and his life becomes the opposite of boring. One day though, a terrible event changes the world of Culver Creek and nothing is ever the same again.

Themes:

Life is short and how to deal with suffering.

Religion in the Book:

Compared to the other books I read this semester, this book didn’t incorporate religion as much as the others, although it still plays an important role. In the book, Pudge and his friends have to take a religion class, and the class was basically a way for John Green to directly ask the big questions that were themes throughout the book. A couple of these questions are, “Is there life after death?” and “Is life just pointless suffering?” Religion tries to provide answers to these questions often.

Keywords:

Boarding School, Religion Classes, Suffering, Suicide, Last Words, Pranks

Homeless Bird

By: Gloria Whelan

Synopsis:

This book is about Koly, who is a thirteen-year-old girl who lives in India, and her parents have arranged a marriage for her because they can no longer afford to feed her. She is married off to a sickly boy named Hari, and he only married her for her dowry, which would allow his family to take him to the Holy Ganges river, which Hari’s parents hoped would heal Hari. Hari dies after going to the Ganges, and Koly is stuck with her Sass (mother-in-law) who is always criticizing her and her kindly but submissive Sassur (father-in-law). She can’t go back to her family because it would bring dishonor to them. Later, her Sassur dies and her Sass abandons her, so she is left homeless. She has to go to a home for widows until she is saved from her plight.

Themes:

Death, Belonging, Oppression, Family

Religion in the Book:

Most of the characters in the book belong to the Hindu religion, and that religion is very much a part of Indian culture. We see the different traditions and ceremonies practiced as well as some holidays observed in that religion. The book also seems to make a statement on how some religious traditions can contribute to the oppression of women.

Keywords:

Hinduism, India, Oppression, Feminism, Culture, Widow, Arranged Marriage, Literacy, Tradition