Lessons in Disability

Jacob Stratman is associate professor of English and chair of the Humanities and Social Sciences Division at John Brown University. His articles on young adult literature have been published in SIGNAL, English Journal, Christianity and Literature and Literature and Belief. He lives in Siloam Springs, Arkansas.

“fills a gap...the book presents a comprehensive whole, interrogating ideas for classroom practice as well as offering in-depth analyses of young adult fiction. The scope of academic references and literary theory included here is commendable...intriguing.... Readers will no doubt find new suggested reading here for adolescents in addition to fresh lenses on familiar titles.... a substantial and welcome resource”—Center for Young People's Literature & Culture.

• Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Exploring Disability through Young Adult Literature—Jacob StratmanPart 1: Disability, Young Adult Literature and Pedagogical Strategies The Social Construction of Disabilities and Differences: Cultivating Appreciation of Diversity in an Elementary Classroom through Critical Reading, Writing and Reflection—Anne KatzA Little Piece of Evan: Adolescent Literature and the Autism Spectrum—Jeanne Dutton and Jennifer MillerMiddle School Adolescents Developing Critical Stances Around Difference in Young Adolescent Literature in Literature Circles—Jeanne Gilliam Fain and Lesley ­Craig-Unkefer Teaching and Reading Wonder and Marcelo in the Real World with Critical Eyes—Abbye Meyer and Emily Wender(Re)Defining Disability with the Schneider Family Book Award and Community Engagement—Jacob StratmanUsing YA Literature That Portrays Disabilities as Canonical Companions—Janine J. Darragh Part 2: Disability, Young Adult Literature and Literary Theory Beowulf and Aesthetic Nervousness: A Multidimensional Pedagogy—Darcy Mullen“So tough, so brave, the consummate survivor”: War, Trauma and Disability in the Harry Potter Series—Marc NapolitanoDeconstructing Disability: The Dragons and Girls in Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea and Merrie Haskell’s Handbook for Dragonslayers—Erin Wyble Newcomb“Without a word or sign”: Enmeshing Deaf and Gay Identity in Young Adult Literature—Angel Daniel MatosAbout the Contributors Index