Taking a critical, research-oriented perspective, this exploration of the theoretical, empirical, and pedagogical connections between the reading and teaching of young adult literature and adolescent identity development centers around three key questions:

• Who are the teens reading young adult literature?
• Why should teachers teach young adult literature?
• Why are teens reading young adult literature?

All chapters work simultaneously on two levels: each provides both a...

This definitive look at teaching English in rural secondary schools contests current definitions and discussions of rural education, examines their ideological and cultural foundations, and presents an alternative perspective that conceptualizes rural communities as diverse, unique, and conducive to pedagogical and personal growth in teaching and learning. Authentic narratives document individual teachers' moments of struggle and success in learning to understand, value, and incorporate rural literacies and sensibilities into their curricula. The teachers' stories and the scholarly...

This definitive look at teaching English in rural secondary schools contests current definitions and discussions of rural education, examines their ideological and cultural foundations, and presents an alternative perspective that conceptualizes rural communities as diverse, unique, and conducive to pedagogical and personal growth in teaching and learning. Authentic narratives document individual teachers' moments of struggle and success in learning to understand, value, and incorporate rural literacies and sensibilities into their curricula. The teachers' stories and the scholarly...

Taking a close look at the forces that affect English education in schools-at the ways literature, cognitive science, the privileging of the STEM disciplines, and current educational policies are connected-this timely book counters with a strong argument for the importance of continuing to teach literature in middle and secondary classrooms. The case is made through critical examination of the ongoing "culture wars" between the humanities and the sciences, recent research in cognitive literary studies demonstrating the power of narrative reading, and an analysis of educational trends that...

Taking a close look at the forces that affect English education in schools-at the ways literature, cognitive science, the privileging of the STEM disciplines, and current educational policies are connected-this timely book counters with a strong argument for the importance of continuing to teach literature in middle and secondary classrooms. The case is made through critical examination of the ongoing "culture wars" between the humanities and the sciences, recent research in cognitive literary studies demonstrating the power of narrative reading, and an analysis of educational trends that...