- Ferguson-Florissant School District
- Homepage
McCluer Library Receives Book Collection from St. Louis Literacy Organizations
In a time when diversity in literature is becoming increasingly harder to come by, a partnership with St. Louis Literacy Regional Association, Booksource, Turn the Page STL and St. Louis Black Authors of Children’s Literature, is stepping in to bridge that gap.
These St. Louis literacy organizations donated more than 300 books to the McCluer library. The donation is a curated collection of literature centered on empathy and equity themes. The books were formally presented to the school during a special assembly on April 17 in the McCluer library.
The initiative was sparked by the realization that many students were not seeing themselves reflected in the books they were reading. “We believe the problem is not that students are opposed to reading. We believe they are opposed to reading content where they failed to see themselves in it,” said Isaiah Melendez, interim principal at McCluer. “The hope is that this gift will open up not just their love for reading, but a deeper understanding of themselves and the world around them.”
The collection was curated with the help of New York Times bestselling author Nic Stone. The collection has 180 titles representing stories that reflect the diverse experiences of young people of color. What makes this collection of books so important? It is filling a genre of literature geared towards young adults that have largely been absent from previous collections. “It has been very difficult to find young adult fiction targeting our student demographics,” said Joseph Hosea, librarian, and media specialist at McCluer. “This collection brings to light social justice, historical and contemporary issues such as civil unrest, homelessness, depression, and so much more. It is very important that our library collection reflects the truly diverse and international population at McCluer.”
Thank you to Julius B. Anthony and St. Louis Regional Literacy Association through a partnership with Turn the Page STL, St. Louis Black Authors of Children’s Literature, and Booksource to have NYT best-selling author Nic Stone cultivate a collection designed specifically for our teenage and young adult students.