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The clarity, courage, and commitment of the young people fighting to end school violence and ban assault weapons provides an opportunity to support kids who wish to change the world.
Here are two books I heartily recommend for teenagers.
Here Comes Trouble: Stories from My Life by Michael Moore.
Set your politics aside. It doesn’t matter whether you love or hate Michael Moore, his autobiography is deeply moving and wildly entertaining. Here Comes Trouble features hilarious and inspirational tales of how one young person’s sense of outrage can change the world. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. I have given lots of copies as gifts to young people.
The Children by David Halberstam
David Halberstam’s vivid history of the Civil Rights movement told through the stories of young people who courageously fought for voting and human rights is a must-read. Today’s young politically conscious young people would be well-served by a reminder that they stand on the shoulders of giants. The Children is one of the all-time great American history books.
For Tweens
We Were There, Too!: Young People in U.S. History by Phillip Hoose
A large lovely book to inspire tweens by the stories of kids and their role in American history.
Protest Songs for Kids
John McCutcheon’s delightful record of protest songs for kids will be the hit of car trips and classroom sing-alongs. Every classroom and minivan needs a copy of Bigger Than Yourself!
Veteran educator Gary Stager, Ph.D. is the author of Twenty Things to Do with a Computer – Forward 50, co-author of Invent To Learn — Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom, publisher at Constructing Modern Knowledge Press, and the founder of the Constructing Modern Knowledge summer institute. He led professional development in the world’s first 1:1 laptop schools thirty years ago and designed one of the oldest online graduate school programs. Gary is also the curator of The Seymour Papert archives at DailyPapert.com. Learn more about Gary here.