I am a second-year public high school librarian in a suburban district serving a high population of kids who are "street savvy," listen to rap/hip hop, and express themselves using profanities as they cruise the hallways. The descriptor is important because I need feedback regarding the place - if there is one - urban/street literature has in a public high school.
I picked up a title one student went on and on about and started getting itchy on page six and had a full-blown anxiety attack by page nine! The story, at least the few pages I read, had lots of frank talk about sex and an abundance of profanity. As one librarian noted, "...urban fiction focuses on the struggles of mostly young black men and women whose lives have been touched by crime and violence..." I can see the book being checked out a lot because it offers what many students would see as their reality. I have purchased the Port City High" and "Bluford" series that I would call Urban Lit Lite.
Censorship is a big deal for me. Censorship might not be as big a deal to some parents or the Administration! Do any of you offer titles from this list at your urban public high school? Goodreads Hottest Urban Fiction If so, what is your experience with it/them?
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