Senior Essay Title: "“We bought the book, took it home and read it:” A Kid of Color Looks Back on 2009 Scholastic Book Club Flyers with 2020 Vision"
Adviser: Sunny Xiang
Abstract: I analyzed Scholastic Book Club flyers from January 2009 to June 2009 searching for superficial markers of diversity. The leading research questions: What do elementary school students see when they receive the flyers? If an unsupported student were to search for diverse books in the flyers, would they be able to find them? And if they were able to find the diverse books, how would they know they were diverse? This personal research essay examines Scholastic Book Club flyers retrospectively and with an activist's hope and imagination for a new futurity.