Sugarcoated History: Turning the Spotlight on “Woke” Books to Expand the Narrative

Trade Books play an enormous role in schools by encouraging students to engage in information that enhances the curriculum taught in their social studies textbooks. Through challenging content and perspectives, offering new and interesting facts, and sparking inquiry, historical fiction and nonfiction text encourage discussion, analysis, and critical thought. But what happens when access to books that challenge the status quo are not part of the curriculum? This presentation explores possible impacts of sugarcoated history despite the presence of exceptional books. Through the use of sample text, and text selections, participants will engage in why historical fiction and nonfiction literature is critical to a socially constructed classroom. The target audience for this presentation is K-12 teachers and Library Media Specialists as well as preservice teacher educators. It is critical that all members of these fields are aware of the potential holes/whitewashing/sugarcoating of United States history in the curriculum and learn how to find and distinguish quality, authentic nonfiction and historical fiction text to bring into the curriculum. Educators, who are well informed on the diverse histories of our nation and are armed with a plethora of well-written and factually sourced information, are prepared to face rampant misinformation and culture war rhetoric in our society today.