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"Books are sometimes windows, offering views of worlds that may be real or imagined, familiar or strange. These windows are also sliding glass doors, and readers have only to walk through in imagination to become part of whatever world has been created or recreated by the author. When lighting conditions are just right, however, a window can also be a mirror. Literature transforms human experience and reflects it back to us, and in that reflection we can see our own lives and experiences as part of the larger human experience. Reading, then, becomes a means of self-affirmation, and readers often seek their mirrors in books." (Rudine Sims Bishop, 1990) At our middle school, 36% of our students are Black and 47% are LatinX, however, the majority of books available in my classroom do not represent these demographics. My students bring so much to the table, and I hope to build a collection of literature that highlights their cultures, lives, and lived experiences. Literature that uplifts and inspires. Literature that both provides a mirror of self identity and a window into the identity of others.
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