Very Young Girls (DVD)

Schisgall, David (2007).  Very young girls [motion picture]. New York: Showtime.  

Summary:  Very Young Girls exposes the realities of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking that happens right here in American neighborhoods.  This documentary interviews about a dozen young women aged 12 -21 who have been victims of sexual exploitation and then criminalized. Their tragic stories challenge general public perceptions of prostitution as a choice between consenting adults.  The film shows that the average age of a prostitute is 13 years old and the children, most of whom are already under the care of social services or the justice system, enter the sex industry by being lured or kidnapped or sold and then raped by pimps often twice their age.  The documentary follows the counseling work and advocacy done by GEMS, Girls Education and Mentoring Services of New York. 

Additional comments:  Viewers of this documentary will never again dress up for a "Pimps and Hoes" party and will be so moved to talk anyone from knowingly glamorizing an industry that enslaves young girls.  One of the most poignant moments of the film was the acceptance speech by Rachel Lloyd, the founder and Executive Director of GEMS, of the Reebok Human Rights Award. She scolded the Academy Awards for the performance of "It's hard out here for a pimp", which glamorizes prostitution and the debasement and violence against women.  This film will profoundly move young adults and force them to question the lyrics of hip hop and other projections by the media.

Nickel and Dimed, by Barbara Ehrenreich

Ehrenreich, Barbara (2001 ). Nickel and dimed: On (not) getting by in America .  New York: Metropolitan Books.

ISBN: 0805063889

Summary:  In Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich temporarily disowns her Ph.D. and comfortable multi-room home to investigate life at poverty-level wages. Taking jobs whose mental and physical effort is often underrated, such as waiting tables, cleaning houses and hotel rooms, working at Wal-Mart, and assisting at a nursing home, Ehrenreich must find the cheapest accommodations and meals available in order to survive at six or seven dollars an hour. 

Additional Comments:  Written partly in response to welfare reform, her social experiment is a test to find out just how livable minimum wage is without government assistance.  It might come as no surprise that she is barely able to make ends meet.  Starting in Florida, she moves to several locations around America to compare her findings across geographic regions, yet surviving on minimum wage (even with two jobs) was nearly impossible, not to mention damaging to her health and spirit. Nickel and Dimed is essential reading for privileged high school students who will never be forced to scrub someone else's toilet. They will gain insight and empathy for the hard-working lower-class trying to make an honest living by jobs that the upper-class refuse.

Fast Food Nation, by Eric Schlosser

Schlosser, Eric (2002). Fast Food Nation: the dark side of the all-American meal. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.  
0395977894

Summary: Eric Schlosser's 2002 New York Times bestseller, Fast Food Nation reveals that a seemingly trivial decision to buy a quick hamburger has hidden costs that are uncovered during Schlosser's disturbing investigation. Schlosser chronicles the rapid spread of fast food chains and the corresponding rise of agribusinesses as the food industry has had to accommodate the massive demand for beef and chicken as more and more franchises open across America and abroad.

Additional Comments:  Be forewarned that you may never again set foot in a McDonald's or Taco Bell after reading this provocative investigation of the fast food industry.  Read this book, and you will forever remember factory workers with missing fingers, factory workers who are forced to work overtime in dangerous conditions, and the gory butchering of cattle and chicken as they are slaughtered.  A moving example of "investigative journalism" that reveals the ways in which chain, fast food restaurants are destructive to employees, to public health, and to animal welfare.

Revenge of the "Illegal Alien", by Cesar A. Preciado-Cruz

Preciado-Cruz, Cesar A. (2008). Revenge of the “illegal alien: A Mexican takes on the Empire. Oakland: Making Changes Press.

ISBN 9780615152998

Summary:  Human rights activist Cesar Preciado-Cruz (teolol) releases revolutionary rage in his Revenge of the “illegal alien: A Mexican takes on the Empire, a collection of poems and short stories that condemn the United States for the repression of people of color, for the wealthy corporate elite, for the political lies about Iraq, for the general contempt of undocumented workers by Americans who benefit from their services, and for historical atrocities. Cruz’s radical poems in English and Spanish lend themselves to spoken word to fully realize the emotional intensity of his writing. 

Additional Comments: Some readers will undoubtedly squirm with discomfort from his calls for insurgency in poems like “license this” and “the terrorist” and from his vilification of the American government in poems like “on the 4th u lie (4th of july)” and “things taken”. However, his voice represents the vital perspective of the underrepresented and marginalized.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie

Alexie, Sherman (2007).  The Absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian.  New York: Little Brown and Company.

ISBN 0316013684 / 9780316013680

Summary:  Tired of being made fun of and beat up for his physical differences and tired of the poor education, resources, and opportunities around him, Junior makes the difficult decision to leave the school on the  Spokane Reservation to attend all-white high school.  Considered a traitor by the rez and ignored by his new wealthy, white class-mates, Junior persists to make the 20+ mile commute to school, often hitchhiking because there's not enough gas money without much hope that his situation will improve.

Additional comments:  Despite the humorous narration, the story is quite depressing.  The reservation is rife with alcoholism that is so severe to cause multiple deaths, and opportunities for employment are so few on the rez that the best bet for Junior is to leave. Junior's poverty becomes very clear to him when he switches to the privileged school where he tries to hide his difficulties in an attempt to fit in.  Readers will get a reality check about the dismal living conditions on Native American reservations and the deep sadness of losing one's heritage. 

Trino's Choice, by Diane Gonzales Bertrand

Bertrand, Diane Gonzales (1999). Trino's choice.  Houston: Pinata Books.  ISBN: 1558852689
/ 978-1-55885-268-6

Summary: When Trino witnesses a crime and ducks into a bookstore to hide from the perpetrator, Rosca, a tough eighth grader, Trino meets Lisana and her "school-type" friends, which introduces him to different activities and ways of interacting.  Trino is pretty miserable, living in a small trailer with his hard-working mother, three brothers, lazy cousin and never with enough food to eat.  When his mother loses her cleaning job and his baby brother gets ill, Trino has to make a difficult decision about how to get money to help the family.

Additional comments: Trino's Choice is a quick read that is fast-paced and moving.  The story provides a glimpse into a very difficult home-life without any father figure, supervision, and without consistent nutritious meals.  Trino's Choice is a great book to show life in a poor barrio and the hard life of low-waged jobs.  However, the characters are not very well developed, and although tragedy strikes at the end, the book doesn't have the emotional impact it could have if more connection were created with the characters. But, reluctant readers will be drawn into Trino's world and challenges.

The Circuit, by Francisco Jimenez

Jimenez, Francisco (1997). The circuit. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press.

ISBN:9780826317971

Summary:  Jimenez's childhood memories as a child migrant farm-workers inspired The Circuit, a heart-wrenching tale of a Mexican family who crossed the border illegally to increase their opportunities in the U.S. only to attain a life of seasonal migrations.  Just as a new camp begins to feel like home and just as he makes friends at school where he can't speak the language, his hard-working parents load up the jalopy to move along "the circuit" for the next harvest.  Living in extreme privation and poverty, his parents and older brother, who often sacrifices school to help pick crops, break their backs to work in the fields all day while living in constant fear of "la migra". 

Additional comments:  Recounted with deep love and tenderness, The Circuit is a must-read to develop compassion for and an understanding of the harsh realities faced by undocumented agricultural laborers.

The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros

Cisneros, Sandra (1991). The house on mango street. New York: Vintage Contemporaries.

ISBN: 0679734775

Summary:  Cisneros’ beloved, classic novel is a collection of lyrical vignettes about Esperanza Cordero, a Mexican American girl in a Latino neighborhood in Chicago. Each section is brief yet emotionally poignant, such as Esperanza’s embarrassment about her rundown home, her loneliness and desperation for a friend, her empathy for Sally, whose father is abusive, and her sense of victimization after a sexual assault. Cisneros draws from her own experiences growing up Latina in Chicago to create a glimpse into the Latino American experience.

Additional Comments:  The House on Mango Street is a poetic reflection from an adolescent girl's viewpoint, providing insight into the sensitivity of a lonely, self-conscious girl.  

Buried Onions by Gary Soto

Soto, Gary (1997, 2006).  Buried Onions. Orlando: Harcourt, Inc.

Summary:  After dropping out of the community college, Eddie has a hard time making ends meet on his own.  Though he tries hard to keep out of violence and crime that surrounds him in Fresno and to live honestly and earnestly , his aunt pressures him to avenge the murder of his cousin and he gets tangled in a mess that makes him look like a criminal.   

Additional comments:  This is a heart-breaking and suspenseful story about a young man with pure intentions and strong integrity who is trapped in poverty and where there are limited options available.  Events show how extremely difficult it is to rise above hardships due to lack of legal job opportunities and discrimination.   

Babylon Boyz by Jess Mowry

Mowry, Jess (1997, 1999). Babylon Boyz. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks. 

Summary:  The Babylon Boyz are three best friends in Oakland, California, who are outcasts at high school:  Pook for being gay, Dante for a weak heart in need of an operation, and Wyatt for his obesity.  The boys, who mostly get back without adults, befriend Radji, a homeless kid, and Jinx, who is in rehab for crack.  When they stumble upon a suitcase full of cocaine near the docks, they are divided about what to do.  On one hand, if they sell it, the large sum of money would provide them with choices and opportunities, such as Dante's greatly needed and expensive heart surgery, medical school for Pook, and ultimately a way out of "Babylon" where they feel trapped.  On the other hand, they could flush the coke down the toilet and spare the community from the drug that is destroying them.

Additional comments: A vivid and emotionally gripping portrayal of life for young, intelligent men of color who are marginalized and limited by poverty and racism.  Without parents, they lean on each other for support and love.  The male characters are at times hard-edged and others vulnerable and sensitive and despite arguments, always loyal to each other in the end.

The Color Purple (DVD)

Spielberg, Steven (1985). The Color Purple [Motion picture]. United States: Amblin Entertainment.

Summary:  Set in Georgia at the turn of the 20th century, The Color Purple follows the life of Celie, a 14-year-old black girl at the start of the film.  After bearing two children by her daddy only to have them pried from her arms at birth, Celie's life only gets harder when she is forced to marry and serve an abusive, mean-spirited older widower and his many rotten children.  But, her heart and spirit die when her new husband tries to rape Celie's beloved younger sister, who fights him off, and is physically removed from the house forever.  Celie then succumbs to a despondent life of servitude and speechlessness until she allows herself to be loved by Shug Avery, a spirited, head-strong performer and lover of Celie's husband.    

Additional comments:  Exposes the mistreatment and confinement of women, particularly women of color, who were kept down with no choices and basically no options for independence.  Celie is treated as property, who should be seen, not heard, and must serve "the Mister's" every need and endure beatings wordlessly. A long movie that is bound to bring you to tears at multiple points of the film.  This Steven Spielberg classic features an all-star cast, including Whoopie Goldberg, Danny Glover, and Oprah Winfrey.  

Based on the Pulitzer prize winning novel by Alice Walker.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

Smith, Betty (1943).  A Tree grows in Brooklyn.  New York:  Harper Collins.

Summary: The Nolan family struggles in the slums of Williamsburg, Brooklyn from 1902 until 1919. Francie's father is an alcoholic who has difficulty holding a steady job as a singing waiter, and Katie's mother provides enough food for her family to survive through her job as a scrubwoman.  Francie and her younger brother, Neeley, grow up collecting garbage for small change and believing that education is the key to their future. 

Additional thoughts: Francie's insights and observations about society, school, family, and the ethical values of the people around her are endearing and ring as true today as they undoubtedly did fifty years ago. Female readers will especially connect with the strong Rommely women.