The historical fiction book that I chose is called Encounter written by Jane Yolen and illustrated by David Shannon. This is the story of Christopher Columbus “discovering” the new world, but through the eyes of a young Taino boy. This story shows a perspective of this story that is rarely told. This perspective shows the fear that the Taino people felt and shows the greed of Christopher Columbus.
This story does not have specific details including dates and places, but the information on the jacket sleeve gives a little bit of background information about Christopher Columbus and the Taino people. This perspective seems highly plausible that this was the accurate perspective of many of the Arawak people during this time. Since there isn’t any documentation to reference, based on the stories of Native American people this story seems accurate.
From the Social Justice handout, the Encounter includes elements of raising awareness. This story is rarely told if at all, and the more stories that can show the oppressed groups’ perspective is valuable. Too many stories are from the majority group and the oppressor’s perspective, but this perspective isn’t ever the full story.
In the classroom, this book can be used to bring up the discussion about different perspectives. Many students may have never thought about the perspectives of Native Americans like this before. This book can help to teach students that it is important to always investigate multiple perspectives of a historical event in order to get a full picture.
I agree with your approach to using this book in the classroom. I think this book is a perfect example of different perspectives and it is good for students to be exposed to this and also have a discussion about the meaning and how to respect others perspectives. I also like that you suggested investigating multiple perspectives of a historical event because again, that is such an important quality for young readers to obtain.
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