Fiction texts are powerful since they easily engage students and present a story which students can connect to their own lives.  The disadvantage of fiction is that the stories are not always based on true facts and therefore students might be less receptive to taking a message from the text.  However, a benefit of using fiction texts is that they tend to gel better with a traditional literature curriculum which tends to have a focus on analysis of literary texts for symbolism, metaphors, similies, etc.  The use of symbolism an dother literary devices by the author allows students also, to have a deeper conception of peace since students see peace at various levels in the story.  As with the section on non-fiction we have provided some ideas for how to teach fiction texts in general and then provide a list of some texts, organized into categories, and some ideas for teaching texts within that category, whether they are the texts in the list or others that fit into the same category.  

Literary Elements

When using fictional texts students one of the most important benefits that students can gain is to learn how to analyze a text for literary elements.  Good authors are purposeful in every word they write, even if it is not always noticed by the reader.  Therefore, students studying the literature of peace  should use the skills of liteary analysis to probe deeper into their texts and to glean as much as possible with regards to a message.  Some techniques that are frequently used are class discussions and analytical essays.  In discussions teachers need to think about the level of structure they wish to provide.  Students will need different levels of scaffolding to arrive at connections between the reading and important aspects of peace education.  Therefore, teachers need to determine how guiding their questions will be and how student led they will be.

Essays

An important aspect of literature classes is learning how to write about literature, not simply talk about it.  Writing essays will use many of the same ideas, such as connecting literary devices to overall themes, as the discussions do.  However, in this case the students will be asked to write out those ideas in a well constructed manner.  To create an environment where students work to help each other, students should use peer review processes to look at drafts and peer brainstorming to think of interesting topics for papers.  The writing process should not be a solo one, and rather, the entire class should work together so that each student has the best paper possible.  This is a good example of how teachers can use cooperative learning within a literature course. 

Fiction Suggested Books List (by category)

1. Equality/Justice

          To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.  This novel tells the story of a family impacted by the unfair and unjust trial of an African-American member of their

          community.

           Nuremberg: The Reckoning by William F. Buckley Jr.  This book tells the story of a young man who serves as a translator during the Nuremberg trials.  This

           book provides a story based perspective of these trials that are key to the international peace and justice movement.  

When looking at texts relating to justice, the most important thing that students can do is create their personal defintion of justice as well as a class definition.  In my attempt to find fiction texts that related to justice I came across a plethora of definitions that demonstrate just how diverse the concept of justice truly is.  Some guiding questions for students can be whether or not the law is always related to justice and if it can ever be just to break the law.  In many countries students can discuss whether or not immigrants without documents are just or unjust in breaking the law to enter a country, with the aim of working to support their family.  Students can also talk about whether a Robin Hood type figure (for those who are not familiar with the Robin Hood reference, Robin Hood lived during the Middle Ages in England.  He stole from the king and the king's cronies and redistributed the money to the poor to help them feed their starving families).  Students can also discuss where they see or don't see justice in their own communities or in the international community.  

 2. Repressive Governments

          The Giver by Lois Lowry. Unlike the following books, "The Giver" is typically read in middle schools as it is at an easier reading level than the other texts on

          this list.  The Giver tells the story of Jonas, a 12 year old boy, who lives in a society where the idea of sameness is valued.  He is assigned the job of receiving

          the memories from the time before sameness.  The more memories Jonas receives the more he begins to question the benefits of sameness. 

          1984 b y George Orwell. In 1984, Orwell portrays a society in which all individuality is controlled, including the thoughts of citizens, by government

          maniuplation.  The main character begins to break from this model and joins the resistance against the government, at the risk of his own demise.

          Brave New World  by Aldous Huxley. This novel presents a world society that is peaceful due to the high level of control exercise by the World government. 

          The characters take a trip where they see how others live.  Will this have an impact on how they approach their world?   

          Farenheight 451 by Ray Bradbury. This text portrays a society in which books are considered to represent subversive thinking and therefore it is the job of

          firefighters to burn all books.  However, what will happen when one firefighter steals a book and becomes part of a secret world in which books, as well as

          individuality, are still valued and appreciated?

          The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. This book tells the story of a future society that is based strongly in religious, chevenistic and racist values.  The

          story is told by a handmaid, who works to serve her male master soley for sexual reproductive purposes, and wonders if she has any chance of changing the

          society or escape. 

          In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez. Unlike the other texts in this category, this book tells a story based in historical fact.  Alvarez recounts the

          struggle of the Maribel sisters to overthrow the repressive and violent dictator, Trujillo, who ruled their home nation of the Dominican Republic for 20

          years. 

All of these stories present societies in which individual freedoms are severely limited in order to maintain control and order.  Therefore, a good discussion question for students can be about if actions that limit human rights can ever be justified in the name of security/safety.  Students can also discuss what their particularly society does to repress or to promote freedom of expression and thought.  Students can also talk about what they would do if they lived in such a society.  Would they do what many of the characters in these books did and fight against the society or would they go along with it? 

3. Being Different/Diversity

           Trans-Sister Radioby Chris Bohjalian. This story is set in small-town Vermont (the United States), a location where homogeneity is the norm and diversity is

          rarely experienced.  This book tells the story of a man who confesses to his girlfriend that he feels that he is a woman in a man's body.  He begins to

          undergo surgery to become a woman.  Throughout this process the town is in uproar and cries foul at every possible turn, including attempting to fire the

          girlfriend from her school teacher post.  

          The Buffalo Soldier by Chris Bohajlian. This story is also set in small town Vermont.  In this story a couple takes in a foster child who is an African American

          from the inner city.  He learns, via a friendship with an older woman, about the Buffalo Soldiers (African-American men who fought in the West in the United

          States during the 19th Century) and this knowledge empowers him to succeed.

          Drag King Dreams by Leslie Feinberg. This text tells the story of a transgender person who is murdered by those who are uncomfortable with "different"

          gender identities.  This story is impactful in its success in connecting the struggle of transgeder people to that of anyone else who is considered different by

          the community. This makes it a wonderful text for all students to relate to.  

          Words Without Borders —Words Without Borders is an organization that promotes international exchange via the translation of previously untranslated

          authors.  The project works to spread the works of great authors around the world.  They have various publications of books short stories and poetry.  The

          pieces that they work with can be found at www.wordswithoutborders.org

When talking about diversity and feeling different, students have a lot to share.  All students have experienced how it feels to not feel accepted.  Bringing students attention to how their experiences relate to those of characters in the stories is important.  It is key to make sure that students see each of these stories as one persons story and not a representation of what it means to be transgender or black or latino.  Students should be given the opportunity to share their experiences in a group setting, in a small group setting or simply via journaling, since this can be an incredibly personal activity.  For more thoughts about how to promote multiculturalism, which is a main facet of these texts, in your clsasroom, please see the earlier section on multicultural education. 
 

4. War/Physical Violence

         All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque.  The author, himself a veteran of the German army in World War One, describes both the

          emotional and physical stress associated with fighting in the war as well as the difficulties experienced in readjusting to society. 

          Catch 22 by Joseph Heller.  This novel is a satire set in Europe during World War Two.  The characters are involved in bureaucratic nightmares and situations

          that make little sense, such as passing time with the enemy.  The goal of the novel is to use satire for anti-war purposes. 

           Beloved by Toni Morrison, a female, African-American, Pulitzer and Nobel Prize winning author.  Beloved is the story of Sethe, a former slave, who physically

          escaped slavery but can't escape from her memories of violence she endured .  She is haunted by her baby, who died and is referred to as "Beloved", the

          only word printed on her tombstone.

While these stories tell of different violent experiencies, such as those that come from war versus violence that comes from oppression, they all present the physical, and more integrally, the psychological damage that violence brings.  These books can be an especially important way to look at literary devices since there is such a focus on the internal thought processes.  This allows students to easily connect with the characters.  Students can talk about the causes of violence they see in those texts and if they see any of those precursors in their own society.  Students should also look at how characters responded to violence in their present or their past.  Students should be able to determine healthy ways to respond to violence and non-healthy ways.  Finally, to use liteary elements, students should be able to see how literary techniques used in the story reflect and deepen what the character tells us directly.

5. Inner Peace/Spirituality

          Ishmael: An Adventure of Mind and Spirit by Daniel Quinn.  This book is a conversation between a man and his teacher about a great spiritual

          awakening concerning the man's relationship with the earth.  
 

Texts that pose philosophical questions are excellent fodder for student discussion.  Students can easily make the principles more concrete, since they are likely to be vague in the book, by asking how they apply to what they see in their world and if, based on their experience, they agree or disagree with the various philosophies presented.  Students can also create their own philosophies.  I have seen this activity used for education students who create their own philosophy of education.  However, this idea can easily be changed to fit a different commonality that the students all have or be broadened to be creating a philosophy about life.  This activity can be valuable as it helps students (or people) bring focus to what they do.  Often the frustrating reality of daily life bogs us down and we forget about the bigger picture.  Therefore, this activity can be important in guiding students.  It can also be combined with futures education in that students' philosophies are key in how they choose to spend their time and act in the future.  This can also be a good activity in working on writing, since a personal philosophy will require organization, proper grammar and connections with the literary text(if one is being used).