How to read like an anti-fascist : storytelling and narrative literacy for young people / Annette Wannamaker.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wannamaker, Annette, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Anti-fascist movements in literature.

Children--Books and reading.

Children.

Children's literature, American--History and criticism.

Children's literature, American.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (209 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New York : Fordham University Press, 2025.

Summary:

On the urgent need to promote critical reading skills amidst rising authoritarianismChildrens author Philip Pullman famously said that There are some themes, some subjects, too large for adult fiction; they can only be dealt with adequately in a childrens book. While the recent rise of fascist ideology in the United States might seem a subject too large and adult to be dealt with in literature for children or teens, Annette Wannamaker proposes in How to Read Like an Anti-Fascist that there are books aimed at future generations which critique and counter fascist propaganda and mythmaking. Works of literature can reflect fascist ideology and promote it as well, but Wannamaker proposes that some books also offer tools for understanding it. Books written for beginners can introduce readers to complex concepts, break big ideas into manageable parts, and teach readers how to read the world outside of the book. Antifascist books are ones that analyze fascistic rhetoric and storytelling, educate about Americas long history of authoritarianism, and highlight various facets of fascism such as scapegoating others and reasserting patriarchal power. From The Emperors New Clothes and the tales of Superman to Mildred Taylors Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, the 1619 Project and contemporary works such as All Boys Arent Blue and Donald Builds the Wall, Wannamaker shows how the ethos of authoritarianism is characterized by a strict hierarchy that places children at its very bottom. In doing so, she argues convincingly that books written for young people can provide a particular view from the bottom, a perspective well-suited to interrogating systems of power.

Contents:

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Contents

Preface: Fascism, Resistance, and the Confounding Case of harry potter

Introduction: American Neofascism, the Child, and Children's Literature

1. Stories about Stories: Reading Fascistic Rhetoric

2. The Order of Story

3. Fascism Is the Patriarchy

4. From Margin to Center: An(Other) Point of View

Conclusion: The Ends of Story

Acknowledgments

Notes

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

9781531509828

1531509827

OCLC:

1506567787