All Community Read: Six Powerful Titles Made Our List

As we welcome a new school year, we’re embarking on a powerful learning journey with schools across the country during this year’s All Community Read. New to our offering this year is a selection of texts that align with Facing History & Ourselves’ thematic ELA teaching collection on Borders and Belonging. 

Each of our six selected texts is ideal for this year’s theme, speaking to our need for connection and sense of belonging, which takes on particular importance during middle and high school. Whether you choose a single book or a book club format, you and your students will explore how both tangible and intangible borders shape our sense of belonging.

Throughout the year we’ll host a series of related events for educators, students and our broader community. The first of these will be a cost-free educator webinar, Exploring Borders and Belonging in an All Community Read, on December 4th. Educators will leave this webinar with Facing History resources and strategies for engaging students and adults with one or more of our selected books. Secure your spot by registering now. 

We will soon announce a February/March 2025 date for an online conversation with one or more of the authors of our book selections that you and your students can attend right from your classrooms!

Getting Started

Get an intro to this year’s All Community Read and additional tools and tactics to help bring these texts into the classroom with our upcoming webinar, Exploring Borders and Belonging in an All Community Read, on December 4, 2024 (available on-demand thereafter). 

Use our Whole School Read Planning Guide to help you and your colleagues design and implement a whole-school read that centers students’ voices and experiences and builds community around a shared text. Don’t miss the discussion handouts at the end of the guide!

Use our Centering Student Voice and Choice book club guide to learn how to build community and help students make meaningful connection to books they are excited to read.  

Explore our Borders and Belonging collection, including introductory lessons on ‘What is Belonging?’ and ‘How Do Borders Shape Belonging?’  

Check back on our All Community Read page as we will continue to update it with relevant events and resources throughout the course of the school year, including companion guides for each book.