View and Voices: Writers of English Around the World

Will a father pass even a slender thread of his culture onto his young son? Will her newborn girl be accepted? Compelling, bold, and heart-rending, this collection of fourteen stories is a vibrant testament to the richness of global literature written by authors whose first language is English, but whose first culture is not. Drawn from various continents, each story in its original English form intellectually and emotionally explores life while simultaneously expanding learners' knowledge of the English language. The units open with pertinent pre-reading questions, unique library/Internet activities, and a short introduction to the author and theme. This is followed by the text of the reading, with difficult vocabulary defined in the margins. Further activities explore each story through Internet sites, journal writing, a focus on different styles and usage of English, discussion questions, and follow-up projects. The fourteen "views and voices" are divided into three sections: Part One, Family, centers on how individuals observe and define their parents and extended family; Part Two, Into Adulthood, addresses pivotal moments in growing up, from culture shock and homesickness to marriage and the search for identity; and Part Three, Culture Clash, recognizes the thorny problems which can characterize the meeting of cultures. Whether it be through the famous literary voices of Jamaica Kinkaid, Chinua Achebe, and Chita Banerjee Divakaruni or the less-known but equally powerful voices of Bessie Head and Buchi Emecheta, these stories provide a solid affirmation to ESL/EFL learners that the growth of English can and will be a positive force to sharing other languages and cultures.