Why I chose to focus on Jewish-American Literature

My initial choice was to focus on Persons with Disabilities in children's literature, but by the time I was able to sign up it was already rather full. I also wanted to learn more about a literature that I was more unfamiliar with as well as a culture that I have always been interested in knowing more about. I have always wanted to know more about the Jewish religion and culture as it has often been compared to Catholicism, which is the religion I identify with. I have had many Jewish friends and even dated a few Jewish people, but for some reason these experiences still never gave me the full understanding I was looking for. I wanted to know more and I thought that by exploring children's literature, I could get at least one step closer.

Additionally, I was in the Sydney Taylor Award research group, and I thought that by finding those books I would have a starting place to look for quality pieces of Jewish-American literature. This was accurate, however I discovered that it is very hard to find a large collection of books about this culture, even in our local libraries. I also found that it was difficult to find substantive articles relating to Jewish-American children's literature. This encouraged me to look further and in many other places. I now also feel that though the books have received an award, the merit of the book should still be reviewed and not revered simply because it has an award. The award criteria may not stand as the appropriateness of the book to be used in one's classroom.