In a middle school in Oklahoma, a young boy tries to tell his story. His name is Khosrou, but everyone calls him Daniel. His classmates think he’s weird and usually don’t believe a word of what he says. Khosrou’s stories are full of beautiful moments from his family’s past, but also full of pain as […]
Set in mid-19th-century New York City, this musical navigates themes like the American Dream, class relations and othering. After being fired from his job, Phineas is desperate for a new occupation to support his family. But it’s not just about the money; he craves to change the world with his knack for magic and entertainment. […]
The cartoon “The First Illegal Immigrants” by Andy Singer, published in 2013, critically investigates the occupation of America, the forced displacement of native Americans and the exaggerated border controls of the US homeland security. Based on the scenery, three members of the first nations interrogate a family of settlers, arriving from England, asking: “No Greencards? […]
American Pictures is a collection of approximately 22,000 photos revealing racism, segregation, social hierarchies and white supremacy. The powerful pictures of Danish photographer Jacob Holdt were not taken with an artistic intention but rather to capture the hardship and brutal reality of America in the 1970s. Holdt’s work portraits life in ghettos ranging from poverty, homelessness […]
This Gothic short story contrasts inner and outer monstrosity, and, going along with that, also focuses on moral values and the view on what is different. The young student Giovanni moves into an apartment in Padua, with windows that are opening to a beautiful garden. Said garden seems to consist of poisonous flowers and is […]
“I can’t be as my dad or my mum, you know?” This award-winning graphic novel on gender stereotypes, friendship and identity construction follows thirteen-year-old Aster in the magical world of witches and shapeshifters. In this world, boys normally become shapeshifters, and girls grow up as witches, but as a boy, Aster is rather interested in […]
“The first thing you’re going to want to know about me is: Am I a boy, or am I a girl?“ This teenage novel on identity construction, gender fluidity, internet blogging, peer pressure and coming out follows the story of Riley Cavanaugh, a nonbinary teenager, who neither fully identifies as a boy or a girl. […]
This heart-warming picture book on being different, feeling isolated and finally finding friends and acceptance follows a bear who always wanted to be a rabbit. Born as a bear but identifying as a bunny, Bunnybear experiences peer pressure from the other bears, who tell him to stop hopping around and twitching his nose as rabbits […]
“I had been brought up not to think about the Others in terms of where they came from or who they were, to ignore all that—they were just Others.” This dystopian novel tells the story of a world broken by climate change, divided by man. James always knew he would have to become a Defender. […]
This award-winning young adult novel about isolation, identity construction, being different and coming out as transgender, follows 17-year-old J, who lives with his parents in New York and does not identify as a female. To cover his body, J wears long baggy pants, large T-shirts and also keeps his hair short. Experiencing peer pressure at […]
This animated comedy-adventure film navigates stereotypes, friendships and crime. Judy Hopps’ dream is to become the first bunny police officer in the metropolis Zootopia. Her job isn’t quite what she hoped for, but soon enough she’s wrapped up in her first case. While trying to solve a mysterious disappearance, she encounters scam-artist Nick who’s living […]
Two American boys, two very different circumstances. Rashad, a black 16-year-old student, is mistakenly accused of shoplifting in a convenience store. The arrest leads to Rashad being beaten by police officer Paul Galluzo. And although the assault is witnessed by Quinn, who sees Paul as a father-figure, the football player struggles with accepting the brutality […]
This alarming play about homophobia, discrimination and hate crime is based on the brutal murder of the gay University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard on October 6, 1998. Told from many perspectives, which are taken from actual interviews with relatives, friends and neighbours of Matthew Shepard, Thee Laramie Project investigates the case and its aftermath capturing the […]
Fitting in can be hard for anyone. However, in a world of blue bunnies and yellow birds, feeling like you belong is extra tough. One day, the most peculiar green little creature hatches, with a fluffy tail and adorable little wings. Not this, not that… It’s Neither! Feeling out of place among the bunnies and […]
Ben has finally gathered the courage to come out to their parents as nonbinary. But what should be the people who love them most in the world, refuse to accept Ben’s identity. They’re quick to kick Ben out, leaving them lost and alone. They have no choice but to call their estranged sister Hannah and […]
Based on a true story, this novel is set in a 1960s reform school in Florida. 16-year-old Elwood Curtis has always admired Dr. Martin Luther King and plans on enrolling in a local black college. However, an accident leads to Elwood being sent to the “Nickel Academy”, where he meets his fellow inmate Turner. At […]
This coming-of-age autobiography by award-winning author Maya Angelou features a memoir of racism, trauma, identity and hope. The title refers to the first line of the third stanza of Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poem “Sympathy” (1899), which reflected the perspective of a caged bird’s longing for freedom and its wish to escape its prison. As Dunbar’s […]
Here, four of Shakespeare’s most famous plays are rewritten for a younger audience: Twelfth Night, Macbeth, The Tempest, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. They are shorter and told from the perspective of the side characters Malvolio, Banquo, Caliban, and Peaseblossom. I, Shakespeare might be useful if you want to avoid reading the longer originals but […]