Students' reading interests
In the following brief interview with two students at South High School, I asked Sparkel and Aquayla to reflect on their reading interests and preferences. Although our conversation was brief, I noticed that Sparkel has a strong interest in mystery/thriller literature, as well as popular culture (e.g., sports, tv). Sparkel seems interested in the potential for escape, or entertainment, afforded by reading literature; many great works of literature offer the novelty that she seems to seek when reading for pleasure. Meanwhile, Aquayla shows a strong interest in actively participating within her community as a volunteer at hospitals, while enjoying reading urban literature that more directly relates to her own cultural experience. Aquayla may benefit greatly from any literature that communicates explanations for why certain social phenomena exist, and how people have attempted to address such issues (e.g., poverty, racial discrimination, a healthcare system that struggles to serve the needs of the public).
Student Interview Transcript
David Gower: So what sorts of interests do you guys have? Or, what do you do when you get home from school?
Sparkel: Basketball, tv, food. I like baking.
Aquayla: I like to play sports, like tennis, and I like to play football. And I like to get involved in the community.
DG: How so?
A: I like doing community work, and volunteering at hospitals and stuff.
DG: That’s great. What subjects do you feel are your strongest subjects, or your weakest subjects in school?
S: My strongest subjects is Math and Science.
A: My strongest are probably Math and Spanish.
DG: Do you guys do any reading in your free time at all?
S: Sometimes.
DG: I mean, something outside of required reading for school.
A: Yeah, sometimes, the book has to be pretty interesting.
DG: What are some examples? Any books you’ve read, or even anything you read that’s online? Something you’re interested in.
S: It has to be, like, a mystery or, like a thriller, for me to be interested.
DG: Do either of you read the newspaper?
[Laughter]
DG: No?
[Heads shaking]
DG: In English class, do you feel like there are certain reading assignments that are more difficult than others?
S: Yes, like Emily Dickinson, her poetry was hard; but Huckleberry Finn wasn’t exactly too hard because it wasn’t something you had to put a lot of thinking into because [the author] already told you what you needed to take from it.
DG: Yeah, like poetry is really tight, filled with meaning.
S: Better, yes, you’ve got to really think about it. So many similes and metaphors.
DG: Do you guys have a lot of books at home that you read just for pleasure.
A: I read a lot of urban books.
DG: As far as urban books, are there any particular writers that you really like, or connect with the most?
A: No, there aren’t any specific writers, really.
DG: And one more question: do you guys ever go to the public library after school hours?
A: Yes.
DG: What sorts of things do you do at the library? What brings you there most of the time?
S: Like on projects. Because the best place to find a source is at the library because they have the archives.
A: And that’s the same with me. I go to research on the computer for articles, and sometimes I go to read. Every once and a while.
DG: Alright, thanks for sitting with me for this interview, guys. I’ll see you in class next week.