Content+Ideas

=Content options= We have discussed a number of options as far as content goes

South Asian Literature ... see the Newham Bookstore suggested titles below African Literature ...see below Middle Eastern Literature...Persepolis, Waltzing with Bashir or other graphic novel choices



African Literature excerpts
One approach would be to use excerpts from various pieces of African literature, which we have gathered in the following course that has been taught by Prof Abdou Gaye along with Scholar Rescue Fund Scholars from various countries in Africa who have been relocated. To see imagery of this connection look at the following powerpoint media type="custom" key="8159232"

Media 1.0-2.0
Another approach would be similar to a collaboration SUNY Ulster did with The European Humanities University (EHU) in Belarus We had many activities to connect the students on topics starting with where they get their news. We went on to read Persepolis, a graphic novel by Marjane Sartrapi and we ended with the students working collaboratively on graphic stories of their own theme in a program called Pixton, an online comicbook creation tool. To see imagery of this connection look at the following powerpoint,

media type="custom" key="8159562"

See the initial Lesson plan on the Globalization 101 websiteor click on the lesson plan as a word doc below @http://www.globalization101.org/teacher/technology

Author events
One option that Eddie Playfair was excited to note, was including the Newham Bookstore He mentioned how well the students received the authors who had presented at New VIC. Robert Vincent and I met with Vivian the manager of the Newham Bookstore and she is very willing and interested in working with us to provide lively authors to come to NewVIC to read from their books and answer questions.

These sessions could be recorded for the students in US or the US students could visit during the time when the author will be at New Vic

[[image:coconut-unlimited.jpg width="73" height="96"]]Coconut Unlimited
One title Vivian suggested was "Coconut Unlimited" about a young student turned rapper who lives in a poor area an attends school in a wealthy community, hence bashing from all sides. @http://nikeshshukla.wordpress.com/coconut-unlimited/

Product Description
Shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award 2010. It's Harrow in the 1990s, and Amit, Anand and Nishant are stuck. Their peers think they're a bunch of try-hard 'darkies', acting street and pretending to be cool, while their community thinks they're rich toffs, a long way from the 'real' Asians in Southall. So, to keep it real, they form legendary hip-hop band 'Coconut Unlimited'. Pity they can't rap. From struggling to find records in the suburbs and rehearsing on rubbish equipment, to evading the clutches of disapproving parents and real life drug-dealing gangsters, Coconut Unlimited documents every teenage boy's dream and the motivations behind it: being in a band to look pretty cool - oh, and get girls...

About the Author
Nikesh Shukla is a London-based author, filmmaker and poet. His writing has featured on BBC2, BBC Radio 1 and 4, and BBC Asian Network. He has performed at Royal Festival Hall, Book Club Boutique, Soho Theatre, The Big Chill, Rise Festival and Glastonbury. He is currently working on a sitcom for Channel 4.



Ours are the Streets
A second title Vivian suggested was "Ours are the Streets" by Sunjeev Sahota

Review
'A compelling tale of a young man's shift from ordinary British tennager to Muslim Radical' --Bookseller

'[I was} Very impressed by it... remarkably good almost too good... linguistically extremely alive... it reminded my of Clockwork Orange' --Radio 4's Kevin Jackson

'A controversial book that takes us inside the mind of an ordinary man who decides his vocation is to become a jihad martyr... Imtiaz is vulnerable, angry, funny... the details of his life are entirely believable' --Marie Claire

'In impressive debuts of the year... Sunjeev Sahota... audaciously attempts to make us feel sympathy for a suicide bomber' --Observer - 'The Year Ahead'

'An eye-opening and, at times, uncomfortable read. Sahota's debut is engaging and thought-provoking, making it a good bet for the book club.' --Image Magazine

'Gripping...a pacey, unsettlingly sympathetic tale...a solid psychological thriller.' --Metro

Product Description
Imtiaz Raina, born in Sheffield, young father, young husband, son of loving parents, has decided to die. He has convinced himself that he believes in his cause. And before he leaves home for a final time, he wants to be sure his family understand why. So he decides to write for them, to leave his journey behind.

Raw, funny, tender, furious, vulnerable, selfish, desperate, proud: this is his story.

From the grey hills of Sheffield to the mountainous border of Afghanistan, it's a story about a longing for acceptance that becomes so extreme he will stop at nothing. It's a story about grief, about belonging, about being lost. It's the story behind the news story. A story for our times.