The Big List of Global Literature for High School English

In most high schools in America, junior year has been dedicated as the American Literature course. And while that might be the case, I found that MOST of the high school English experience is dedicated to American (meaning, from the United States of America) authors and settings, not just during junior year. I’ve only spent a few years at this level, but what I noticed quickly is that American students generally have a tunnel vision narrative of America.

America is certainly a diverse, conflicted, and important place to understand, but we have a pretty serious blind spot to reckon with: what about the rest of the planet? What’s severely lacking in our curriculums are experiences for students that help them see the US from the outside in, rather than only from the inside out, and, not to mention, the ability to see that the American way of doing things is not the ONLY way. Adding international stories and perspectives into our student’s high school education is vital as they move into a global economy and a world much bigger than the bubbles where they are growing up. Sure, we’re offering novels here and there, and short stories too, but from where I’m standing (myself included!) is intentionality in making sure that our students don’t graduate with single story narratives of the rest of the world. We must combat the ethnocentrism that American schooling perpetuates.

So I started collecting titles. This year, my students will embark on a new unit within their English 3 experience focused on this essential question: How do I find my voice in a global conversation? I wanted books authored by people from countries other than the United States and that take places in settings outside of the US as well. Some of these stories are immigrant experiences and provide contrasts between the US and the protagonist’s home country, but for the most part, the stories take place entirely away from US soil. If you’re looking to change up your curriculum too, check out my free curriculum map template to help you get started.

This list is broken down by country, but that’s just to give us a starting point. This list needs to grow and evolve: I have admittedly not been able to read every single title on the list, so many of my selections were based on reviews and recommendations from others that helped me categorize them and decide if they would be appropriate for the secondary English level. There are a handful of YA novels on this list, but for the most part, I tried to include a balance of text levels for struggling to advanced readers. And, to make things easier for you, I’ve included a free download of a Google Docs (editable!) version of this blog post at the very end! This post is a living, breathing document that will continue to grow. Have a title to add? Share in the comments below!