In May of this year, The Nation’s Report Card reported that the average U.S. history score for eighth graders in 2022 was five points lower than the last assessment in 2018. In other words, students don’t know history like they used to.
There are many causes, from forced school closures to the quality of today’s curriculums and teachers. There are also other, less regarded factors that have undoubtedly contributed as well. Namely, as a lifelong reader and almost a decade as a writer, I’ve noticed a glaring deficit in my industry; compared to other genres, there’s not a lot of historical fiction published for teens. Goodreads unofficial list of “The Most Popular Young Adult Books of the Year (So Far)” features only one historical fiction — more romance than historical, as per usual — set in the early 1900s.
Anyone who’s ever read a book that’s made them think, laugh, cry, feel, knows the power of words and the power of stories. We know that communities aren’t only bound by location and meetinghouses but also by the stories we share. Stories as parables. Stories to frame social discussions. Stories to portray heroes and courage and friendship and wisdom to live by. For better or worse, there’s something about books that makes information seem more real and factual. They give authority to arguments. They give space to expand upon and discuss ideas. They allow for conglomerations and variations, argument refutations, and building upon previous works.
There’s not one genre more relevant
