Emerging Scholars Book Choice

I honestly feel that all of these books would be good choices with the exception of Harry Potter and Twilight, simply because most students have probably already read the book, are are familiar with the story through the movies.
I think Esperanza Rising would be a really good choice since it tells the story of a girl put in a new location and dealing and overcoming her struggles there. I think this could relate to the students experience with the Emerging Scholars Program, as well, as with a college experience. Obviously Esperanza has to move to a new country and is put in a different social class, but the feelings of being lost and not fitting are still relatable.
Also since one of the main themes in Esperanza Rising is hope, I think this book is appropriate. The Emerging Scholars program is targeted at students who do not see college in there future with the hope of allowing them to change their dreams and expectations for the future. This book shows that things will all work out for the best, just like college would prove to be a good consideration, if not choice, for these students.
I think that Esperanza Rising also deals with cultural issues, allowing more students to relate to it. Culture is also a good place that research could come into the lesson.
Finally I feel that no matter the Emerging Scholar students' reading level Esperanza Rising would be a good choice for anyone in high school. It is a pretty simple read, yet has some deeper messages that could easily be discussed.

I think that Briar Rose would be another excellent choice because I feel the book combines English and Research in itself. It would be a great book to combine the subjects if that is how the course is taught.

Mulan

I think that Mulan has been Westernized. While I do not think this is necessarily right, I do think that it helps a wider audience relate to it. On the other hand I think that by introducing a character like Ailin viewers could learn more about a different culture. In the Chinese culture what Mulan and Ailin did was inappropriate which is partly what makes it an interesting story. By Westernizing the story it kind of makes the characters' actions seem less significant. While I understand the motives of making the movie more Western I think it would be better to stick to the traditional story because it would allow for a different perspective to be seen.
I like both the movie Mulan and the book Ties that Bind Ties that Break and think both tell stories of breaking away from their culture. Having to change the story in order to accommodate the audience is unnecessary. I think people would appreciate seeing a traditional Chinese story, rather than a Westernized one.