Grenade By Alan Gratz

 

Grenade by Alan Gratz 

Book design by Nina Goffi 

Element 3: Issues of Social Injustice 

Link to teacher review: https://teacherbees.ca/grenade/ 

Summary: Grenade by Alan Gratz is about the invasion and battle of Okinawa during World War II in 1945. This book is interesting as it provides two different perspectives from characters involved in the war: Ray who is a new young American solider and Hideki a native Okinawan that was forcibly drafted by the Japanese Army into the Blood and Iron Student Corps. In telling this story from both perspectives, readers are able to understand the true nature of what war does to humanity. Both soldiers and civilians are forced to undergo extreme suffering and in both sides of this battle each opposing side paints the other as a monsters and having the urgency to fight to defend themselves. On the other hand, readers also see the humanistic side of soldiers when not in battle. The message that this book is revealing throughout the novel is that war turns men into monsters when controlled by fear even if they were doing normal jobs before.

Link to purchase: https://bookshop.org/p/books/grenade-alan-gratz/db03b0433c3c4e15?ean=9781338245691&next=t    

Grenade relates to the element 3 of social justice education "Issues of Social Injustice," by having the focus of the book being on the destructive and indiscriminate consequences of war on civilians. The novel emphasizes how the native Okinawan people are caught in the cross fire between the American and Japanese forces, this further spotlights how larger conflicts can create unforeseen injustices towards indigenous and civilian populations. Additionally this book also focuses on the traumatic experiences of both Ray and Hideki. It linked the historical event of World War II to its direct, personal impacts on individual experiences and the suffering and psychological effects of war.   

My lesson idea for this book would be having my students write a story from a character's perspective from the novel. This lesson would also help students learn how to write in a structure of a letter. This is similar to a letter because it helps them know how to format an email. Furthermore, this activity also helps student understand the viewpoints of war from different sides. I would use this book in a 6th grade social studies class.