Nappy Hair by Carolivia Herron

This is a book written for mid-elementary readers. It is a story written as if a dialogue was going on between the teller (the old uncle of the main character of the story) and the group of people he is telling it to (his and the main character's family). The story he tells is about the girls 'nappy' hair, about how it is the nappiest hair in the world. The main purpose of the story is probably to make black girls and boys feel proud of their hair, the way they talk, their heritage, etc. Although this is a positive mission, parts of the story are considered controversial by some people. For example, there is a page that shows the little girl, who is the main character, giving a speech at school. The text of the story says "She's the only one in her school knows how to talk right. A rose among thorns. Them old hardheads think they can talk English. But this chiletalks the king's English." Although this page is probably intended to bring attention to how some black children are made to feel inferior because of the way they speak English, some would say that the author is practicing reverse racism by calling the presumably white classmates and teachers "thorns" and "hardheads".
Although this book has parts that may make some readers uncomfortable or angry, I would not ban it in my classroom and may even have students read it in order to then have a group discussion about why the book is considered controversial. A controversial book, unless uneccessarily crude, violent, vulgar, etc. provides a good opportunity for class discussions about what makes people uncomfortable or angry and helps students better understand other's perspectives on different issues.