This episode includes a discussion of How to Be Normal, as well as reading recommendations including:

• Someone Like Me: An anthology of non-fiction by Autistic writers
• Obernewtyn by Isobelle Carmody 
• Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
• Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta
• The Complete Dramatic Works by Samuel Beckett
• Vikki Wakefield
• How It Feels to Float by Helena Fox
• Living on Hope Street by Demet Divaroren
• When Michael Met Mina by Randa Abdel-Fattah
• Ghost Bird by Lisa Fuller
• The Skin I'm In by Steph Tisdell
• Blood Moon Bride by Demet Divaroren
• Still Life with Tornado by A.S. King
• The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction by Ursula K. Le Guin

Also discussed are:

• The ways in which English teachers give students the frameworks to understand the people they want to be, in terms of critical thinking, feminist thought, anti-racism, etc.
• A defence of young adult novels as serious literature, capable of tackling complex issues like abuse, identity and resilience, in ways that resonate with students.
• The ways personal experiences (queerness, neurodivergence, family dynamics) can inform fiction, and shape more honest, nuanced representation.
• How schools can approach “dark” themes in text studies in way that is supportive, trauma-informed, and empowering.
• Using “normality” as a lens to interrogate social pressures and difference, and embrace diversity.
• How texts foster empathy, open dialogue, and give students language for experiences they may struggle to articulate otherwise.