What is "Critical Fiction?"

Bell Hooks describes critical fiction as sort of a continually evolving and diverse concept, explaining it as a form of literature that "enriches resistance struggles" and "speaks about the way individuals in repressive, dehumanizing situations use imagination to sustain life and maintain critical awareness." These works go against the grain of what white educators believe literature should traditionally be like, and there are many more of these works of critical fiction that are becoming ever more present in classrooms today. Well, at least, they SHOULD be more common in classrooms.

The first text that came to mind for me upon reading this PDF as an example of critical fiction is The Lesser Blessed by Richard Van Camp. This was a book that I read during my undergrad during a World Indigenous Lit & Film course and I absolutely fell in love with it. This story is told from the perspective of Larry, a member of the Dogrib tribe, as he works through his high-school experience while dealing with the repressed trauma regarding the death of his father. I immediately latched on to this book as I thought the tone was casual and relatable not only to me, but to that of many high-schoolers that may read it.

I absolutely plan on using this book in the classroom not only because it is from an Indigenous author, but because it tackles themes and motifs that other works of fiction may not. One of the main storylines deals with Larry's fallout from his house burning down and his hazy memory of that occurrence, which deals with his father's death and touches on Larry's disassociation from the events that transpired. While the book does not shy away from the potential theme of mental health, it also depicts the high-school experience of a few kids that are growing up on a reservation. This book is short, accessible, and diverse in more ways than one, which is why I think it'd be a great example of critical fiction to teach in a classroom.