The XO Interview: Sari Beth Rosenberg

The power of learning about history

It’s still women’s history month, which always gets me thinking about historical fiction and romance novels because I think it’s in the primary the place most people learn about women’s history at all let alone a history that highlights how accomplished, adventurous and audacious women in history have been. Every time I encounter a fellow historical reader I ask what they love about it and the answer is always “learning.”

I write about this extensively in my essay The Truth About Historical Accuracy: The Subversive Work of Historical Fiction which you can read in the updated version of Dangerous Books For Girls: The Bad Reputation of Romance Novels, Explained. It’s also available for paid subscribers here.

I think there is a bridge to be built between historical fiction and historical romance readers and those who advocate for teaching a comprehensive history in America’s public schools. So this month’s XO interview is with Sari Beth Rosenberg, who teaches high school history in NYC and is the host of PBS Newshour Classroom. We met when she invited me to talk about romance novels with her after school club, the Feminist Eagles (and I’m still thinking about the question one student asked: can a romance novel end with the heroine happy on her own? Yes, I’ll be writing about that one day). And I’ve been following her on Twitter and Substack to get take as an educator on the book bans and attempts to censor the curriculum.

XO: You teach history in a public high school in NYC. I’ve met some of your students when I came to your after school club to talk about feminism and romance novels—the kids are so bright and engaged! What do they want to know about history? What aspects or topics really spark and resonate with them? 

Sari Beth: My students are always especially interested in learning about historical events that they can relate to present-day and every year the lessons on the 1950s 1960s Civil Rights movement are always the most compelling to my students. They also appreciate learning an honest history of the United States and not a whitewashed one. 

A lot of readers I met love historical fiction and historical romance because it teaches them something (and it’s such a fun way to learn). Why is it important that we all learn about history? Even, or especially, those of us who wouldn’t seek it out on own? 

History rhymes. Therefore, it is crucial that we all learn about history so we can both learn from the mistakes of the past and also find inspiration in the more positive developments. Also, understanding history helps us better understand the current political, economic and cultural climate. It is a helpful reminder that there have always been particularly challenging moments in our history and it is inspiring to learn about those who found ways to lead people into a better situation.  It is important to emphasize human agency when learning about history: the power of individuals to bring about change in society. Those stories are both engaging and empowering for people who are overwhelmed by learning about history. 

Right now, Republicans are leading crusades against teaching a full, honest American history. Bowing to their pressure, the college board made changes to their AP African American Studies course. Other state legislatures, like Texas, have been trying to curtail what history can be taught in school. Why do you think they are attacking history? What’s so dangerous about history? 

This is both a combination of major efforts to defund public education in America. Additionally, this is a backlash to efforts to create a stronger multiracial democracy in America as well as a push from Christo-Fascist forces that only want to promote a history of America steeped in white supremacy. 

I wrote about this in a recent Substack:

These battles over what is taught in America’s public schools is not a new phenomenon. For example, after the Civil War, various groups attempted to push a white supremacist version of the causes of the war as well as the Reconstruction Period after the war. In the 1920s and 1930s, there was a backlash to textbooks adding the progressive historian Charles Beard’s argument that the founders were not just motivated to fight for independence from Great Britain for idealistic Enlightenment principles but also for economic motives. Probably one of the most famous examples of the clash over what is taught in schools is the 1925 Scopes Trial when John Scopes, a teacher in Dayton, Tennessee, was charged with violating a state law against teaching evolution.

Historian Jill Lepore wrote an excellent article in March 2022 for the New Yorker, “Why The School Wars Still Rage,” connecting the anti-evolution movement with the current anti-CRT movement.

Historical fiction and romance has been excellent at including fascinating historical women and we’re working on a more representative and inclusive portrayal of history—the facts are there to support it, and now we’re learning to look for it and include it in an authentic way. That change has been driven by readers and authors. How can we get more representation for women’s history and marginalized groups in public school curriculum? How can we support teachers in this endeavor? 

Unfortunately, we are living during a time when books that achieve these goals of representation for women’s history and marginalized groups are getting banned from public schools.  According to PEN America “From July 2021 to June 2022, PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans lists 2,532 instances of individual books being banned, affecting 1,648 unique book titles. The 1,648 titles are by 1,261 different authors, 290 illustrators, and 18 translators, impacting the literary, scholarly, and creative work of 1,553 people altogether.”

That being said, a lot of these bans come from decisions made by school boards and right wing parent groups. Parents who are against book bans need to get involved in these groups to counter the efforts of groups like Moms for Liberty

What are some of your favorite books for teaching history—fiction or nonfiction? 

I prefer nonfiction books when it comes to history (I know that is probably surprising since I am a history teacher!) Two favorite books recently are: Caste by Isabel Wilkerson and The Republic For Which It Stands by Richard White and I always include excerpts from Racecraft: The Soul of Inequality in American Life by Karen Fields and Barbara Fields. I could go on and on with the books recs but I will stop there! :)