BUFFALO, NY - Canisius University English Professor Eric Gansworth’s young adult novel Give Me Some Truth was one of 12 best books recently recognized by high school educators, nationwide, for tackling the subject of racial injustice and helping to continue the discussion around racial injustice in school and in life. The list was compiled by PBS NewsHour, which asked teachers from different parts of the country were asked to share their favorite contemporary books that address the ways in which racism affects different marginalized groups in the United States. Gansworth's Give Me Some Truth was recognized for its Native American characters, who are often underrepresented in many high school literature classes.
The novel tells the story of Carson Mastick, a teenager and aspiring musician who struggles with life on and off the Tuscarora Reservation. He is joined by his two friends, Maggi and Lewis, who also grapple with their own small matters such as feeling out of place and being seen as children in a world where their dreams of starting a band and stepping out of the norm require them to be treated as adults.
Gansworth is a Lowery Writer-in-Residence at Canisius University and the author of 10 previous books including Extra Indians, Mending Skins and A Half-Life of Cardio-Pulmonary Function. Give Me Some Truth has been named “Best Book of the Year” by National Public Radio, the Boston Globe, the School Library Journal and the Chicago Public Library.
A resident of Niagara Falls, Gansworth was born and raised on the Tuscarora Reservation in Niagara County, NY.
Canisius University is one of 38 Jesuit universities in the nation and the premier private university in Western New York.
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