The Coconut Monk by Thich Nhat Hanh

The Coconut Monk by Thich Nhat Hanh

I chose this book as one of my controversial books because of some of the heavy content it addresses. It's basically about a man in Vietnam who choses a more peaceful way of life during a time and place where war and violence are happening at an alarming rate. Some of the heavy content and images include images of war and imprisonment and other disturbing content. I actually really liked this book because it promoted peace and not retaliation and revenge, even when The Coconut Monk gets put in jail for attempting to talk to the president about his peaceful demonstrations. He also promotes peaceful lifestyles by demonstrating how the cat and the mouse get along. I could see how this story could potentially lead to some heavy conversations in the classroom regarding events like war and violence. Even if it doesn't lead to an indepth conversation in the classroom; reading a book like this can show cultural relevancy to the students because situations like these happen in the world.