Author Ellen Oh visits Upper

Middle grade and young adult author Ellen Oh talked about her journey as a writer, the importance of representation in literature, and the writing process at the Upper School Between The Pages event in The Schiff Center. Oh is the co-founder of We Need Diverse Books and stressed the need for diverse representation in children’s literature. “Diverse books are for all kids because books teach empathy. Reading about kids with different cultures, backgrounds, and families is how we teach empathy and how we fight hate. By simply putting ourselves in another person’s shoes we can reduce our unconscious biases and significantly improve our real world interactions with people who are different than us,” Oh said. Students asked Oh questions and thanked her for sharing her personal stories about racism and mental health. Copies of her books were for sell, thanks to The Book Shelf, and Oh was available for signings.