‘I see myself in this’: book clubs as culturally sustaining practice in teacher education

This qualitative case study examined how participation in a cross-cultural book club influenced teacher candidates’ engagement with culturally sustaining pedagogy (CSP). Teacher candidates from different regions of the United States participated in synchronous and asynchronous discussions centred on the multicultural novel, One Crazy Summer. Data included discussion transcripts, written assignments, and researcher journals. Teacher candidates used mirror and window experiences to connect literature to their own lives, consider perspectives different from their own, and reflect on future classroom practice. The findings suggest that multicultural literature alone was insufficient for moving teacher candidates beyond recognition of social inequities towards sustained sociopolitical analysis. Rather, the depth of engagement was shaped by participation structure, cross-cultural dialogue, and opportunities for facilitation and scaffolding. This study highlights the importance of intentionally structured cross-cultural engagement when using multicultural literature within teacher education contexts.