The (Un)Welcome Stranger

Reviews / Votes

"Morgan's consideration of the behavior of the protagonists in six American classics with the goal of assisting readers in 'overcoming ethnocentrism' and 'to enable successful interaction in a multicultural environment,' is a potent reminder that even if stories themselves cannot 'expunge incivility,' they hold an almost uncanny power to allow readers to transcend one's personal worldview and understand how another sees it. Scholars and teachers will be heartened by Morgan's highly topical observations."-Les Standiford, author of Battle for the Big Top, winner of the Florida Books Awards Gold Medal in Non-Fiction "Dr. Morgan has done it again. He has produced a book that provides both a hospitable reading experience and a fresh perspective in potentially transformative ways. ... [He] deftly guides us through the stages of behaviors and attitudes, from denial through acceptance and integration, that show sensitivity (or insensitivity) to difference...[his] analyses provide rich and jargon-free scholarly contextualization while advocating for a socially relevant teaching practice. ... Morgan's book can serve as both a curriculum guide for that kind of teaching and, for many professional and lay readers of literary fiction, a turning point. No wonder Morgan calls this book 'a developmental intervention.' In the current higher educational climate especially, The (Un)Welcome Stranger is intervention very much needed. It contributes to the cultural healing embraced by all of us who believe in the potential of literature to promote empathy and justice."-Diane Allerdyce, Ph.D., Union Institute & University; past president and lifetime member, National Association for Poetry Therapy "Jeff Morgan's The (Un)Welcome Stranger: Intercultural Sensitivity in Six American Novels is a lesson on analyzing the evolution of major literary characters we all know and find fascinating... Morgan has taken these characters and mapped their movements and progression along a track, called the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity, to show their openness and willingness-or lack thereof-to accept others' cultural differences. Here, Morgan takes the temperature of these characters at different intervals of the each of the books, like a nurse charts a patient's progress, so that there's clear evidence of growth at the end. The breaking open of these individuals is so satisfying to read, like a solid crunch into a good apple or the first dig into earth with a sharp spade. I feel like I learned not only about a new form of cultural analysis through this book, but also literary analysis and literary writing. Morgan's voice is clear and compassionate, and it reminds me why we enjoy literature: to learn, to grow, and to become better people."-Emily Jalloul, Editor-in-Chief, Grist.