White Teeth
Zadie Smith (2000)
“A riotously funny, heartbreaking novel about two families, three generations, and the question of whether any of us can ever escape where we came from.”
For Students
Because the question the novel asks — can you ever escape where you came from? — is the question every first-generation and second-generation student is living. White Teeth takes the experience of being between cultures and makes it literature instead of a problem to be solved. It's also funnier than almost any other novel on the AP syllabus, which means you'll actually read it.
For Teachers
Dense enough for analysis at every level but accessible enough to keep students reading. The structural irony of the twin reversal alone can anchor weeks of discussion on determinism, free will, nature versus nurture. The diction analysis — how each character's speech reveals their relationship to identity — is a complete unit in itself. And Smith rewards close reading at the level of the sentence.
Why It Still Matters
Every debate happening now about immigration, identity, integration, and belonging is in this novel — written in 1999. The radicalization of Millat looks different post-9/11 than it did in 2000. The Chalfens' condescending liberalism is identifiable in every progressive institution. The question of whether your roots should be your destiny is exactly the question students are asking about their own lives.