As the United States proceeded to develop throughout the nineteenth century, the literature from this time period displayed an increasing diversity. Although the collection of writers and their stories from this period exhibited a conflicting nature American life, it was also considered a positive change for American literature to include them in it’s literary canon. 19th authors like Emma Lazarus, and Zitkala-Sa(Red Bird) aka AKA Gertrude Simmons Bonnindeviated off into different realms of writing styles and themes, and people for the first time were reading about experiences that depicted harsh the treatment of Native Americans and the immigrant experience from other regions, cultures, and American viewpoints. This presentation examines how the issues facing minority groups in the nineteenth century are still with us today. A great example of a contemporary novel that features these specific qualities such as characters or plots that are parallel is Thanhha Lai’s Inside Out and Back Again.
