Using McCarthy's "All the Pretty Horses" as Culturally Relevant Literature for Hispanic English Language Learners

While Hispanic English Language Learners comprise 7.7% of the total public-school population, adolescent, Hispanic English Language Learners earn significantly lower reading test scores compared to their White and Asian counterparts. Research indicates that a dearth of culturally representative literature for Hispanic students exists and that teachers often fail to assign high-interest literature for their adolescent students. To address the issue, the present article describes how Cormac McCarthy’s "All the Pretty Horses" could offer both an engaging and culturally relevant narrative for adolescent, Hispanic English Language Learners. In addition to explaining the novel's cultural relevance, the article provides several research-proven, instructional activities related to the novel.