A graphic novel by: Jean J. Ryoo and Jane Margolis
Four friends take a stand about the education they need, while learning how technology can be used for social good instead of harm.
Named one of “Favorite New Books of 2022 for Young Adults”
– Social Justice Books
“Make sure to share it with a young person in your life.”
– Melinda French Gates
Power On! (MIT Press, April 2022) is an original graphic novel inspired by young people whose views deserve to be heard – yet who too often find that the technology they use each and every day promotes practices that keep them marginalized without a seat at the table.
This book follows the lives and experiences of four high school students from diverse backgrounds as they confront the harm technology has done in their own community. We follow them as they awaken to how technology can perpetuate racism and inequality and gradually understand that those who run the Big Tech companies of Silicon Valley create technologies that do not reflect the voices and perspectives of themselves: women, people of color, LGBTQ+, and immigrant communities. In response, the four friends seek out computing experiences that are both personally and politically empowering, and decide to use what they’ve learned to take a stand for all students to learn computer science.
Informed by decades of educational research and young reader feedback about learning computing, Power On! brings to life the ethical complexities of technology and why young readers need the knowledge to be critical creators of technology, not merely users who are shaped and controlled by it.
EDUCATOR RESOURCES
The Power On! Facilitator Guide is a free resource with discussion questions and curated activities created in collaboration with Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) Equity Fellows.
MORE RESOURCES
- A list of footnotes and resources described in the book.
- Additional resources (curriculum, video, articles, etc.) related to topics addressed in Power On!
- Sample Power On! lesson plan by Kristi Jones, high school CS teacher and NYC Department of Education CS4ALL Ingenuity Team member, part of CS4AllNYC’s Exploring Equity in CS Program
PRESS AND MEDIA COVERAGE
-
Los Angeles Times: Letters to the Editor: Racist facial recognition — who’s writing the code?
-
Teachers College, Columbia University: Power On! Book Review
-
Harvard Ed Magazine: Graphic novel explores why there are so few women and people of color in computer science
-
Connected Learning Alliance: Why CS Education Can No Longer Pretend to be “Neutral”
-
EdSurge podcast: Scholars Create Graphic Novel to Spur Discussion of Inequity in Computer Science
-
Boston Globe: Graphic Novel Tackles AI
-
Engineering and Technology Magazine: Book Review: Power On!
-
한국일보 The Korea Times: 한인 2세 그래픽 소설 ‘파워 온!’ 발간
-
UCLA School of Education and Information Studies: Jean Ryoo Delivers Jan Hawkins Lecture at AERA
-
CSforCA Blog: CS Spotlight: Jean Ryoo and Jane Margolis, Power On! Authors
-
Equitable Futures: Centering Youth Voices: Power On! Case Study
See our Press Release and Media Kit for more information.
CONTACT US
Join our mailing list to access the book as soon as it comes out, find out about free giveaways, and learn more about our educational resources.
Send questions and press inquiries to poweronbook@gmail.com
Any opinions, findings, conclusions and/or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of our funders.