Power On!
A graphic novel by: Jean J. Ryoo and Jane Margolis
Illustrated by: Charis JB

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! Book Cover

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.

Watch the trailer and order here!The MIT Press

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

Teacher with students pointing at computer monitor

Jane Margolis (she/her) is a UCLA educational researcher and author who has been a longtime advocate for ending inequality and segregation in computer science education, for which she won the 2016 White House Champion of Change award. She is the coauthor of Unlocking the Clubhouse and Stuck in the Shallow End, both published by the MIT Press.

Jean J. Ryoo (she/her) is an avid reader of manga and manhwa, as well as an educational researcher/writer committed to ensuring all students experience meaningful and empowering learning, both in and out of school.

 

Charis JB (she/her) is a story artist, illustrator, and designer based in Los Angeles.

Jane Margolis, Jean Ryoo and Charis JB

Jean J. Ryoo (she/her) is an avid reader of manga and manhwa, as well as an educational researcher/writer committed to ensuring all students experience meaningful and empowering learning, both in and out of school.

 

Charis JB (she/her) is a story artist, illustrator, and designer based in Los Angeles.

Jane Margolis (she/her) is a UCLA educational researcher and author who has been a longtime advocate for ending inequality and segregation in computer science education, for which she won the 2016 White House Champion of Change award. She is the coauthor of Unlocking the Clubhouse and Stuck in the Shallow End, both published by the MIT Press.

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

RESEARCH FUNDED BY:

NSF logo
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation logo
Google

RESEARCH FUNDED BY:

NSF logo
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation logo
Google

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.