The Eurocentric and patriarchal curriculum in typical American schools can alienate some students. Research suggests that using culturally relevant literature with alienated students may cause them to become more engaged in English Language Arts classes. This practitioner inquiry case study, set in Southwest Florida, examined the responses of six disengaged, Haitian American students in a tenth-grade English/ Intensive Reading class to the intentional use of a culturally relevant novel, "The Dew Breaker" by Edwidge Danticat. Disengaged students were identified during the first quarter of the 2015-2016 school year with a pre-determined set of criteria. The students' engagement with the novel was assessed using data from classroom observations, individual interviews, and analysis of their written work. The data indicated that all participants appreciated the authentic use of Creole words and phrases and connected in a variety of ways to the text. Most participants rated "The Dew Breaker" highly on a scale of 1-10, responded to the novel with pride, felt more interested in class while reading the novel, demonstrated increased engagement, and discussed aspects of the novel with their parents. Additionally, most participants demonstrated no increases in achievement on assessments related to the novel as compared to achievement in the previous grading period. Some participants felt that the overall portrayal of Haitians in the novel was positive, while others felt it was negative. Some also appreciated the atypical structure of the text. One participant remained mostly disengaged, expressed confusion about the text structure, and indicated an inability to connect with the novel due to little background knowledge of Haitian history. The results of this study emphasize the importance of utilizing culturally relevant text, especially as a means to engage students who are disengaged from the typical Eurocentric patriarchal curriculum. Although culturally relevant text had little impact on students' short-term achievement, the findings have a variety of implications for how to incorporate culturally relevant text effectively with disengaged students. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]