I believe the answer is: read the novel aloud and discuss it with the students who struggle
When readers struggle to read they are very likely to stop reading it and making an opinion that the writing is bad and does not make sense. By making them read in group setting the readers would most likely realize why they do not understand it and it open up opportunities for exchange of opinion and idea among the group.
Segregation of school, funds for education, job opportunities, less legal rights, lack of education, lack of access to a better future etc
The U.S. government uses body mass index to estimate a person's body weight status.