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For our August 19th JEDI Book Club, we will be reading Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations by Mira Jacob.
To register, click here to email Anne Melia, JEDI Book Club organizer.
Anne notes: “I read this several years ago, and found it to be a unique and imaginative way to share difficult conversations. Since then, it has been on my list for us to read in the JEDI Book Club. While the content is poignant and heavy at times, the graphic memoir format is a refreshing departure from other books we have read.”
For our September 16th JEDI Book Club, we will be reading That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning In America by Amanda Jones.
To register, click here to email Anne Melia, JEDI Book Club organizer.
Part memoir, part manifesto, the inspiring story of a Louisiana librarian advocating for inclusivity on the front lines of our vicious culture wars.
One of the things small town librarian Amanda Jones values most about books is how they can affirm a young person’s sense of self. So in 2022, when she caught wind of a local public hearing that would discuss “book content,” she knew what was at stake. Schools and libraries nationwide have been bombarded by demands for books with LGTBQ+ references, discussions of racism, and more to be purged from the shelves.
Our Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Book Club continues its mission to explore transformative literature. For our October 21st JEDI Book Club, we will be reading Toni Morrison’s powerful short story Recitatif.
To register, click here to email Anne Melia, JEDI Book Club organizer (anne@theresilientactivist.org).
Here is the Summary from Goodreads:
A beautiful, arresting short story by Toni Morrison—the only one she ever wrote—about race and the relationships that shape us through life, with an introduction by Zadie Smith.
Twyla and Roberta have known each other since they were eight years old and spent four months together as roommates in the St. Bonaventure shelter. Inseparable at the time, they lose touch as they grow older, only to find each other later at a diner, then at a grocery store, and again at a protest. Seemingly at opposite ends of every problem, and in disagreement each time they meet, the two women still cannot deny the deep bond their shared experience has forged between them.
Our Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Book Club continues its mission to explore transformative literature. For our November 18th JEDI Book Club, we will be reading Our Hidden Conversations: What Americans Really Think About Race and Identity by Michelle Norris.
To register, click here to email Anne Melia, JEDI Book Club organizer (anne@theresilientactivist.org).
Here is the Summary from Goodreads:
Peabody Award–winning journalist Michele Norris offers a transformative dialogue on race and identity in America. She unearthed this through her decade-long work at The Race Card Project.
The prompt seemed simple: Race. Your Story. Six Words. Please Send.
However, the answers have been challenging and complicated. In the twelve years since award-winning journalist Michele Norris first posed that question, over half a million people have submitted their stories. These stories flow into The Race Card Project inbox daily.
The Power of Six Words
The stories are shocking in their depth and candor. They span the full spectrum of race, ethnicity, identity, and class. Even at just six words, the micro-essays can pack quite a punch. Furthermore, they reveal fear, pain, triumph, and sometimes humor. Sample responses include:
- “You’re Pretty for a Black girl.”
- “White privilege, enjoy it, earned it.”
- “Lady, I don’t want your purse.”
- “My ancestors massacred Indians near here.”
- “Urban living has made me racist.”
- “I’m only Asian when it’s convenient.”
Many participants go even further than just six words. They submit backstories and photos. Additionally, they create a collection much like a scrapbook of American candor. This candor is something you rarely get to see.
Our Hidden Conversations is a unique compilation of stories, richly reported essays, and photographs providing a window into America during a tumultuous era. This powerful book offers an honest, if sometimes uncomfortable, conversation about race and identity, permitting us to eavesdrop on deep-seated thoughts, private discussions, and long-submerged memories.
The breadth of this work came as a surprise to Norris. For most of the twelve years she has collected these stories, many were submitted by white respondents. This unexpected panorama provides a rare 360-degree view of how Americans see themselves and one another. Our Hidden Conversations reminds us that even during times of great division, honesty, grace, and a willing ear can provide a bridge toward empathy and maybe even understanding.