Happy New Year! (I can still say that, especially with the Chinese New Year around the corner.)
"Monday Musings" is a new feature for The Latina Book Club. It will be a place I can share things with you about books, authors, my TBR pile, and other musings that just don't fit on a 140-character tweet. Happy Reading! --mcf
Today is Martin Luther King Junior Day. Americans everywhere are reflecting on MLK's life and his dream for little black boys and girls to hold hands with little white boys and girls. I would like to add to that dream that those little black and white boys and girls also hold hands with little yellow and brown boys and girls too. Here are two of my favorite MLK quotes:
"No person has the right to rain on your dreams."
"We must live together as brothers or perish together as fools."
BEST AWARD SPEECH TO-DATE
Congratulations to Gina Rodriguez. She gave a great speech at the Golden Globes. It's a great way to start the year. Let this be the year when Latinos are viewed as Heroes ... everywhere!
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| Gina Rodriguez as "Jane The Virgin" |
BOOK OF THE MONTH
Do pick up a copy of HUMBLED BY THE JOURNEY by Miguel "Mike" Benito Fernandez. It's two stories in one: a rags to riches story about a Cuban immigrant who literally arrives with nothing and achieves the American Dream; and, a religious pilgrimage through Europe.
2014 BOOKS OF THE YEAR
Check out The Latina Book Club's Books of the Year for 2014. Do add them to your TBR pile.
TBR PILE
And, speaking of To-Be-Read Piles, mine continues to grow. I think the books multiply at night, like rabbits! Here are some new additions in no particular order:
--LIGHTS
OUT: A CUBAN MEMOIR OF BETRAYAL AND SURVIVAL by Dania Nasca
--MY
LAND SINGS by Rudolfo Anaya
--LOCAL
NEWS by Gary Soto
--SHADOWSHAPER
by Daniel Jose Older
--THE
HIDDEN LIGHT OF MEXICO CITY by Carmen Amato
MULTICULTURAL CHILDREN'S BOOK DAY -- JANUARY 27
The Latina Book Club is proud to be one of the Book Reviewers for this event. Check out their blog for complete list of book reviewers and author interviews. #ReadYourWorld
2015 READING CHALLENGE
Here's
a great list of "types" of books to read for this New Year from PopSugar. I have accepted the Reading Challenge and will
concentrate on "diverse" authors and books. I invite you to join me. Here are some examples of the
"types" of books we'll need to read:The Latina Book Club is proud to be one of the Book Reviewers for this event. Check out their blog for complete list of book reviewers and author interviews. #ReadYourWorld
2015 READING CHALLENGE
--A
book set in a different country
--A
book with a color in the title
--A
graphic novel
--A
book with bad reviews
--A
book with nonhuman characters
IN THE NEWS
Civil Rights Struggles Continue in the U.S. For instance, Maya Arce, Korina Lopez and Nicolas Dominguez are high school students suing the State of Arizona, whose House Bill 2281 prohibits Mexican-American studies in Tucson. The fight for Freedom of Speech is everyone's fight no matter your age, race, color, ethnicity, et al.
IN THE NEWS
Civil Rights Struggles Continue in the U.S. For instance, Maya Arce, Korina Lopez and Nicolas Dominguez are high school students suing the State of Arizona, whose House Bill 2281 prohibits Mexican-American studies in Tucson. The fight for Freedom of Speech is everyone's fight no matter your age, race, color, ethnicity, et al.
The
Washington Post named THE BOOK OF UNKNOWN AMERICANS by Cristina Henriquez one
of the Top 50-Fiction Books in 2014.
Congratulations, Cristina!
Southern California Poet Michele Serros passed away on January 5th. Her first book in 1994 was entitled, CHICANA FALSA AND OTHER STORIES OF DEATH, IDENTITY AND OXNARD. Michele was inspired to write by a letter from Judy Blume when she was 11. Most recently, she published two young adult novels: HONEY BLONDE CHICA and !SCANDALOSA!, both of which zeroed in on upper-middle-class Latina life.
Southern California Poet Michele Serros passed away on January 5th. Her first book in 1994 was entitled, CHICANA FALSA AND OTHER STORIES OF DEATH, IDENTITY AND OXNARD. Michele was inspired to write by a letter from Judy Blume when she was 11. Most recently, she published two young adult novels: HONEY BLONDE CHICA and !SCANDALOSA!, both of which zeroed in on upper-middle-class Latina life.
Facebook
founder Mark Zuckerberg has started an online book club, challenging readers to
read one book every two weeks. (This
should be easy!) I wonder how we can get
him to select some Latino novels.
First
there was Ferguson, then Ayotzinapa, then Baga Nigeria, now Paris. As you know, 12 journalists and cartoonists
were killed in Paris at the offices of the newspaper, Charlie Hebdo. Suddenly everyone was "Charlie," and
even world leaders marched in solidarity. My friend and artist Andrea Arroyo said it
best: We are all
Ferguson, we are all Ayotzinapa, we are all Charlie.
Let's ALL dream the dream of peace and maybe "we shall overcome some day!"
Let's ALL dream the dream of peace and maybe "we shall overcome some day!"
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| A Tear for Paris" © Copyright Andrea Arroyo 2015 |
END
QUOTE
I
dream a world where man
no
other will scorn
where
love will bless the earth
and
peace its path adorn--Langston Hughes
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