Archives for September 2024

Summer is officially over and it’s time to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month! These months give us a chance to highlight voices that sometimes get overshadowed. And poetry is a great way to allow ourselves to enjoy a new perspective. To aide in the enjoyment of this wonderful time, here are some new poetry books to peruse while waiting for the cooler weather.

Diannely Antigua’s latest work Good Monster is an exploration of what happens to the child no one protected grows up. Antigua shares a glimpse into her past during which she suffered at the hands of someone that should have been a protector. Antigua fights her own traumas and chronic illnesses while still seeking those things that make life worth living. Antigua fights through the feelings of betrayal by her stepfather, her mother and her own body to find love and joy in the world. Antigua displays amazing humor and wit throughout the work allowing for the reader to feel a deep connection with her. Her universal desire for companionship is another way in which readers feel a connection with her. Antigua’s voice is strong and at its most powerful when it is at its most vulnerable.

Spencer Williams work Tranz has definitely come to fight. It is fun and funny and often times brutal. Williams takes a deep looks at herself and explores her own triumphs and failings. But Williams is not the only one who needs to do some reflecting. Williams forces a mirror up to not only society but ourselves as individuals. As a trans woman Williams seeks to reconcile her familial relationships with the added knowledge of her identity. She explores her childhood and what it means now after her transition. Williams doesn’t’ just highlight the good aspects of her life but the awful parts as well. Her existence is honest and flawed but still lovely and full of joy. Williams lays herself bare, defiantly and beautifully.

Two great anthologies are also available. Latino Poetry: The Library of America Anthology is an amazing work that spans the gamut of culture that exists under the heading of Latino. The work is expansive, starting with the poems of the seventeenth century and moving forward. The poems reflect their time periods and what their writers faced. It culminates in a wealth of modern poets defining what it means to be American. The other anthology is Here to Stay: Poetry and Prose from the Undocumented Diaspora. Admittedly this work does not just cover those with a Hispanic background but everyone who has been affected by the undocumented status. As such it is still a wonderful resource to explore as it shows how deep and truly complex this issue actually is. This work gives a chance for those who are rendered voiceless by their status a chance to speak up.

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month! And Have a Happy Fall (the season not the action….you know what I mean)!

A personal connection to a book makes it even more interesting to read. A place you have been or a person you have knowledge of may engage you more deeply into the story.

A few years ago, I took a rough four-wheel-drive trip up to Cerro Gordo, after contacting the previous owner to arrange a visit. It was a fascinating private tour to another time and place. “Ghost Town Living: Mining for Purpose and Chasing Dreams at the Edge of Death Valley,” is a captivating read, even if you haven’t been there. Author Brent Underwood (and some investors) purchased the desolate and abandoned silver mining town of Cerro Gordo in 2018 and he moved there in 2020. The location is remote, has no running water, and sits at 8,000 feet in the Inyo Mountains above Death Valley on one side and Owens Lake on the other. He interweaves the history of the area with his struggles and determination to bring the town back to life. Extreme weather, being trapped on the mountain for several days, and a fire that destroyed the beautiful historic hotel were just some of the challenges he has already dealt with. Follow him and his latest adventures on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.

Another book I really enjoyed, having visited Alaska and musher Jeff King’s Husky Homestead, is “Four Thousand Paws: Caring for the Dogs of the Iditarod.” Veterinarian Lee Morgan takes the reader to the very cold locale of Alaska in March to share his experiences as a race volunteer. Since 2012, Morgan has been sharing his expertise, compassion, and perseverance ensuring the health and safety of the elite canine competitors out on the wilderness trails of the Iditarod race. He has some fascinating stories to tell about the dogs, mushers (including Jeff King), joys, and mishaps of being out on remote checkpoints with other veterinarians on the 1,049-mile trail.

Vague memories of a childhood visit to the Mississippi River made reading “The Great River: The Making and Unmaking of the Mississippi,” more interesting. Author Boyce Upholt thoroughly explores the history, culture, environment, ecology, and politics of the river and its extensive watershed. His coverage of almost every aspect of the river, its past and present impacts, and future is almost as expansive as the area and people that are connected to it.

Visit our New Book Section and checkout these books or browse and find something of special interest to you!

Teens, undoubtedly you have noticed a national election is quickly approaching. While elections are always contentious, the recent past has witnessed some of the wildest contests to-date, and with an explosion of unreliable news sources slithering around the Internet and social media, it’s easy for important issues to get muddied. One of those issues is immigration. It confuses me! I didn’t want to be swayed by generalizations rooted in anxiety and fear, so I set out on a mission to inform my opinion using Young Adult (YA) literature as a starting point.

While I didn’t expect these YA books to clarify any complicated policy arguments, I did hope to humanize the issue with stories about human beings, some real and some fictional, that would help me avoid seeing immigrants through a single, threatening lens. Even if you’re not old enough to vote in this election, you’re definitely old enough to think about important things, so I’m sharing my reading list if, like me, you’re interested a fuller perspective.

It all started with Thien Pham’s Young Adult graphic novel memoir “Family Style: Memories of an American from Vietnam.” First of all, it’s a graphic novel, a format that excels at conveying nuance and emotion because, of course, the story isn’t limited to words. Illustrations are so layered and revealing! And graphic novels are so speedy and fun to read! (Ad break for graphic novels over, back to the book.) “Family Style” follows Thien’s experiences as a kid when his family fled Vietnam in the late seventies and landed in a totally new world: Northern California.

Thien’s young life, which swings from traumatic episodes (his boat to the Songkhla Refugee Camp was attacked by pirates!) to moments of exhilarating triumph (the girl he has a crush on enters his family’s video store!), is remembered in the context of food; each chapter is titled with the dish that defines that specific time in his life, from bánh cuốn to steak and potatoes. If you want to satisfy your inner foodie while simultaneously opening your eyes to the whiplashing experience of leaving everything you know behind—or if Thien’s story resonates with you—order up a serving of “Family Style.”

In “Breathe and Count Back from Ten” by Natalia Sylvester, seventeen-year-old Verónica feels like she can’t do anything to satisfy her overprotective, Peruvian-born parents. It doesn’t help that she has hip dysplasia, a medical condition that makes moving around in everyday life painful…except when she’s in the water. When an opportunity arises for her to audition for her dream job performing in her town’s local attraction, Mermaid Cove, she knows her parents will think it’s a waste of time, and worse, a waste of their sacrifices. Nor will they understand Verónica’s budding feelings for her new, cute neighbor (understatement).

Sometimes you arrive at inflection points in your life; points that force you to decide whose dreams you’re going to follow…yours or someone else’s? So many relatable issues bubble to the surface in “Breathe and Count Back from Ten”…check it out if it sounds like something you may be into.

You may also want to add “Americanized: Rebel Without a Green Card” by Sara Saedi and “An Emotion of Great Delight” by Tahereh Mafi to your reading list if you don’t want to stop here. Even though I definitely still don’t know everything there is to know about immigration in the context of politics, I’m glad these stories are now with me to help me resist fear and recognize connection. We hope you’ll come find stories, on any topic, that help you do the same.

In this era of rising costs and increasing financial pressures, public libraries stand as one of the last bastions of free resources and community support. At A.K. Smiley, we recognize the essential role we play in providing a space where everyone, regardless of income or background, can access the tools they need to learn, grow, and thrive. From books and games to special programs and collections, the Library offers a wealth of opportunities to explore new interests, sharpen skills, and connect with others—all without the expectation of spending a dime.

Our commitment to serving our community, particularly underserved groups, has led to the introduction of our newest collection: the Stay Sharp kits from Penworthy. These kits are being added to our collection in response to conversations with local community members about how we can do more for adults with special needs and other vulnerable populations. The result is a set of engaging, thoughtfully curated activity kits designed to improve memory, cognition, and social skills.

The Stay Sharp kits are a reflection of the Library’s mission to provide resources that empower and uplift our patrons. For example, the Cat Kit—one of four kits in this new collection—features a range of cat-themed activities that stimulate the mind while offering a fun and enjoyable experience. It includes a DK Eyewitness Cat book, Cat Bingo, Costumed Cats Memory Game, Animal Snap Card Game, and a Cat’s Whiskers Jigsaw Puzzle. These activities are particularly beneficial for adults with special needs and seniors, including those with Alzheimer’s, as they work to enhance memory, mental speed, and creative thinking.

But these kits are more than just a new addition to our shelves—they represent our ongoing dedication to being a resource for the entire community. Libraries are among the last “third spaces”—places where people can gather, learn, and engage without the need to spend money. Libraries are places where curiosity is the only cost of admission, and where every visitor can find something to inspire, challenge, or comfort them. Whether you’re checking out a book, using our computers, attending a program, or borrowing a Stay Sharp kit, A.K. Smiley Public Library is here to serve you.

Stay Sharp will be available soon to check out or use here at the Library. Keep your eyes peeled for this exciting new collection, and remember that at Smiley, our doors are always open to you.