Jennifer Downey

National Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15 to October 15. It is a celebration of the histories, cultures, and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.

We invite you to visit Smiley Library and check out our wide selection of both fiction and nonfiction books celebrating the richness of Hispanic heritage. Here are a few of our favorites.

Quiara Alegría Hudes’ new memoir, My Broken Language, tells her story of growing up with a white atheist father and Lukumí practicing Puerto Rican mother in West Philadelphia. “Qui Qui” grew up fascinated by her mother’s extended family, but confused about where she fit in. The family would alternate between speaking English and Spanish depending on whether her father was at home, resulting in Hude’s titular “broken language.” Hudes describes her lifelong obsession with language and music, which culminated with her attending Yale and Brown Universities and becoming a renowned playwright. This book is a joyous and thoughtful examination of identity, belonging, and community.

Gordo, a collection of short stories by Jaime Cortez, takes us into the world of a teenage son of migrant workers in California’s Central Valley during the 1970s. In each story, Gordo navigates between his two worlds – middle school and the fields. Along the way, he wrestles with bullying, body issues, and homophobia. Gordo is whip-smart and kind, but also painfully aware that he doesn’t meet the cultural expectations of Mexican-American men, much to the disdain of his father and classmates. The stories in this coming-of-age tale run the gamut from sweetly funny to heartbreaking. Gordo is a character who will touch your heart and stay on your mind long after closing the book.

Horizontal Vertigo: A City Called Mexico, written by Juan Villoro and translated by Alfred J. MacAdam, explores the vast history of Mexico City, where Villoro was born and raised. His essays combine history, personal memories, and observations about the sprawling shape of the city, which was built horizontally because of the earthquakes that have racked the area through the ages. Throughout its complex history, Mexico City has earned its reputation as both a dangerous landscape and a thriving metropolis. Villoro expertly takes the reader through the city with a personal touch. If you enjoy reading about travel and history, you’ll be sure to enjoy this one.

Fans of magical realism will enjoy The President and the Frog by Carolina De Robertis. This novel tells the story of the aging former president of a Latin American country (the actual country is not revealed) who is interviewed by a reporter about his history of leading his country out of violence and into peacefulness. Once a tyrannical guerrilla fighter, the former president reveals that he discovered the path to peaceful leadership while in solitary confinement as a political prisoner with only a boisterous, talkative frog for company. Perhaps this talking frog was real and perhaps he wasn’t, but it doesn’t actually matter, as the president credits him with teaching him the way out of darkness. De Robertis’ lyrical prose, deep with symbolism that rings true in these troubled times, is sure to captivate you.

All these books and more can be found in the new book section. We also have many books in Spanish in our world languages collection. Come on by and take a look!

For more of our books, new and older, examining Hispanic heritage themes, please see our National Hispanic Heritage Month reading list.

Did you know that your A.K. Smiley Library card gives you access to databases, magazines, streaming movies, newspapers, and much more? Just go to our website, www.akspl.org, and click on eLibrary to get started.

We’re excited to announce that we recently added a new database: Black Life in America, presented by NewsBank. This learning resource breaks down various eras of African-American history from 1704 to today. Source material comes from over 19,000 global news sources. The database is updated regularly as new news stories unfold. This is a helpful resource for students, teachers, and anyone interested in learning about Black history and culture.

Job searchers and students can benefit from Brainfuse JobNow. This all-in-one resource takes you through all the steps of job-searching, from writing a dazzling resume to acing an interview. JobNow can match you with a tutor for live help with job coaching and resume preparation. You’ll also find help with applying for unemployment benefits and finding local job-searching resources. This resource also features practice tests including the GED, SAT, ASVAB, U.S. citizenship, and much more.

Also be sure to check out Kanopy for streaming movies and learning courses. Our latest Kanopy staff pick is “Kedi: The Cats of an Ancient City.” This award-winning documentary offers a glimpse into the lives of the thousands of cats who live in Istanbul. The felines navigate the city, interact with people and each other, manipulate deli workers into sharing a few slices of meat, and go about their daily lives in one of the most fascinating cities in the world. Armchair travelers and cat lovers will love this cat’s-eye look at life in the big city.

All this and more is free with your A.K. Smiley membership. Log on and see where we can take you!

Your A.K. Smiley Public Library card allows you to bring home more than just books. You can also check out a piece of Redlands culture and help support local artists. A.K. Smiley Public Library’s collection of local art features a variety of pieces by local artists from two Redlands Art Association exhibitions, many depicting scenes of Redlands. Pieces may be checked out for six weeks, with a limit of two pieces per checkout.

This unique circulating collection was made possible through a collaboration between A.K. Smiley Library and Redlands Art Association. The pieces are available in a variety of sizes and styles. There’s something for everyone. This collection is a fun way to discover local artists and experiment with different art types without spending a dime. If you discover a piece you especially like, chances are you can find more by the same artist, as well as other treasures at the Redlands Art Association Gallery, located in the heart of Downtown Redlands, at 215 E. State Street, Redlands, CA 92373.

Come on over and find your inspiration!
Pictured: Four of the many works of art available for checkout at A.K. Smiley Public Library.

“Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another’s skin, another’s voice, another’s soul.” – Joyce Carol Oates

While 2020 may not have been a banner year for many of us, it did introduce some standout, prizewinning literary fiction. Read on to discover what might just be your new favorite novel.

“Luster” by Raven Leilani won not just one, but two prestigious 2020 prizes: the Kirkus Prize and the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize. The protagonist of this unique coming-of-age novel is Edie, a Black woman in her early twenties searching for connection, art, and meaning. A series of bad decisions leads Edie, unemployed and isolated, into a romantic relationship with an older man – as well as a tenuous, complicated friendship with his wife and their 12 year old daughter. As Edie sinks deeper into a life of dependence, she slowly comes to terms with the meaning behind her obsessions.

“Hamnet: a Novel of the Plague” by Maggie O’Farrell won the 2020 Women’s Prize for Fiction. This historical fiction novel delves into the life and death of William Shakespeare’s young son, who succumbed to the bubonic plague in 1596 at age 11. While the bard is largely absent in this story, Shakespeare’s grieving wife, their surviving children, and their daily life in Stratford are described in lyrical, visually haunting detail. “Hamnet” is sure to stay on your mind long after putting it down.

“The Discomfort of Evening” by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld, translated from the original Dutch by Michele Hutchison, was the winner of the 2020 Man Booker International Prize. Rijneveld, who is a poet as well as a writer of fiction, describes the life of a farming family in the Netherlands in jarring, disturbing detail. The story is told from the point of view of ten-year-old Jas, an anxious child whose thoughts tend to drift toward the grotesque. The brutal realities of farm life combine with a stark examination of an unhappy family on a seemingly unstoppable downward spiral. While this is not what one would call a feel-good read (in fact, a trigger warning seems necessary – read at your own risk and be prepared to cringe), it is eloquently written and strangely lovely.

These and many other works of literary fiction are available at A. K. Smiley Library. We are open to the public again, so drop by to browse during our open hours, or make use of our popular Books to Go program.

Although we were sorry to have to close our doors to the public once again to help slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus, Smiley Library still has plenty to offer thanks to our electronic library and curbside Books to Go service. We also want you to know that we are taking every precaution when it comes to your health and safety.

Using Books to Go is simple and safe. Just place your holds from the Library’s catalog either online at www.akspl.org, via email at circ@akspl.org, or call us at (909) 798-7565. Once we get your requests, we’ll gather them up and give you a call to schedule a pick-up time. When you arrive, ring the doorbell and one of our friendly employees will bring your books outside and place them on the table by the Vine Street entrance. Please remember to wear a face covering and maintain a six-foot distance when collecting your materials.

When you’re ready to return your items, they can be placed in the book return boxes outside the library. We empty the book drops several times a day, and everything goes directly into a four-day sanitization process.

One of the questions we get asked most often is “How can books be sanitized?” After all, we can’t dunk them into a bucket of boiling water and hang them in the sun to dry. We’ve done our research and learned that a combination of cleaning, sanitizing, and quarantining is the best way to go. Every time we collect items from the book drops, the covers are sprayed and wiped down with a hospital-grade disinfectant. They then go into plastic bags and get a blast of Lysol spray before being sealed up for two days.

After two days, we open the bags and set the books upright on sterile tables in a closed room with the pages fanned out, where they remain for another two days. Finally, they get wiped down to remove any residue from the disinfectant. It’s a laborious process, but we’re committed to doing what we can to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

We encourage you to make use of Books to Go, and also to check out our eLibrary at www.akspl.org/elibrary/. Here, you will find downloadable eBooks and audio books, access to popular magazines, the New York Times Online, the Redlands Daily Facts, streaming movies, resources to help with job searching, databases for students’ projects, and much more – all from the comfort and safety of your own home. Just make sure to have your library card barcode number on hand.

All of us at Smiley wish you a happy and healthy 2021. These are difficult times, but we’ll get through this together as a community.

Jennifer Downey

Principal Librarian, Adult Services