Tag: Social Justice

Friday, June 5, 2020

Uplifting Black Stories: Fiction Books by Black Authors

This is an illustration by Casey Moses of a few YA fiction books by Black authors.
This is an illustration by Casey Moses (@_thebookcase on Instagram). The order of the books listed below is determined by the illustration, top to bottom, left to right.

Nic Stone (author of Dear Martin, Odd One Out, and Jackpot) urged readers in an Instagram post to read beyond books about racism and “also read books about explicitly black people– especially black kids– just being human. Doing things humans are allowed to do in our imaginations: falling in love, dealing with illness, navigating time travel, questioning other aspects of their identities, saving their country, fighting with their parents.”

In response, Casey Moses (@_thebookcase on Instagram) illustrated a stack of YA fiction books written by Black authors across various genres, including contemporary, romance, fantasy, and LGBTQ stories. These books showcase everyday life, the fantastical, and the brilliant imagination of Black people. I’ve listed below the titles illustrated in the graphic.

I made note of where you can find online copies through OverDrive and Hoopla via the Champaign Public Library and Urbana Free Library. If you need help finding books at your local library or with anything else, don’t hesitate to ask!

Please note: Books that are available as physical copies through the Uni High Library are noted with a call number in case you reference this list once we are able to return to campus.

  • Dear Martin by Nic Stone (Audiobook and eBook on Overdrive)
    • Call # Fiction St722de
  • The Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds (Audiobook on Hoopla and Overdrive) (eBook on Overdrive)
    • Call # Fiction R3355op
  • With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo (Audiobook and eBook on Hoopla and OverDrive)
    • Call # Fiction Ac37wi
  • Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett (Audiobook and eBook on Overdrive)
    • Call # Fiction G1922fu
  • Let Me Hear a Rhyme by Tiffany D. Jackson with lyrics by Malik “Malik-16” Sharif (Audiobook and eBook on Hoopla and OverDrive)

Post by Cynthia

Saturday, May 2, 2020

Ramadan Reads: Books By and About Muslim People

This image is a collage of book covers for the books listed as recommendations for Ramadan Reads.
Book covers are organized in order of the list below, from top to bottom, left to right.

While staying safe at home, you might be looking for books to read, so the library wanted to put together a list of online resources to access books and recommend a few titles. This time around, I wanted to share books by and about Muslim people in honor of Ramadan, which began April 23 and will end May 23.

There is a limited selection of popular titles in audiobook and eBook format through the University, so I’ve had to focus on titles that can be accessed through public libraries. Many public libraries use OverDrive and Hoopla for their online collections. Once checked out, you can read/ listen to the books on a desktop computer, laptop, tablet or e-reader, or even on your phone using the appropriate app! I searched the Champaign Public Library and Urbana Free Library catalogs to round up these titles and I have indicated in paranthesis which format is available and on which app.

Please note: You need a public library card to check out books. 

If you do not have a public library card and/or your local library is not in Champaign or Urbana, please do not hesistate to contact us for help with:

  • Getting an electronic public library card.
  • Navigating the online collections at your library.

Whatever the case is, ask for help and you shall recieve it!

Now without further ado, here is my list of recommended reads.

Please note: Books that are available as physical copies through the Uni High Library are noted with a call number in case you reference this list once we are able to return to campus.

Fiction

  • Down and Across by Arvin Ahmadi – (Audiobook on OverDrive)
    • Call # Fiction Ah519do
  • Girl Gone Viral by Arvin Ahmadi – (eBook on OverDrive)
  • Internment by Samira Ahmed – (Audiobook and Ebook on OverDrive)
    • Call # Fiction Ah52in
  • All American Muslim Girl by Nadine Jolie Courtney (Audiobook on Hoopla & OverDrive) (eBook on OverDrive)
    • Call # Fiction C8359al
  • Exit West by Mohsin Hamid – (Audiobook & Ebook on OverDrive)
    • Call #Fiction H1801ex
  • The Love And Lies Of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan— (Audiobook on Hoopla) (eBook on OverDrive)
  • A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi – (Audiobook on Hoopla & OverDrive) (eBook on OverDrive)
    • Call # Fiction M269ve
  • I Hope You Get This Message by Farah Naz Rishi – (Audiobook on Hoopla) (Ebook on Hoopla & OverDrive)
    • Call # Fiction R493i
  • Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed— (Ebook on OverDrive)
    • Call # Fiction Sa163w
  • Tell Me How You Really Feel by Aminah Mae Safi – (eBook on OverDrive)
    • Call # Fiction Sa178te
  • An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir (Audiobook and eBook on OverDrive)
    • Call # Fiction T13e
  • Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga – (eBook on Hoopla)

Nonfiction

  • We Too Sing America: South Asian, Arab, Muslim, and Sikh Immigrants Shape Our Multiracial Future by Deepa Iyer – (ebook on Hoopla and OverDrive)
    • Call # 305.8009730905 Iy1w
  • We Are Displaced: My Journey and Stories from Refugee Girls Around the World by Malala Yousafzai— (eBook on OverDrive)

Graphic Novels

  • That Can Be Arranged: A Muslim Love Story by Huda Fahmy (Ebook on OverDrive)
  • Muslim Girls Rise: Inspirational Champions Of Our Time by Saira Mir (Audiobook and Movie on Hoopla)
    • Please note: This is a picture book, but I watched the movie version on Hoopla and it was oddly soothing and very informational! ?
  • Ms. Marvel, Vol.1 by G. Willow Wilson – (eComic on Hoopla and OverDrive)
    • Call #GN W6933m1

Post by Cynthia

Friday, May 10, 2019

March: Book 1 by by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin (Co-writer), Nate Powell (Artist)

“Congressman John Lewis (GA-5) is an American icon, one of the key figures of the civil rights movement. His commitment to justice and nonviolence has taken him from an Alabama sharecropper’s farm to the halls of Congress, from a segregated schoolroom to the 1963 March on Washington, and from receiving beatings from state troopers to receiving the Medal of Freedom from the first African-American president.

March is a vivid first-hand account of John Lewis’ lifelong struggle for civil and human rights, meditating in the modern age on the distance traveled since the days of Jim Crow and segregation. Rooted in Lewis’ personal story, it also reflects on the highs and lows of the broader civil rights movement.

Book One spans John Lewis’ youth in rural Alabama, his life-changing meeting with Martin Luther King, Jr., the birth of the Nashville Student Movement, and their battle to tear down segregation through nonviolent lunch counter sit-ins, building to a stunning climax on the steps of City Hall.
Many years ago, John Lewis and other student activists drew inspiration from the 1950s comic book ‘Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story.’ Now, his own comics bring those days to life for a new audience, testifying to a movement whose echoes will be heard for generations.” – Goodreads

This is a must-read graphic novel series. The illustrations are a perfect blend of realism and dreamy artwork. Powell took on the task of depicting Civil Rights giants with such care, consideration, and thoughtfulness. The story is framed by Lewis’s experience at Obama’s first inauguration, an interesting device that reminds the reader who far we’ve come – and yet how far there is still to go.

Call #GN L58m

Review by Vicki