Books Inc. is honored to partner with The Woodside School District and San Mateo County Libraries for the WSD Words as Windows Community Book Sereis.
About Words as Windows
As the Woodside community reflects on the events of the past weeks and months, issues of social injustice, police brutality, protest, and race are at the forefront of many of our minds. These are topics that require inward reflection, and many of our community members are seeking sources to help educate themselves and guide their thought processes. Researcher Rudine Sims Bishop states that literature can be seen through a theory of windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors. Readers seek to look through literature into different viewpoints and experiences within the world, to see a reflection of themselves in literature, and to use literature as a passageway into another world. As we seek out sources to better understand our world, the Woodside School Inclusion and Diversity Council (WIDC) is sponsoring Words as Windows, a community-wide literature selection and book club series focusing on equity and social justice. The Woodside Library (part of San Mateo County Libraries) is supporting the event by providing resources such as books, booklists, and more. It is our hope that this book will help guide our community members to process events, reflect, and engage in critical discussions.
We are excited to announce that our first community-read will be Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You (The Remix) by Ibram X. Kendi. This is the young adult version of Dr. Kendi’s critically acclaimed book Stamped from the Beginning. The young adult remix offers a condensed version of the history of slavery in America, and reads in a way that is accessible to pre-teens, teens, and adults alike. It is our hope that our community members, adults and students alike, will participate in this community read and join our discussions. Common Sense Media rates this book for ages 12+, but we encourage all parents who feel their children are ready for these discussions to read along with them. If you are looking for books on similar topics for younger children, please refer to these suggested lists provided by San Mateo County Libraries for Pre-K readers, Elementary readers, and Middle Grade readers.
Discussions about Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You will take place in August via Zoom and will be facilitated by experts in community engagement.
- The discussion for adult readers to join together will take place on August 6th at 6pm.
- The discussion for young adult readers to join together will take place on August 13th at 6pm.
- A final discussion opportunity for community members of all ages to join together will be announced soon.
On behalf of WIDC, we look forward to joining together as a community to increase our collective consciousness. We hope that Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You will help you to facilitate productive discussions about systemic racism, the state of our justice system, and the value of all human lives.
If you are interested in joining our discussions and receiving updates about the community read program, please go to https://bit.ly/wordsaswindows
*A portion of the sales of Stamped: Racism, Anticracism, and You purchased from THIS webpage will go back to The Woodside Inclusion and Diversity Council
