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"Safe and Social at Home--with Books",,"As a librarian, I am always reading, usually two to three books per week. During this time of social distancing and online learning, I have more time for reading at home and am gravitating toward longer Young Adult novels and more non-fiction. Encountering characters from a story and reading about historical events are social activities for me. Whereas others might complain about being socially isolated, I find myself socially connected to the stories, historical figures and events, and concepts I am reading about in the pages of books.",,,,"Spring 2020","Scot Smith, 55, School librarian",,,,,,safe-and-social-at-home-with-books,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,"Andy Mink","Books & Reading,Children's Librarians,Children's Literature,Librarians,Young Adult Literature",https://humanitiesmoments.org/files/original/376/Books_Outside.JPG,Text,,1,0
"The Courage that You Gave Me ",,"The day that I recited an Angie Thomas poem at the St. Petersburg College’s auditorium was my humanities moment since this author is an inspiration for me. First, it was hard to speak and be there in front of so many classmates and professors because I am shy, so I hate to do presentations. Despite my insecurities, I participated in the open mic since everyone deserved to know this beautiful poem “A right to happiness.”
Angie Thomas is a Black American writer who wrote The Hate U Give, a book that tackles all the oppression and injustice that black people suffer from police violence. Since I read this book, I follow every work of Angie Thomas such as books, poems, and more. For that reason, I know this poem could motive myself to do infinite things and never keep silent.
This is a brief part of the poem, “Well, I am not one of those,
who will bow down to their woes.
I will stand up and fight,
fight for what I think I have the right…. Happiness….” This poem reminds me that no matter what, I need to make heard my voice, and be my own hero because no one else can save me.
",,"Angie Thomas's poem ""A right to happiness""",,2019,"I am Geraldine Galindo, I am 28 years old, and I am student at the St. Peterburg College",,,,,,courage-you-gave-me,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,"At my humanities class ","African American Literature,African American Women Authors,Poetry,Public Speaking,Thomas, Angie,Young Adult Literature",https://humanitiesmoments.org/files/original/365/20170704_141527.jpg,Text,,1,0
"First Archival Visit",,"I hope I am not the only person who struggled to narrow their moment to a single episode. I am grateful for the prompt, though; in a summer full of dissertation writing and classroom prep, this prompt provided me an opportunity to appreciate how many times daily I interact with a humanities scholar or a piece of art, music, or literature.
Certainly a moment that stands out among the rest happened when I was twelve years old. It was the summer of 2002 and I was home with my Mom and my younger sister. We lived in a rural part of southern Ohio and we were between visits to Winters Public Library so naturally I was bored out of my mind—the kind of boredom I find myself longing for now. I am certain that I spent the morning begging my Mom to take me to the public library again—though I know that we had already been that week.
My Mom knew better, of course. As a consequence, I found myself re-reading a YA historical fiction book I had devoured the previous week. During this latest re-read, I must have focused on the latter half of the book because I remember reading the source page. And, that must have been when I saw it: the author had cited primary sources, a journal, from the Greene County Historical Society—that was in Xenia! That was within an hour’s drive!
I do not remember what I said to my mother to convince her to go. I would like to think I was persuasive but I imagine I was just loud and persistent. We took her 1992 Subaru Justy—already ten years old.
It would take me years to realize that her choice to take me to the archive that day was a risk and that it meant a sacrifice. We were, as I would learn later, one car repair away from “serious trouble” and this car was not in great shape. When she turned the key in the ignition, there was a sigh of relief: it had just enough gas to get us there and back. We only had one income at the time. I don’t remember the drive to the archive but I remember nearly every second of the visit once we stepped inside. I remember climbing the steps to the third floor and the warm smile on the librarian’s face who showed me how to fill out a call slip. She made me feel so welcome in that space, like I belonged there. And, like every good librarian wore a fantastic sweater, an orange cardigan to be exact.
I also remember how my heart raced as I watched her disappear behind the shelves. I also distinctly remember imaging what the diary would look like and being surprised when the contents arrived in a manila folder. I stayed until closing and my mother waited patiently on the first floor for at least three hours, looking up obituaries in the microfilm collection.
I think this moment stands out for two reasons: History seemed possible, it seemed comprehensible in that moment. It also stands out because over time and with coursework, I would come to understand how the book that brought me to the archive had flattened Ohio’s complex nineteenth century history—it had reduced this story to one of virtuous settlers and villainous Shawnee warriors. With coursework in history, English, and library and information science, I learned the vocabulary necessary to critique that book and how to find better books, better sources, and to tell more complete stories.",,"An Archival Trip",,"Summer 2002","Mary Wise, PhD Candidate in History at the University of Iowa",,,,,,first-archival-visit,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,"National Humanities Center Graduate Student Summer Residency Program","Archives,Books & Reading,Greene County Public Library,Mothers & Daughters,Vocation,Xenia, Ohio,Young Adult Literature",https://humanitiesmoments.org/files/original/15/311/old-letters-436501_960_720.jpg,Text,"Graduate Student Summer Residents 2019",1,0
"The Fault in Our Stars and my Dad - Living through Leukemia in my Dad's shoes",,"Between the years of 2012-2014, the book The Fault in Our Stars written by John Green was one of the most popular books and films for teenagers. The book was such a hit Hollywood decided to make it a film, and they did a great job sticking to the original novel.
This novel is about two teenagers named Hazel and Augustus going through cancer and struggling to get through it until they meet each other through a support group, consisting of many other young cancer patients. My humanities moment happened in 2014 when my friend introduced to me this book. This included staying up all night, each night until I had finished reading the book so I could watch the film. At the age of 19, my dad had stage 4 Leukemia. This book always leaves me feeling emotional as it makes me think of my dad and all the battles he had to go through. Cancer is the hardest battle to fight and I’m so grateful that my dad, even though he was so close to death, continued fighting to survive. Without my dad, me or my siblings would not be here today. This novel is similar to my dad’s story because like the teenagers in the novel, they were fighting for their lives each day and going through lots of chemo and battling depression.
To read the novel and watch the film gave me a better understanding of what my dad’s life looked like from his shoes, living his everyday life being once a cancer patient. It was laying in a hospital bed all day, eating the same foods, being sick and exhausted all the time, and taking so many medications that didn’t seem to help. It made my dad feeling depressed because he couldn’t do much from being so sick, similar to the character Hazel and her story. When my dad got sick, he lost his friends because they thought they can no longer hang around him or weren’t wanting to support him. The character Hazel had similar troubles like my dad and was always sad and alone, rereading the same book and watching the same tv shows, that is until she met Augustus from the support group that she was forced to go to because of her parents.
If there is one gift I could give to my dad in the past, it would be to watch this film (not the story because he doesn’t like to read). I think watching this film would have gave my dad hope to know that he isn’t the only one fighting cancer and the characters Hazel and Augustus as well as millions of other teenagers in the world understand what he is going through.",https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ffrNqDDyEgLPHj5IMLH6OMcedcAki7mNHeRVFKKol10/edit?usp=sharing,"The book The Fault in Our Stars by John Green",,"The year 2014 in my living room reading the book / watching the movie.","Cheyenne, 18 years old, living in Utah, a senior in high school",,,,,,the-fault-in-our-stars,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,"12th grade English Teacher, Mrs. Layton!","Books & Reading,Bountiful, Utah,Cancer,Empathy,Fathers & Daughters,Film Adaptations,Green, John,Illness,Students,The Fault in Our Stars,Young Adult Literature",https://humanitiesmoments.org/files/original/284/5886223907_9b8e22c9c4_o.jpg,Text,,1,0
"Harry Potter and My Mom",,"I was always an avid reader as a child. As a matter of fact, I read a majority of the Harry Potter books when I was in elementary school. These books meant so much to me, it explored my sense of wonder and magic that my young soul craved. As a matter of fact, after reading these books, I dressed up as a witch for the remainder of my time in elementary school. My favorite book out of the series was Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
These books mean so much to me because of my mom. She was always so proud of me for reading such big books at a young age. Every time we would visit our family, she would always boast about how much I loved to read. Thinking back on it now, I can finally understand why she made this ordinary pastime for me, such an extraordinary event in her life. My mother did not have the same opportunities as I to read and actually enjoy reading. When my mother was in elementary school, her parents would make her work outside and clean the house in order for her family to survive. She did not have the privilege to sit down and obtain the wonder and joy that books gave me. So, to her, seeing me read must have been a validation her of her hard work so that I would not have to clean our house or work outside. Now, when I look back at the Harry Potter series, I not only think about the wonder and joy these books gave me, but also how happy, relieved, and proud my mother must have felt. She gave me the life that she always wanted.
I hope to one day pass down the collection of Harry Potter to my own kids and one day feel that proudness that my mother felt. My mother’s love for me reading, further increased my love of reading. Now, whenever I sit down to read a book, whether it be for fun or class, I always think of my mother and how hard she worked so that I could sit down and enjoy the book that she wished she could read.
I was always an avid reader as a child. As a matter of fact, I read a majority of the Harry Potter books when I was in elementary school. These books meant so much to me, it explored my sense of wonder and magic that my young soul craved. As a matter of fact, after reading these books, I dressed up as a witch for the remainder of my time in elementary school. My favorite book out of the series was Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. These books mean so much to me because of my mom. She was always so proud of me for reading such big books at a young age. Every time we would visit our family, she would always boast about how much I loved to read. Thinking back on it now, I can finally understand why she made this ordinary pastime for me, such an extraordinary event in her life. My mother did not have the same opportunities as I to read and actually enjoy reading. When my mother was in elementary school, her parents would make her work outside and clean the house in order for her family to survive. She did not have the privilege to sit down and obtain the wonder and joy that books gave me. So, to her, seeing me read must have been a validation her of her hard work so that I would not have to clean our house or work outside.
Now, when I look back at the Harry Potter series, I not only think about the wonder and joy these books gave me, but also how happy, relieved, and proud my mother must have felt. She gave me the life that she always wanted. I hope to one day pass down the collection of Harry Potter to my own kids and one day feel that proudness that my mother felt. My mother’s love for me reading, further increased my love of reading. Now, whenever I sit down to read a book, whether it be for fun or class, I always think of my mother and how hard she worked so that I could sit down and enjoy the book that she wished she could read.",,"The Harry Potter series, particularly Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire",,"This moment happened when I was a third grader.","Amanda Trevino, 21, currently a college student who will be attending medical school next fall!",,,,,,harry-potter-and-my-mom,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,"I heard about the Humanities Moments from my wonderful English professor, Dr. Eide.","Books & Reading,Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,Mothers & Daughters,Rowling, J.K.,Students,Young Adult Literature",https://humanitiesmoments.org/files/original/263/harry-potter-240.jpg,Text,,1,0
"Why I Read YA",,"
I was born and grew up in rural Southern Appalachia. Books and stories were my pathway out of the holler and into a world of hope and possibility. As a child and teen, I read and listened voraciously, and those stories found in books helped to save my life. Without them, I am not sure where I would be right now. During my early years as an adult, I searched for a career that would pair my enthusiasm for literacy and literature with my profession. I finally found that perfect match as a librarian.
As a middle school librarian, I fell in love with Young Adult literature, books written for teens between the ages of 13 and 18. When I am asked why I seldom read “adult” books, I respond that I believe that some of the best books—both fiction and non-fiction—written today are being published for teenagers. In my defense, I am quick to cite numerous studies that indicate between 48–52% of the YA books being checked out at public libraries and purchased in book stores or online are to readers over the age of 24, in other words, readers like myself. What does that tell us? That these books written for teens possess value and quality for people of all ages.
In 2017, I had the opportunity to serve on the Michael L. Printz Award committee for the American Library Association. This prestigious award is administered by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) and sponsored by Booklist. The winner and honors must exemplify literary excellence in young adult literature. Over the course of 12 months, I worked with a committee of eight other librarians from across the US. As a committee, we read hundreds of novels, biographies, and non-fiction titles written for teens. We convened online and in person, wrote about the books we had read, and in February of 2018 met in Denver to decide which titles we would select for the Printz Award. After two days of intense debates, we chose diverse five titles. The committee selected We Are Okay by Nina LaCour as the winner of 2018 Printz Medal and recognized four books with Printz Honors: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds, Vincent and Theo by Deborah Heiligman, and Stranger the Dreamer by Laini Taylor.
As the awards were being announced at the ALA conference on February 5, I sat in a packed auditorium as tears rolled down my face. And why is this my Humanities Moment? Because this moment validates what I have always felt about YA literature. My experience on the Printz Committee and the five books we selected affirm two of my core beliefs—that some of the best books being written today are being published for teens and that anyone, young or old, can find beauty and meaning in the pages of YA. As a middle school librarian, I remind myself that I have the power to hand a student the right book at the right time in his or her life, a story that might change a life forever. And that is the power of literacy for teens….showing young readers a pathway to the future and inspiring them with hope and promise.
",,,,"February 5, 2018","Scot Smith, 53, school librarian",,,,,,why-I-read-ya,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,"Teacher's Advisory Council","Education,Librarians,Libraries,Literacy,Literary Prizes,Young Adult Literature",https://humanitiesmoments.org/files/original/9/243/Printz_Books.jpg,Text,"Teacher Advisory Council",1,0 "Spreading the Love of Libraries",,"Librarian Deborah Jung describes the moment she discovered libraries and the riches they offer, which fueled her passion for opening the world of literature to children. For Jung, finding a library as a child was like “going to heaven.” The beauty of Madeleine L’Engle’s writing introduced her to the world of science fiction, a genre that thematizes acceptance, empathy, and humanity. More recently, as a reader, Jung has turned to literature about immigration. As a school librarian, she strives to choose books—especially those that feature African American and Hispanic characters—in which students may see reflections of themselves. ",,"A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle",,,"Deborah Jung, Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District",,,,,,spreading-love-of-libraries,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,"",,,"A Wrinkle in Time,Books & Reading,Empathy,L'Engle, Madeleine,Librarians,Libraries,Multicultural Education,Science Fiction,Vocation,Young Adult Literature",https://humanitiesmoments.org/files/original/4/43/library-960x590.jpg,"Moving Image",Educators,1,0