Community Corner
Dearborn Library Offers New Perspective On Human Experience Through Read Woke Challenge
With so much going on in the world these days, do you need a different perspective than what you are finding in the books you usual read?
With so much going on in the world these days, do you need a different perspective than what you are finding in the books you usual read?
The Dearborn Public Library can help, through its Read Woke Challenge, which is going on now until Feb. 20, 2021. The Challenge is for all ages.
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The Read Woke Challenge encourages community members to read "woke” books and engage in thoughtful dialogue surrounding the themes and topics addressed in the books.
What are woke books? They are titles that focus on protagonists from underrepresented groups and/or challenge stereotypes or social norms.
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To complete the Read Woke Challenge, participants must read two woke books. The Library has created numerous booklists to help patrons get started: Black Voices, Arab Voices, LGBTQ+ Voices, Social Justice Reads, and more.
To see a full list of the titles, visit dearbornlibrary.org and select Read Woke from the banner at the top.
Children and teens who complete the Challenge will earn a free book. Adults will earn a Read Woke notebook. Everyone who finishes the Read Woke Challenge will be entered into a drawing for gift cards to local businesses.
As a complement to the Challenge, the Library will also present virtual author talks and book discussions.
On Feb. 20, the Library, in collaboration with the Arab American National Museum, will present a conversation between Cecily Lewis, the Read Woke Challenge’s founder and 2020 Librarian of the Year, and
Malaka Gharib, an NPR editor and the author of the graphic memoir “I Was Their American Dream.”
Gharib’s book explores her upbringing as the daughter of an Egyptian and a Filipina immigrant to the United States.
There will also be a virtual book discussion for tweens and teens on the book “Harbor Me” by Jacqueline Woodson on Feb. 6. Participants can pick up a free copy “Harbor Me” curbside at Henry Ford
Centennial Library now.
The Dearborn Public Library uses Beanstack, a reading tracker, to manage reading programs online, like the Read Woke Challenge or 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten.
Users can create an account in Beanstack or sign in if they have participated in past reading programs. Families have the option to create one account for all participants or individual accounts. All prizewinner information is stored in Beanstack.
The Read Woke Challenge is funded in part by Michigan Humanities, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Follow the Dearborn Public Library on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to learn about other upcoming programs and virtual events. For more information, visit dearbornlibrary.org or contact the Dearborn Public Library at (313) 943-2330.
This press release was produced by the City of Dearborn. The views expressed here are the author’s own.
