Chatting with a Fellow Librarian

Posted on by litwithalibrarian

*Featured image credit: https://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/10-reasons-people-read-lot-likely-successful.html

Today has been a rather slow day at work, so I asked one of my librarian friends to sit down and have a chat with me about programs and what books she is loving right now. I thought it would be cool to bring another librarian’s perspective to my blog. Enjoy!

How long have you been a librarian?

3 years as an Assistant Young Adult Specialist.

What is your favorite part of your job?

I enjoy interacting with teens and enriching their lives. Sometimes when I have a teen who comes to my programs who is not a very confident reader, I love finding a book for them that makes them love to read.

What is your favorite program that you have ever hosted/planned?

It would probably be the Poetry Jam that I co-hosted this past July because it brought the community together. It was the most attended program over the summer and it fostered a collaborative environment for our community story-tellers.

What are your future plans in the library field?

My goals as a librarian are to create community-oriented programs for all ages. I would like to continue applying for grants and do more outreach in rural school systems.

What are you reading right now?

Currently, I am reading The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturve, which is a YA novel. It’s a fantastic historical non-fiction book and I am excited to really get into it.

What are your top 3 favorite books that you have ever read?

  1. My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrick Backman. It creates a universe inside of a universe inside of a universe that has supernatural elements. It’s a story about real loss and a sense of family and community. The world-building in it is incredible.
  2. I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson. There are real issues and coping with issues in a very artistic way. It has a happy ending that most YA books don’t have, which is nice.
  3. Paper Towns by John Green. Only because it’s set in my hometown, though. It’s very sentimental to me because I read it as I was moving away from my hometown.

Any advice for future librarians?

My advice to any future librarian is to plan big things. Have big ideas and if no one comes- try again. I would also say make really good friends with your fellow librarians. They are great resources for ideas and book recommendations. Also, dollar crafts will get you through budget cuts! *

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Until next time- Go to a program at your local library!

-Lit Librarian

Banned Book Week: The Hate U Give Review

Posted on by litwithalibrarian

Banned Book Week is September 23-29th. I hope you all celebrated this week by reading your favorite banned book while feeling like a bad person for reading it. Because that’s what a banned book means, right? That you’re a bad person for reading it?

If so, call me the worst of the worst. Most of my favorite books appear on the banned books list, and I am more than okay with that. To me, the reason that most of these books are banned is also the reason that the book is so great.

One of my favorite books is The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, which was banned in 2017 by a high school in Texas. I was shocked when I found out that it was on the list of banned books. At first, I thought maybe it was banned because of the detailed violence and murder that happens in the book. But no. It is banned for being pervasively vulgar and containing drug use, profanity, and offensive language.

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Yes, the book does have all of that in it, but did you happen to get to the part where Starr’s best friend was literally murdered in front of her? What about the part where she fights back against the media’s portrayal of her and her dead friend? Starr is a badass woman and is a beautiful, literary role model for young readers because she fights for what she believes in. I guess that isn’t good enough to cover for all of the bad words in the book, though, huh?

Now that I have told you that the book is banned, let me give you my totally honest review of The Hate U Give:

This is one of the best books you will ever read. Thomas’ writing style is absolutely gorgeous. Her characters, especially Starr, are relatable for any reader and practically jump off the page because they are so real. I wish I could make myself forget what the book was about so I could read it again for the first time. I read it in less than a day and cried for the majority of it because it is so raw and emotional. Even though the characters are fictional, the story is real and is one that is in U.S news practically every week, unfortunately. I am more than ready for Thomas’ next book and for The Hate U Give movie to come out on October 5th so I can experience all of the emotions all over again.

If you like this book, check out Dear Martin by Nic Stone next!

Until next time: Go read a (preferably banned) book!

-Lit Librarian