>> Hello, I'm Joe Davich, the
Director of the Georgia Center for the Book, an affiliate
of the Library of Congress. The Centers for the Book
help carry out the mission of the National Center for the
Book which is to promote books, reading, libraries, and
literacy nationwide. We also promote our state's
literary heritage by focusing on books and authors with
a connection to our states. Every year, as part of our
participation in the Library of Congress's National
Book Festival, each state's center chooses a
book with a local connection as part of the Great Reads
from Great Places Initiative. You can learn more about that
reading initiative at read.gov. Today, we are speaking with
the Great Reads authors from several states whose
book all feature a theme of friendship. They were invited by the
Affiliate Centers for the Book from Connecticut, Indiana,
Montana, North Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsylvania,
and Georgia. I would also like to thank
Lisa Comstock, Suzanne Walker, Kim Anderson, Melissa Giblin,
Renee Swartz, and Karla Schmit, the Directors of the Centers for
the Book, for their hard work and dedication at this event. And for selecting six wonderful
books to represent their states. Right now, let's learn
a little bit more about all of our authors today. Abdul-Razak Zachariah was born
and raised in Connecticut. He is a youth worker and
children's book author. Kekla Magoon, author of
"Season of Styx Malone" selected by Indiana, grew up
in Fort Wayne, Indiana and wrote her first novel
when she was in high school. Since then, she has
written several novels and nonfiction books
for young readers. Three of her books have received
Coretta Scott King honors, including "The Season
of Styx Malone". From Montana, Hank Green's "A
Beautifully Foolish Endeavor". Hank Green is currently a
resident of Missoula, Montana. And he is a science
communicator, video creator, entrepreneur and then,
most recently, a novelist. Green cocreated the popular
YouTube channel, Vlogbrothers with his brother,
author John Green, as well as educational channels,
SciShow and Crash Course. From North Carolina and author
of "The Edge of Anything", we have Nora Shalaway Carpenter
who is currently living in Asheville, North Carolina. Her work has appeared in
acclaimed young adult anthology, "Rural Voices 15 Authors
Challenge Assumptions about Small Town
America" and the novel, "The Edge of Anything"
is her debut novel. Ali Stroker made history as the
first person in a wheelchair to appear on Broadway
and win a Tony Award. She is also starred and recurred
in a number of television shows, including the hit show, "Glee". "The Chance to Fly"
is her first novel. Stacy Davidowitz is an
author and playwright and screenwriter based
in New York City. From Pennsylvania, we feature
Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow and her book, "Your
Name is a Song". Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow is
a Philadelphia-based educator and children's book author. Her picture books
and short stories which feature young black and Muslim protagonists
have been widely recognized. And, finally, from the great
state of Georgia, Aisha Saeed and her book, "Bilal
Cooks Daal". "Bilal Cooks Daal" is Aisha
Saeed's debut picture book. She is "The New York
Times" best-selling author of several middle grade
novels and young adult novels. And currently, she lives
in Atlanta, Georgia. We've asked these authors
today to think about the theme of this year's festival,
Open a Book, Open the World, and what that means to them. As well as the theme of
our panel, Friendship. Now let's hear from
each of our authors. Abdul-Razak, what book
opened the world to you? And can you tell us a
little bit about it? >> Yeah, thanks so much, Joe. I think for me, when
I was growing up, the "Corduroy" books
opened the world for me. And particularly a book
where Corduroy goes to the laundromat
with his owner. And I think not so much
about the story but, more so, it was one of the first
times I saw a book where there were people of color
were throughout that space. And they were very casually
in that space, and it served as a background in a
very respectful way. And I think seeing
that kind of community that reflected my own
opened up the world of what books could be
representing for kids. Before that, I think I just saw
a lot of, like, cartoon animals in different spaces and not a
lot of people who looked like me or people around me showing up. So, I think "Corduroy"
stands out there for me as one of those books. >> Excellent, thank
you so very much. Nora, what about you? >> Yeah so, I think, for me,
the book I would choose is "The Secret Garden" because
for that, that book kind of showed me that books can go
beyond just like a fun story that can transport
me some place. But that, also, like the
connection that Dickon has with nature, which is
something that, like, I, I grew up in a very rural
community, in a rural place. And so, the value that
was placed on that and how it was magical, like,
literally talked about magic and stuff is just something
that connected so much with me as a person from a rural place. That I kind of was, like,
oh yeah, I can write stories that kind of walk that line
between contemporary realism and with some like
magical wonder. And the book, "The
Edge of Anything", it doesn't actually
have any magic in it. Some of my other stuff does. But that's kind of,
that's the first book that I really remember
just, like, really inspiring me in that way. >> Excellent. Thank you, Nora. Jamilah, what about you? >> The book that I remember
the most, and I read a lot as a young kid, I
actually have the book because I read it recently. It's called "The
Shimmershine Queens". And I read a lot of books when
I was a child, a lot of books that I felt did actually open
up different worlds for me. But one thing is that I didn't
see my experience really reflected in books. I just kind of assumed that
that was, that was typical. Like, you know, my experience
could not really be in books. So, I grew up, you
know, at this point, I got this book when I was 10. And I was, you know,
living in Philadelphia, a very urban environment. And, you know, went to school
with nothing but black kids. And I just had, my experience
was very different from the ones that I was reading about,
the girls that I was reading about in books from, like, by
Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary. So, this book was really
important for me because it, like, basically told me that
I could actually write stories about myself, and
people like me. You know, it was a
great mirror for me. And the people talked
like the people I knew, and they did things the way
that people I knew did them. And I always thought books
were not supposed to do that. So, it opened my, it
opened the world to me because it actually showed
me that my world was valid for a story so, this
one is called "The Shimmershine Queens". >> Excellent. Thank you, Jamilah. And what about you, Aisha? >> For me, I, yeah,
I've loved reading. I mean, my earliest memories
are going to the library on Saturdays with my parents and
basically taking every tote bag, everything we could find
just because we would max out every one of our library
cards just getting books. And so, books have always, every
book has opened a door for me in a different way, helped
me see things in a new way. One book that really I
feel like opened, you know, like my horizons and to see a
world beyond was actually a book that was, I don't think
it was meant for kids. It was a Judy Blume
book, though, and it was called
"Letters to Judy". I think it's out of print now
potentially but, I remember, I just loved Judy Blume. So, I would just, if I
saw a book with her name on it, I would get it. It was just, you know, automatically going
to get borrowed. And so, I remember I read
it and it was letters that kids wrote to Judy Blume. And she'd compiled them
with her responses. And it was what your,
what parents, what we wish our parents knew. So, these were letters
that kids wrote about what they wished
their parents knew. And I, personally, grew up for
a very long time with bullying at school and a lot of
difficult situations. And I always thought
I was alone. I thought I deserved it. And it was this book
and seeing kids with my particular struggles who were also keeping
it to themselves. And Judy telling them,
you're okay, this isn't, this is not about you. And it will get better. And that promise that it will
get better really opened doors for me. And I think, as an adult
now, I look back at that book and I think that that book
was actually for parents. It was a parenting book so that
parents could read it and see, like, what their
children go through. But it really speaks to
how, how it's great for kids to read beyond their age
groups and beyond their levels because they might find
something in an unexpected place that could speak to them. So, I think that would be a book that really guided
me and shaped me. >> Thank you, Aisha. Well, now that we've discussed
favorite reads of yours from your childhood,
let's actually talk about your Great
Read books this year. And let's also discuss how
do your books open the world for young readers? So, once again, let's start with
Connecticut and Abdul-Razak. >> Yeah, I think my book, it's funny because
my book is based off of the world that I grew up in. It's based on an apartment
complex very similar to the one I had and based on my younger sister's
interactions with that. And I think her world, to me
when I was, I'm 10 years older than her, when I was
watching was so interesting. It was a huge world to,
like, see a child playing in our apartment
complex and being able to see the imaginative space
that was there for them. And to interact with other
friends in that space. And always feel comfortable, especially because the
book is set at night. And I think I heard a
lot of narratives growing up around people's assumptions
about our neighborhood, assumptions about
your neighborhood at a particular time of day. That to be able to
see and to kind of showcase children playing
at night in the community where they felt safe and where
they could see other kids their age and older folks created a
world that I'm not sure a lot of other kids will see in
children's book and ones that I did not see in
the children's books that I had growing up. And so, I think the world
that's opened up is just seeing that imaginative
space is possible, and especially possible
in these spaces that people say really
negative things about when they shouldn't. And when there's so
much love and positivity and creativity possible
in that, in that area. >> Excellent. Thank you so much. Nora, what about
you and your book? >> So, when I was growing up,
as a teenager, I was really into sports, particularly
volleyball. That was kind of like my
whole identity, my whole sense of self really came
from athletics. And I just couldn't find
novels about female athletes, particularly ones that were
more, it was about more than just the sport, right? It was about a character that
played a sport but, also, was a full, well-rounded
character. And so, "The Edge of
Anything" has two protagonists. One of them is a volleyball
star because I wanted that, I wanted girls, particularly
girl readers to be able to find a female
character playing sports. And then the other protagonist,
Len, she is suffering from undiagnosed OCD, and
this is super important to me because, again, I didn't
feel like there was good, it's really starting
to change now which is wonderful
in the YA space. But I think it still
has a long way to go of finding authentic mental
health representation. And I went through a
period as a young adult where I suffered a trauma which triggered what
I eventually found out was OC, like severe OCD. And so, it was undiagnosed
for a while and I, I didn't know what
was happening. I thought I was losing my mind. And I had a good support system. And so, I thought about, but
I still couldn't find, like, books that supported me
in the way that I needed. Or just, kind of,
didn't talk down, were just like showing a
character kind of coming through a really,
really difficult time. And so, when I, when
I was able to kind of have the emotional distance
away from that experience, it became really important to me
to create a character like that. And so, that's where
Len comes from. And I hope that she and
Sage's interactions with her as a friend, too, as like
Sage sees her in a way that other people don't. They just, like, look at this
girl and see this weird girl, you know, like that they just,
they don't understand her. And so, I just really hope
that readers can both empathize with both of the characters
and, maybe you know, learn a little bit
of compassion too. And when they go out and see
other people in their lives and maybe understand that
we're all dealing with things that are not so obvious
on the surface. >> Thank you so much, Nora. What about you, Jamilah? >> So, for, in my book, "Your
Name is a Song", for example, or "Mommy's Khimar", I really
am hoping that children who identify with the main
characters, who see themselves in the main characters that, for
them when they open this book, it's opening for them the
possibility of being affirmed, being powerful, of having
agency, of being able to speak for themselves, being, you know, being able to be
proud of themselves. And loving who they are. So, I'm hoping that
that happens. And then, for other children who may not share
the same experience, I hope that it is opening a
more diverse world for them where they can see other
people's experiences. And, also, learn
some empathy as well. So, I'm, these are the
things that I'm hoping for is just really, it's
affirmation and also empathy. >> And, finally, to you, Aisha. Let's hear about your book. >> Well, I do, I want
to just piggyback on what Jamilah's talking
about, "Your Name is a Song" because I just wanted to say it
is an affirmation for my kids. And I, we got that book
and my kids are reading, "Your Name is a Song"
and there's lots of different names in it. And, you know, there's
insecurities, perhaps, about names and,
like, how, you know, every name is so beautiful. And there's a part in it where
there's a boy named, Bob, and he's like, what
about my name? Can we turn my name into a song? And so, the teacher sing,
no, the parent sings Bob like just this beautiful Bob. And my kids could
not stop laughing. And they were laughing
because they were, like, why, why would anyone need to
make anyone feel better about the name, Bob. And because this
name was, you know, there's so many other
names in the book that kids may feel
insecure about. My kids have names that
are not, you know perhaps, names that you might
get on a coffee mug at a Disney store, you know. Like a traditional
name like that. And so, it felt really affirming
to them that, you know, all names are beautiful
and even the names that are commonplace
might be different to other people and
to other places. And so, it really opened up
their world to, you know, it just really opened
up their world. And it really affirmed them
and really made them happy to see even those, you know,
very traditional, like you know, wasp names getting
the same affection and getting the same love as all the other names,
if that makes sense. It was really beautiful
so, anyways, I love that, I love that book a lot. So, I just had to love
on that for a second. My book, I hope it
does the same thing. You know, I hope "Bilal
Cooks Daal" which is a story about a little boy that
loves to cook with his dad. You know, it's a
story about community. It's about patience. It's about trying new things. And, yeah, I really
hope that it does, it does all of that,
the same things. And I remember one reviewer
about this book said that the book was
radical and subversive. And they said that because
Bilal is a little boy that cooks with his father. And so, Bilal is
Pakistani-American like me and he is Muslim like me. And just the name, like,
it's not an identity story but you can see that they
are because of the name and other identifiers
in the story. And so, it was really
fascinating that somebody who reviewed this book
said that it was radical and subversive simply
because it was a man, a Muslim man cooking
with his son. And that, to them,
was eye-opening. And so, there's ways that our
books are going to be doors and open, you know, horizons that we may not even
have thought of when we were doing it. So, I thought that
was interesting. >> Thank you, Aisha. And I truly have to say, as a
Center for the Book director, I love the fact that you love on
other authors' books [laughter]. And it's just a wonderful
and supportive community, not only through the Centers
for the Book but, authors and illustrators
around the country and around the world
supporting each other. And that is truly,
truly heartening. >> That's what makes Kid Lit
very special [laughter] so, yeah. >> Truly, truly. Well, and I think
with your remembrances about your favorite book,
you know, I mean, it just, Kid's Lit nowadays, you know, it instills in us
those great memories that take you immediately
back to your local library, to your local bookstore. And that special place,
you know, before growing up and other aspects of life,
you know, sort of cave in and maybe influenced us in
different ways was that very, you know, pure moment
where you open a book and just see the words,
the pictures on the page. So, I did find a very
interesting theme in your answers to your
questions and would like to touch on that. And that's the theme,
of course, of diversity in children's literature. And the assumptions
that we make as people and how your books
challenge those assumptions and maybe shine light
on things that we need to recognize out in the world. And, also, about
building empathy through children's literature and making those books a
mirror for a better world. Or maybe being a agent
of change for folks. So, if we could talk on that
for a moment, we'll start, once again, with Abdul-Razak. >> Yeah. I think in writing
this book, and just kind of keeping track of the books
that I really love to read now, I think there's a
real importance for me to show the variety of people within the communities
that I exist in. And when writing the
character of Amani for "The Night is Yours", it was
one thing to create a character that was a black girl who
lived in this community but, it was another thing
to create a character who expressed their frustration
in a kind of silent way. And offering that that is a
type of person and that's a type of child and that's a type of
black child and that's a type of black girl child
that can exist. And to, also, offer in the kind
of background of that a parent who understands that that's how
their child processes things and gives them the
space to do that. And it's not a large
central point of the story that I was trying to tell
but, it's a part of it to say that this is a normal
thing that can happen. It can be part of the period of play the child has
outside on any given day. And it's something that is
really important to normalize for other kids to see and,
especially, other parents to see who might be reading
this book to their kids. So that they don't start relying
on just particular stereotypes of what they're seeing
of a child. I think, for me and
for my younger sister, we were both kind of quieter
kids who were less quiet when we were actually around
people we were comfortable with. And I think that
that is not something that was always assumed
of us and assumed of other black children
who grew up around me. And I think giving
that grace to the fact that any child can be quiet or
any child can be an introvert or any child can choose when
they want to be an introvert and extrovert is,
like, really important. And, on top of that, it's the
fact that a child can kind of move through space and be
thoughtful about what they need. And that adults should
be respecting that. I think that is a kind of
diversity and personality that I really wanted to get
into particular to the way that I was presenting
black children. And something that,
in my writing, I want to continue to do. And I think it's something
that I really appreciate when I see other stories that
show that, yes, this is a story that showcases a character
with a particular identity. And that identity includes
the depth of who they are as a person, and the depth of
how they show their emotions. It doesn't have to be relegated
or kept small to just one, maybe, racial identifier,
ethnic identifier. So, yeah, I think that's the
kind of course that I want to take when writing stories like this is centering
all of those ideas. >> Excellent. Thank you so very much. Nora, what about you? >> Yeah. And I love that answer
too because it reminded me so much of my own kids. Like, I have three kids
and they have three such different personalities. And it's really, my
youngest is so shy when she first meets people
but, then people that know her, they're like, there's
no way she's shy. She's like jumping all
over the place, you know? So, I love that that is valued
in books and that kids can see that it's okay, they
don't always have to be the same way
as other kids. It's so wonderful. So, in "The Edge of Anything",
it was really important for me to show Len's OCD in a
way that is, I think, not a lot of people
maybe wouldn't recognize as OCD unless you
specialize in mental health or you have some
experience with it. I think there's a lot of,
you know, in popular media, sometimes, it's common to give,
like, a character a quirk. Like, oh, they're quirky and they have this
OCD and it's so funny. Let's laugh at them, you know. Whereas anyone that has
actually suffered that condition in real life, it's
anything but laughable. Like, it's a nightmare,
if it's untreated. And so, I really
wanted to show what that lived experience was like. And, also, and I talk about it in the author's note
too because, just like with any mental
health condition, it shows, it presents so differently
in different people. And so, this is one character's,
one person's experience of OCD. And it doesn't mean that
that's how it's going to show up in everyone. But, like, these
are some things, and these are some signs. And so, it's kind of, it's
almost like a little bit of a mystery with Sage, like,
picking up on some stuff, like what's, you know,
what's going on here. And but, that was
really important to me because even people that
knew about OCD, sometimes, would read my book and they'd
be like, oh I didn't know, you know, like I thought OCD
was only like people that count, I thought OCD meant you were
like a super neat freak. And, you know, anyone that
would come and see my office, they'd be like, oh this
doesn't make, I don't, this doesn't make sense. So, you know, or that you had to
count things a number of times. And that's just, you know, that can be how it presents
but not all the time. And then, also, I did
want to say something about the parents too because
my book there's two sets of parents. And they are also, I
think they can be kind of, if something's going on
with your, with these kids, sometimes people are like, well,
what are the parents doing. If they're around, like, why
aren't they noticing this? And I tried really hard to, I don't like when
parents are always bad or parents are always, you know,
you know, if they're portrayed as just like completely
not, if they're not figuring out what's going on with their
kids, like, what's the reason? What's going on? And so, I think it can be
really easy, like, parents have, like, full busy lives. And there are lots of reasons
why they might miss signs in their kids. And I wanted to bring that
to the forefront too so, if any adults read it,
that they could, you know, just be mindful of that. >> Thank you so much, Nora. And what about you, Jamilah? >> I would say, "Your
Name is a Song", it really challenges certain
assumptions about what people, or how people who maybe have
names from other cultures, how they should deal
with, you know, people from mainstream
cultures not being able to say their name, right? I think that that's
really what it is. It's pretty straightforward. It's the idea that you can
tell someone, you know, that they're not saying
my name correctly. And that you can have the
expectation that they're going to try and that they're
going to fix that. And it was very important for
me in "Your Name is a Song" to actually have
the teacher change. So, I wanted to really
indicate that and show that. You know, because the beginning,
when we see the teacher and the teacher has
mispronounced this girl's name, you know, that's
what the book is about really is people
mispronouncing her name and making fun of her name. And the teacher, when
you see the teacher, first see the teacher, she's
sort of hollering names. And just, it's kind of a job
that she wants to get done and, you know, when the girl tells
her that, you know, I'm singing, you know, singing my
name so you'll learn it. She's like names are
not songs, right? But, at the end, it is the
teacher who was like, well, let's hear your song again. And it's the teacher who
sings her song first, right? And changes that behavior. So, and it's because I am a
former teacher that was sort of in the back of my mind that
I know that a lot of educators, a lot of teachers,
are people with big, big hearts who really do care. And I wanted to challenge them
even in that book to kind of say to themselves, because I think
they will take on that challenge to kind of think to
themselves, you know what, I can, I can change this. I don't, you know, I can,
I can care about this. You know, I can change
my attitude about it. So, that was one of the things. And, for kids out there,
you know, to know that, yes, you don't, because,
just because no one else in your class has the same
name, just because no one in your neighborhood has the
same kind of name does not mean that it isn't worthy
of being said or sung. >> Excellent. Thank you, Jamilah. And, finally, Aisha,
what about you? >> Yeah so, I kind of talked
about how just the fact that it was a father son
cooking duo seemed to challenge, you know, an assumption. You know, growing into any
story, I just think, oftentimes, as creators, as bi-pop creators,
like, just telling our stories. And just a joyful story
or, like, a happy story, just kind of existing on the page can sometimes
even just be a challenging of assumptions. I remember there was one
reader that E-mailed me because they were upset that
there's a pool in this story and the kids are all
playing at the pool. And they were like that
doesn't feel very realistic and I was just a little confused
because I was like, okay, so I guess, in your assumption,
this kid shouldn't be at a pool? Like, why? You know, it's just, it's
very interesting what people's opinions can reveal
about themselves and their own preconceived
notions about books. So, it's so hard to know
what, I mean, so, I didn't set out in this story, "Bilal Cooks
Daal", I set out to write it because Daal lentils are a very, it's a basic staple
in South Asia. Like, everyone eats it,
it's cheap, it's healthy. And it's quick to
make, very simple. And a lot of people
don't know about it. And my kids love it and a lot of their friends had
never heard of it. And so, really that was, that
was where this story came from was just to bring this dish to my kids' community,
to our community. And, yeah so, I think,
you know, I think a lot of kids have issues
around trying new foods. Some adults do too. And so, I've been
really heartened to hear from parents who, you
know, said that, you know, that it's helped their kids
maybe not even try Daal but, just try something new. Because maybe that something
might be something might be good for them. So, on that kid level but,
yeah, there's also going to be so many other aspects of
just existing on the page as a brown Muslim kid that's
going to challenge assumptions that I may not even
know about but that are, that are being challenged
just by the existence of this particular
diverse book so, yeah. >> Excellent. Thank you so much. Well, now, I'm going to put
you all on the spot because, as I sit here and, of
course, the Decatur Library and you're hosted
by a public library and I think that's so important. And that the Library of Congress
is sponsoring the National Book Festival. Just let us know, what
was your childhood library if you remember it? Or what is your current
library system that you use? So, we'll start with
Abdul-Razak. Abdul, do you remember? >> Yeah. So, I grew up in
West Haven, Connecticut and we had the West Haven
Public Libraries there. And I would go to two
throughout my childhood. One that my mom would bring me
to when I was a younger kid, and I would just kind of
hang out there all the time. It was very much like a place
to post up in in the middle of the day during the summer. And then, as a teenager, one
of my best friends during that time, her mom was a
librarian in the system as well. And so, after school,
we would go and hang out at another branch. And, as like teenagers,
just be there doing work. And I think, now today,
I live in Cambridge, and I go to the Cambridge
Public Library so often that this summer I was sitting
outside eating breakfast before I went in. And one of the librarians
said, oh before you go into the office, right? Which I don't work there. But I am there enough
where I might as well be one of
the librarians. So, I very much love my public
libraries wherever they are. And try to be a kind of
constant fixture there if I can. >> Well, right there, that
sounds like the opportunity for a second career
should you need one. Nora, what about you? >> I love this question. So, it's a little
bit sad for me. I grew up in a really
rural place, like I said, in rural West Virginia. And so, our public library
was not very accessible. And so, I don't have a lot
of memories from there. And, mostly, the memories
that I do have are that I couldn't find the
books that I was interested in because there
was just no budget. So, I live like five minutes
away from a library now. And it's amazing. I'm in Asheville and so, our local library is
Skyland/South Buncombe. And the library,
the teen librarian, they're Mr. Tie [assumed
spelling], we call him, my kids think he's a superstar. And we are there
so often, you know, he's always giving us
book recommendations like, I absolutely, it's very
close to where I pick up my kids from school. And so, we just always
stop in at the library. I, the Buncombe County
Library System is just amazing. They can get all
these books for you. And, you know, so many library
systems are like that now. So, it's kind of, it's
such a, such a difference from where I lived growing up. You know, I'm so
grateful and so grateful that my kids can
have this experience. But, also, very much why I am
an advocate for rural places and rural funding
which is, you know, where the whole "Royal Voices
Anthology" comes into but, yeah. >> Excellent. Thank you, Nora. And just so you know, I am also
a former West Virginian as well. >> Ah, really? Where? Where are you from? >> Yes, I, Fairmont,
West Virginia. >> Oh, we were basically
neighbors because I grew up in Cameron and that's, like,
only an hour away [laughter]. >> Truly, truly. Well, you know, and I
always took inspiration, Fairmont is the home
of author, John Knowles who wrote, "A Separate Peace". >> Yeah. >> And I kind of recognized
a couple of the locations in the book from my hometown. So, I always take great,
great pride in that. What about you, Jamilah? >> So, growing up, I
didn't really have much of a home library or even, I wasn't even visiting
libraries very much at all. My parents were very
working class and we just didn't really
think about that, you know. So, they kept, I remember
we had some encyclopedias, we never had a complete
set but, we had some. And we had, you know, these
civil war books that my dad like the civil war so,
we had some of those. And, you know, they got
it for us ostensibly. And they were proud of having
those but, I was someone who loved fiction and those
books didn't really appeal to me. And, really, my library was
the teacher's classroom, what she had in her classroom. And, you know, thank you,
Ms. Lee [assumed spelling]. I mean, like the book
that I showed you earlier, "The Shimmershine Queens", all
these different kinds of books that I got to explore really
came through going to school, to going to a public school
and having access to that. And today, I love the Free
Library of Philadelphia, the different branches. It hasn't been as
accessible during the COVID, you know, this pandemic. So, that's been kind of sad
for me because it's not as easy to just kind of go in
and sit and browse. I think they're going
to change that soon but, it hasn't been as easy. But I love my local library. And they know me there. And I love seeing my
books on the shelves. I think they like to display
it for me which makes me, which really warms my heart so. >> Excellent. Thank you, Jamilah. And what about you, Aisha? >> Oh gosh, you know, growing
up, I actually didn't even know that there were bookstores. I just thought there
were libraries. I didn't know until I think
I was, like I don't know, in high school maybe because
we only went to the library. And it was just part
of our family. It was part of our culture. Like, we went for story
time, we went for activities. So, growing up, like, once I
had my own children actually, like here in Atlanta, Georgia,
like that's what we do. I mean, the library
is part of our lives. It's, we go once a
week, if not more. And when the pandemic happened,
and libraries shut down, it was devastating and
extremely expensive to buy books, so many books. Like, I already buy
books because I like to, you know, support books. But, like, my children
are voracious readers and you just can't,
like, you can't keep up the way you could
at a library. And it was really hard for
them because they'd be, like, I want this book and
I want that book. And I'm like, this isn't
a library situation. I can't buy 100 books
in one sitting. And so, and then I remembered
DeKalb libraries opened up but, just for curbside pickup. So, you had to pick your
books and go get them, you could only get 15. And I mean, we would just
constantly be going through. Like, I remember, I would
call my local library to just say, hello. And they'd be like, oh
hey, Aisha, how's it going? Because they knew me by my voice
because we would call so much. And, yeah, now it's open. I'm homeschooling my kids because of the pandemic
right now. And, I mean, the
library is our lifeline. We actually bought an entire
bookshelf which is just for our library books because
DeKalb has a 75 book limit. And the manager at our local
branch waives that limit for us frequently because
we will go there and get like 90 books and we're
just standing there ready to check out. And she's like, okay fine, you
can get a few more [laughter]. She's like, I know
you'll be back. You'll be back at the end
of the week with more. So, I mean, it is no
exaggeration to say that the library has been our
lifeline through this pandemic. Like, when it was shut
down, we really felt it. And now that it's opened up,
it is truly seeing us through. Gosh, we're all so emotional about libraries,
aren't we [laughter]? Just that they're so important. They're important as
authors for our livelihood because those purchases are
what keep, especially writers who write these diverse stories. A lot of them, like, the libraries are
the support for us. And then, as patrons, I mean,
they're such a lifeline. >> I think we are all
very emotionally connected to our libraries. And, by the way, the Georgia
Center for the Book is hosted by the DeKalb County Public
Library so, we thank you for your patronage, Aisha. And we also thank that library
manager for being exceptional at offering you great
customer service and waiving that limit of books. >> Yes. >> Well, once again, thank
you, all, for joining us and having this wonderful
conversation this afternoon. Abdul-Razak, Nora, Jamilah,
Aisha, thank you so much for being so generous
with your time. And not only sharing your
Great Reads books but, a little bit insight into
your writing and, of course, what inspires you as
authors and readers as well. If you would all like to find
out more about the Library of Congress, I encourage
you to go to loc.gov. And if you would
like to find out more about the National Book Festival
and all of the other Great Reads from great places and to check
out the Center for the Book, please go to read.gov. Not only do we have
seven Great Reads in this particular panel but,
there are Great Reads from all over the United States. And we encourage you to read
as many of them as possible, possibly by checking them out
at your favorite local library. Once again, thank
you, all, so very much and we will see you
again very, very soon.
