Reading and Talking about Race: An Intro to ALA’s Great Stories Club (Part 2: Finding Your Voice)

Watch the Recording

A powerful movement against racism and police brutality is under way in our nation following the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other Black Americans at the hands of police.

How did we get here? How have oppression, resistance, suffering and triumph shaped the experiences of every American, especially Black, Indigenous and other People of Color? And most importantly, what can we do better?

Duration

1 hour

Join ALA's Public Programs Office for a free one-hour webinar to learn about free ALA book club resources that can help us navigate these difficult conversations and critically examine race and privilege. This webinar is open to everyone, including representatives of libraries, bookstores, informal reading groups, or any other venue interested in holding thoughtful conversations about race and identity.

In this webinar, we will look at the Great Stories Club "Finding Your Voice" collection. Since 2006, ALA's Great Stories Club has offered insightful humanities-based YA reading lists, discussion questions and more to thousands of U.S. libraries. "Finding Your Voice" is part of the Great Stories Club series on Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation, offered in partnership with the WK Kellogg Foundation.

This webinar will consider the following titles:

“The Poet X” by Elizabeth Acevedo
“I Am Alfonso Jones” by Tony Medina
“Gabi, A Girl in Pieces” by Isabel Quintero
“Piecing Me Together” by Renée Watson
“American Street” by Ibi Zoboi
“Anger is a Gift” by Mark Oshiro

The first part of this webinar series discussed the Great Stories Club theme "Deeper Than Our Skins.” This series is made possible with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).

Resources

Presenters

Susana Morris, Great Stories Club project scholar, associate professor, Georgia Institute of Technology

Ann Shilling, Great Stories Club book club leader, young adult services, Washington County Free Library

Lainie Castle, project director, ALA Public Programs Office

Amber Hayes, outreach and communications program officer, ALA Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services