Here at Lee & Low, we’ve recovered from Thanksgiving and are gearing up for holidays and the new year. We hope you have fabulous celebrations this winter! As usual, we have some suggested readings for your Friday afternoon. Enjoy!
Time magazine starts us off with an interesting feature about Arab Americans in Detroit, and how they offer hope for recovery to one of the hardest-hit cities in the country.
Meanwhile, there’s an effort to bring Western classics to Arabic-speaking countries: Penguin Classics are to be translated into Arabic. Literature is a great bridge, bringing people together, so its great to see books being translated to better provide common ground between people and cultures. Who can stay angry when you’re both laughing at the ridiculousness of Don Quixote?
Last month saw the fiftieth anniversary of the historic integration of Southern schools. In a poignant essay, Ruby Bridges—who was escorted to primary school by US Marshals as she became the first Black student in her school—reflects on that first day, her first white teacher, and why she’s still fighting to integrate that school.
Speaking of integration anniversaries, Google recognized the fifty-fifth anniversary of Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat on a bus with a beautiful Doodle:
And our last link for today comes from Los Angeles Times book critic David Ulin, explaining why he buys his children any book they ask for.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on any of these articles (or Doodles), so please come back here and comment.
Have a great weekend!
