for every soon-to-be voter

"We the people of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessing of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

This past week, while traveling, I read Fault Lines In The Constitution: The Framers, Their Fights, And The Flaws That Affect Us All by Cynthia Levinson and Sanford Levinson. 

I learned so much about the United States Constitution... and its flaws, ambiguities, and compromises. This book is timely, as it turns out that many of the issues we struggle with today have their roots in the creation of the U.S. Constitution.

I loved the layout of this book: the large print, graphics, quotes, and inserts are engaging. From the 'Preamble' to 'Now What?', this book walks the reader through the structures of our government and its limitations.

My favorite part of the book is Part VII - Keeping Pace with the Times.

Alexander Hamilton wrote that ordinary Americans had the opportunity to participate in "reflection and choice" about how they wished to be governed. The First Congress took him up on that offer in 1789 by proposing the series of amendments called the Bill of Rights.

I loved the 'grading' breakdown of the Constitution based on the goals of the preamble: form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.

This is a fantastic book for every young adult reader, every soon-to-be voter, and every American citizen.

For more information, check out the Fault Lines website.

Read books. Care about things.

I know a reluctant reader who is headed into 8th grade. Here are the books I am sending to her this summer:

All Summer Long by Hope Larson

Rain Reign by Ann M Martin

A Night Divided by Jennifer A Nielsen

The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol

Fish In A Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

In Real Life by Cory Doctorow & Jen Wang

Amulet by Kazu Kibuishi

Paper Wishes by Lois Sepahban

Patina by Jason Reynolds

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

Sisters by Raina Telgemeier

Page by Paige by Laura Lee Gulledge

I just read a book myself that had this quote by Hank Green in it:

Read books.

Care about things.

Get excited.

Try not to be too down on yourself.

Enjoy the ever present game of knowing.

-Hank Green

In our world today, I don't think there could be better advice ... whether you are 13 or 103.

Reading is a curious act. Reading helps us develop empathy. When we read, we are better able to champion narratives of humanity from across the globe, as well as see ourselves reflected back to us.

Enjoy your summer reading.

And, remember to care about things.

Tonight Show Book Club

The Tonight Show's Jimmy Fallon announces the Tonight Show Summer Reads...



Choose one of these five books for the Tonight Show Book Club summer read.

You can cast your vote at tonightshow.com/summerreads

The Good Son by You-Jeong Jeong
IQ by Joe Ide
Providence by Caroline Kepnes
Children Of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
The Immoralists by Chloe Benjamin

World Refugee Day

Today is World Refugee Day.

What does it mean to be a refugee...


Maybe you saw this post today on Facebook by former President Barack Obama:



My favorite parts of his post:

...are we a nation that accepts the cruelty of ripping children from their parents’ arms, or are we a nation that values families, and works to keep them together? Do we look away, or do we choose to see something of ourselves and our children?

To be an American is to have a shared commitment to an ideal – that all of us are created equal, and all of us deserve the chance to become something better.
That’s the legacy our parents and grandparents and generations before created for us, and it’s something we have to protect for the generations to come. But we have to do more than say “this isn’t who we are.” We have to prove it – through our policies, our laws, our actions, and our votes.

My two favorite books on this topic are REFUGEE by Alan Gratz and Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate.

From TEDEd:

To learn more about global forced displacement, a good place to start is the website of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). This includes plenty of information and resources; including a basic explanation of the Refugee Convention and an annual report on patterns of forced displacement. The website also looks at individual stories, trying to match the statistical data with more personal accounts of displacement. 

To further investigate the challenges faced by those who seek to begin a journey from war to safety, the missing migrants project looks broadly at those—both migrants and refugees—who have died along migratory routes (both at land and at sea). For more detailed information, you can read this report by the International Organization for Migration. 

In this TED Talk, Melissa Fleming (UNHCR) tells the story of two refugees and their harrowing journey towards safety. In another important TED Talk (and written article) journalist Anders Fjellberg and photographer Tomm Christiansen remind us of the personal nature of these stories, writing that “everybody has a name, everybody has a story and everybody is someone.” In this interview with Antonio Guterres, the former High Commissioner of UNHCR, Guterres calls for a multilateral turn toward acceptance and respect. 

It is important to realize that arriving at the destination and obtaining refugee status does not mean the end of problems. Refugees and IDPs in camps often face difficult conditions, including limited infrastructure, overcrowding, temporary shelter with inadequate insulation/protection from the weather, lack of economic opportunities and/or education. Psychologically, life in a camp can be highly alienating and take a heavy toll. 

Refugees living outside of camps also face hurdles including gaining access to health, education and other social services, and finding adequate shelter. Refugees are frequently in need of assistance for rent, and financial considerations can prevent them from finding adequate housing, forcing them to live in substandard accommodations such as abandoned or unfinished buildings or in informal dwellings.  These run the risk of lacking adequate access to water, sanitation, waste management, or electricity and are unfit for the winter season. 

Finding a job is often one of the most complex and difficult tasks, even though refugees may have had access to a good education in their home countries or had jobs that require a high level of education.  And even for those refugees that obtain asylum in a country where more socio-economic assistance may be available, the trauma of having to rebuild a life and integrate in a very different context is a major challenge.

At the same time, we should keep in mind that refugees are courageous and strong human beings with their own unique skills and talents and with the ability to make plenty of positive contributions to their host countries. They have a lot to offer to their host societies and their full potential should be embraced. Here you can find a few ways through which you can help and empower refugees in your city or country. 

Currently, the United States government is separating families of refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants at the border. To find out more about what's going on on America's southern border, click HERE.

Questions:

What do you think it means to be a refugee?

What do you think it means to be an American?

When former president Obama says:

After all, almost all of us were strangers once, too. Whether our families crossed the Atlantic, the Pacific, or the Rio Grande, we’re only here because this country welcomed them in, and taught them that to be an American is about something more than what we look like, how our last names sound, or the way we worship. To be an American is to have a shared commitment to an ideal – that all of us are created equal, and all of us deserve the chance to become something better.

... can you trace back in your family's history to when your family was a stranger in America?

What are your favorite books on this topic?

Thanks! 

justice

This weekend I read The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater.

From the book jacket:

One teenager in a skirt. 
One teenager with a lighter.
One moment that changes both of their lives forever.


In November of 2013 in Oakland, California, an agender teenager, Sasha, was riding the 57 bus and was set on fire. In an instant – with the flame from a lighter and a reckless lapse in judgement – the lives of two teenagers were changed forever. 

Richard is a black teen who attends public school and lives with his mother, Jasmine, in a crime-riddled neighborhood. In one tragic, reckless, thoughtless moment Richard holds a lighter to Sasha's skirt. The skirt erupts in flames and Sasha is severely burned. Richard is charged with two hate crimes and at 16 faces being tried as an adult.

The 57 Bus is the true story of two teenagers and the crime that changed their lives. The book explores the ideas of gender identity, class, race, and the juvenile justice system.

The story is empathetic and takes a compassionate look at both teens and their families. The 57 Bus is an amazing work of contemporary non-fiction that belongs in the hands of all teens. Read this book with the young people you know. 

Check out the discussion questions for the book from Macmillan Publishing. Readers are guaranteed to learn more about themselves and the society we live in. 

the poetry of women

"Pero, tú no eres fácil."

You sure ain't an easy one.

There's something amazing about a story told in verse. This week I read The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo. This is the perfect YA book to read for Women's History Month. The Poet X tells the story of Xiomara Batista, an Afro-Latina teen living in Harlem. Her mother is devoutly religious and prefers Xiomara to remain silent, pious, contained. But Xiomara's thoughts and emotions can not be contained; she pours them into her poetry... into her leather bound notebook.

Elizabeth Acevedo is a celebrated slam poet. The Poet X is her debut novel.

Hello, Universe

I just read Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly. On February 12 of this year Hello, Universe won the Newbery Medal for outstanding contribution to children's literature. 

The book takes place over the course of one day. The characters all come together in what seems like a string of crazy coincidences, but...

"There are no coincidences."

This book is a suspenseful adventure that builds empathy for all its characters. While following signs from the Universe, the characters embody creative agency and authentic emotion.

The chain of events that link these middle school characters together is pure magic. The story is told from varied perspectives and makes for a wonderful read. Virgil is shy and quiet. He is on his way to an appointment with Kaori, who is blessed with psychic powers. On his way to meet with Kaori, Virgil runs into Chet Bullens in the woods. Chet is cruel, throwing Virgil's backpack down a well. He does not know that Gulliver, Virgil's pet guinea pig, is inside the backpack. Virgil is not about to let anything dire happen to his beloved pet, and ends up stuck at the bottom of the abandoned well. Little does Virgil know, as he faces the darkness and his many fears, how much he matters to his friends and family. The chapters are short, the suspense palpable, and the characters worthy of knowing.

Get this book for all the middle grade readers you know.

“Sometimes life calls on you 

even when you don't raise your hand.”