February 8: A CSW Reading Spotlight + Romantic Reads + More Black History Month Celebrations
EXPLORE
The CSW Library occasionally asks members of our community (faculty, staff, and students) what they are reading, love to read, and a bit about their reading life in an effort to share recommendations and to engage with our wide community of readers. Each feature includes a Q & A with the community member and a series of recommended titles.
For Lizzi Cronin ‘21, a CSW Library Ambassador, reading is about always carrying a book around with you because you never know when you will have a moment to write in the margins or trade titles with friends. They stress the importance of abandoning books that are a slog (“You only have so much time!”) and sometimes texts that teach you about a topic like foraging could be helpful...if you’re lost in the woods. Lizzi recommends books that discuss art, music, poetry, and gender, all while urging you to ask everyone, all the time, what they are reading.
EXPLORE
As we continue our work as a school community in recognizing Black History Month, the CSW Library shares with you two display features: #OWNVOICES African American authors of fiction works published within the last year and Afrerican American thinkers, essayists, memoirists, poets, and more on the other. Please wander through our collections here or visit the CSW Library to see the physical display and check out a title or two.
A reminder: all of our physical displays have a virtual presence, as well.
EXPLORE
As we approach the Hallmark holiday that is Valentine’s Day, consider exploring our collection of new titles that have “Never Been Kissed”...er, checked out of our library for reading. These titles feature a range: from romantic, sweet endings to unconventional love stories and unique relationships. We urge you to dip into a little love this bleak February.
READ
Each week, the CSW Library will highlight one new title to our collection in our BOOK OF THE WEEK feature to help you choose (or not choose) your next read.
THE BLACK KIDS by CHRISTINA HAMMONDS REED
QUICK TAKE
Los Angeles, 1992. Ashley Bennett is one of very few black students attending her private high school, and the lone Black girl in her group of friends. It’s the end of senior year and they’re living the charmed life, spending more time at the beach than in the classroom. On TV, the trial of four of the police officers who brutally beat Rodney King plays incessantly. When the verdict is revealed and riots start to close in on Ashley and her family, Ashley finds herself caught between worlds and suddenly, she’s not just one of the girls. She’s one of the Black kids.
GOOD TO KNOW
WHERE TO CHECK IT OUT
CSW—a gender-inclusive day and boarding school for grades 9-12—is a national leader in progressive education. We live out our values of inquiry-based learning, student agency, and embracing diverse perspectives in every aspect of our student experience. Young people come to CSW to learn how to learn and then put what they learn into action—essential skills they carry into their futures as doers, makers, innovators, leaders, and exceptional humans who do meaningful work in the world.