November 2 – Celebrate Native American Heritage Month
READ
Need to step away from the 2020 Election news cycle? Read this interview in Believer Magazine with Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of Braiding the Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants, who discusses things like what mosses can teach us about uncertainty and the symbiosis of plants, animals, and humans. It might provide you with some much needed hope. Want to read Wall Kimmerer’s book? Swing by the library to pick up a copy or fill out this form.
EXPLORE
EXPLORE
The CSW Library acknowledges Native American Heritage Month annually in November. As part of the ongoing celebration, we have curated a list of current, and critically important, Indigenous authors of fiction and poetry who have made substantial contributions to the literary arts. This first collection features both writers who have been publishing for decades (think Louise Erdrich and US poet laureate Joy Harjo) and those that are newer to writing, like Tommy Orange and Darcie Little Badger. Each offers a distinctive perspective and lasting impact on Indigenous culture through their work--and remind us that they come from unique Native Nations with different beliefs, customs, and world views. This list features stories across genres and generations, reminding us that Indigenous writers are living, thriving, and creating.
All of our physical displays are available digitally. Browse everything that’s currently available in the CSW Library here.
DO
DO
Attend the Thursday, November 12 (at 4 p.m.) Boston Public Library virtual author talk with Leah Johnson, whose debut novel You Should See Me in a Crown was an instant hit. You Should See Me in a Crown follows Liz, a high school senior who decides to run for prom queen in hopes of winning the associated scholarship. But that's easier said than done when you're one of the only Black kids at your school, suffer from social anxiety, and are in the closet but developing a crush on a fellow prom queen hopeful. If this piques your interest, consider checking the book out from the CSW Library. It is also available in our digital collection as an ebook and on audio.
The event is free; just follow this link to register in advance and the zoom link will be shared with registrants via email prior to the event.
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.
CONDITIONAL CITIZENS by LAILA LALAMI
QUICK TAKE
Drawing on history, politics and her personal experiences as a naturalized citizen, the author illustrates how partial acceptance into American society based on such factors as race, faith and perceived assimilation creates a caste system in which some citizens are embraced as more fully “American” than others. In this essay collection, she explores the rights, liberties and protections that are traditionally associated with U.S. citizenship, but which are not granted equitably to all.
GOOD TO KNOW
WHERE TO CHECK IT OUT
This title is available for check out in our physical collection, as well as available digitally through SORA in ebook and on audio.
LISTEN
LISTEN
Patrick Murphy was convicted of murder by the state of Oklahoma in 2000. But defense attorneys soon discovered that his conviction may have been based on a lie. Hosted by Rebecca Nagle, an Oklahoma journalist and citizen of the Cherokee Nation, this podcast will provide an in depth look at how a cut and dry murder case opened an investigation into half the land in Oklahoma and the treaty rights of five tribes. Follow along to find out what’s at stake, the Trump administration’s involvement, the larger right wing attack on tribal sovereignty and how one unique case resulted in the largest restoration of tribal land in US history.
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.