Renewal: Books for March 2022

March 3, 2022 Miriam Davis

Life is full of both joy and sorrow, opportunity and challenge, dark and light. Sometimes it’s all so good we feel we might burst! Other times, trying to hold it all is so difficult it can be hard to remain hopeful.

At times when everything feels like it’s falling apart - the climate, racism, the pandemic, book banning, political divides we need to believe that goodness is real. We need to know that more is possible. We need to renew our awareness of all that is good in and around us, all the possibilities that already exist.

Where can we find renewal? How do we keep hope alive? In what can we place our faith that everything is going to be OK?

“Once a reporter asked A.J. Muste, "Do you really think you are going to change the policies of this country by standing out here alone at night in front of the White House with a candle?"

Muste replied softly: "Oh I don't do this to change the country. I do this so the country won't change me.”

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Your mileage may vary. The answers are different for different individuals, and different communities. But faith may be more of an action than a thing upon which we can place hope. Maybe its practice can bring about renewal. Maybe it’s more about remembering what we love, who we want to be, and how we want the world to be, than about trust that things will work out.

Renewal comes in many forms, and varies from person to person. For some, it’s laughing and joining in a group that makes us feel joyful and alive. For others, its moments of stillness, meditation, or long walks in fresh air. It might be watching movies, exercising, knitting, or reading, or maybe even reading or sharing some of the books on this list. It might come from commitment or rededication to promises, it might come from sunsets. This month, we share books about finding Renewal in places available to us all:

Ourselves - the practice of trusting our gifts
Promises - the practice of making and honoring agreements
Each Other - the practice of joining together
Simple Things - the practice of noticing the richness we already, and always, possess

The books in the curated list below, all written by or about people with identities and/or from communities that are under-published and under-represented in literature, each draw upon these themes. These, and hundreds more, are available for loan to our library patrons. Click “Borrow A Book” to learn how to bring these and other books home. If you’re not local to our lending program, please refer to these suggestions when looking for books. May this list help you and yours to find renewal.

*Monthly themes adapted from the work of Soul Matters Sharing Circle https://www.soulmatterssharingcircle.com

Finding Renewal in Ourselves - the practice of trusting our gifts

Board Books

I Can Do it Too! - Karen Baicker, author; Ken Wilson-Max, illustrator
Hands Can - Cheryl Willis Hudson, author; John-Fracis Bourke, photographer

Picture Books

Uniquely Wired:A Story About Autism and its Gifts - Julia Cook, author; Anita DuFalla, illustrator
Rae’s First Day written by Danny Jordan and illustrated by Agustina Perciante
Red: A Crayon’s Story, written and illustrated by Michael Hall
Magnificent Homespun Brown: A Celebration - written by Samara Cole Doyon, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita
The Girl and the Wolf written by Katherena Vermette, pictures by Julie Flett
Aaron Slater, Illustrator (The Questioneers) written by Andrea Beaty and illustrated by David Roberts

Juvenile

The Boy Who Grew Flowers - Jen Wojtowicz, author; Steve Adams, illustrator

My Story, My Dance: Robert Battle’s Journey to Alvin Ailey written by Lesa Cline-Ransome, with a foreword by Robert Battle

Middle Grades

The Real Boy - Anne Ursu, author; Erin McGuire illustrator

Adult

Special Topics in Being a Human: A Queer and Tender Guide to Things I’ve Learned the Hard Way about Caring for People, Including Myself, written by S. Bear Bergman with illustrations by Saul Freedman-Lawson

Finding Renewal in Promises and Commitments - the practice of making and honoring agreements

Board Books

Nibi is Water by Joanne Robertson

Picture Books

I Have the Right to be a Child written by Alain Serres, illustrated by Aurelia Fronty, translated by Helen Mixter
The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist - Cynthia Levinson, author; Vanessa Brantley-Newton
Vote for Our Future! - Margaret McNamara, author; Micah Player, illustrator
All the Way to the Top: How One Girl’s Fight for Americans with Disabilities Changed Everything - Annette Bay Pimentel, author; Nabi Ali, illustrator.
V is for Voting - written by Kate Farrell; illustrations by Caitlin Kuhwald

Juvenile

The Promise written by Nicola Davies, with illustrations from Laura Carlin

The Book Rescuer: How a Mensch from Massachusetts Saved Yiddish Literature for Generations to Come; writing by Sue Macy, artwork by Stacy Innerst
Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh

Juvenile & Middle Grades

What’s the Big Deal About Elections; writing by Ruby Shamir, illustrations by Matt Faulkner

Finding Renewal in Each Other - the practice of joining together

Board Books

Together - author, Mona Damluji; illustrator, Innosanto Nagara
Daddy, Papa, and Me written by Leslea Newman, illustrated by Carol Thompson
Mommy, Mama, and Me written by Leslea Newman, illustrated by Carol Thompson
The More We Are Together by Children’s Press

PIcture Books

Love is Powerful written by Heather Dean Brewer, with illustrations by LeUyen Pham
47,000 Beads, written by Koja Adeyoha and Angel Adeyoha
Because written by Mo Willems, illustrated by Amber Ren
My Family Plays Music - Judy Cox, author; Elbrite Brown, illustrator
Sometimes People March by Tessa Allen
Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-Ins written by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Jerome Lagarrigue Lagarrigue
Si, Se Puede! / Yes, We Can! Janitor Strike in L.A. by Diana Cohn

Juvenile

IntersectionAllies: We Make Room for All by Chelsea Johnson

Middle Grades

Take Back the Block by Chrystal D. Giles
The Grand Mosque of Paris: A Story of How Muslims Rescued Jews During the Holocaust by Karen Gray Ruelle

Middle Grades & Teen

A Dream of Freedom: the civil rights movement from 1954 to 1968 by Diane McWhorter
Together We March: 25 Protest Movements that Marched into History by Leah Henderson, illustrated by Tyler Feder

Teen

March, Book One; March, Book Two; March, Book Three - John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, authors; Nate Powell, illustrator

Adult

The Interfaith Family Journal - Suan Katz Miller

Finding Renewal in Simple Things - the practice of noticing the richness we already, and always, possess

Board Book

My Heart Fills with Happiness by Monique Gray Smith
Hands Can - Cheryl Willis Hudson, author; John-Fracis Bourke, photographer
Little You - Richard Van Camp and Julie Flett

Picture Book

Layla’s Happiness by Mariahadessa Ekere Tallie, with illustrations by Ashleigh Corrin
Lily Brown’s Paintings, written by Angela Johnson, with illustrations by E. B. Lewis
All We Need written by Kathy Wolff, illustrated by Margaux Meganick
Here and Now by Julia Denos
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
You Matter by Christian Robinson

Juvenile

Love Your Body, Jessica Sanders
Children Just Like Me: A Unique Celebration of Children Around the World - Anabel Kindersley with Unicef
Chicken Sunday by Patricia Polacco

Middle Grades

Lucky Broken Girl - Ruth Behar, writer

Middle Grades & Teen

Hope in the Holler - Lisa Lewis Tyre, author
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate - Jaqueline Kelly, author
The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate - Jaqueline Kelly, author
Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World, Rachel Ignotofsky author

Widening Our Circles: Books for February 2022

January 31, 2022 Miriam Davis

As Grandpa says in one of our favorite books, “All Around Us” written by Xelena Gonzalez and illustrated by Adriana M Garcia, “Circles are all around us. We just have to look for them.” And it’s true, circles are all around us, even within us, and we within them, from the tiny circles of cells and atoms to the circle of the water cycle with rain falling from the clouds, filling up reservoirs, travelling through rivers, evaporating up again, and coming back down.

One thing that all circles have in common is that they form a boundary between what is inside and what is outside. And that boundary marks a distinction: everything inside the circle shares something in common that is not shared by what is outside the circle. Socially, this can look like belonging to a group with a common interest like cycling or knitting where everyone in the group participates in that activity and has a sense of belonging to that group. People outside the group may, or may not, also enjoy that activity, but for many possible reasons, they do not share a sense of belonging to that particular group. They are not part of that circle.

However, it can be hard to reconcile the tension between enjoying the belonging and comfort found within a group, and the growth and excitement that comes from widening our circles and letting the outside in. How do you attend to your own growth and development, and participate in and nurture your circles, while also cultivating the curiosity and openness that allows you and your groups to grow and evolve? How do groups foster the trust within that allows them to grow, while simultaneously welcoming newcomers?

It’s also important to be aware of the difference between firm and porous boundaries, and to question who is involved in forming and maintaining a circle or group. Who is in, who is out, and why? Firm boundaries can become overly insulating as well as exclusionary, making it difficult to recognize and honor all people as worthy of being held within a circle of love and worth. In addition, many people have been, and still are, excluded from circles, not because of lack of affinity, but because of discrimination and prejudice. Remembering to consider who is, and who isn’t, forming, maintaining, joining and participating in a circle, and whether the group’s boundaries are fixed or movable, helps create circles that can be widened and maintain a society that is welcoming, inviting, inclusive and just.

This month, we make our way together towards wider circles by sharing books that offer tools and inspiration for:

widening our self acceptance,
widening our love,
widening our understanding of history, and
widening our commitment to community free from racism and oppression.

*Monthly themes adapted from the work of Soul Matters Sharing Circle https://www.soulmatterssharingcircle.com

Widening Our Self Acceptance

Picture Books

Sulwe written by Nyong’o Lupita, illustrations by Vashti Harrison
Big Hair, Don’t Care - Crystal Swain-Bates author; Megan Bair, illustrator
Tough Guys Have Feelings Too written and illustrated by Keith Negley
Your Name is a Song by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, author, and Luisa Uribe, illustrator
Bodies are Cool by Tyler Feder
Beautifully Me by Nabela Noor
You Matter - Christian Robinson author and illustrator

Juvenile & Up

Love Your Body by Jessica Sanders
Zoe in Wonderland by Brenda Woods

Middle Grades

Unsettled written by Reem Faruqi, illustrated by Soumbal Qureshi
Zoe in Wonderland by Brenda Woods
Other Boys written and illustrated by Damian Alexander

Teen & Up

All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by George M. Johnson
Girls Write Now: Two Decades of True Stories from Young Female Writers - Girls Write Now contributors
I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver
Special Topics in Being a Human: A Queer and Tender Guide to Things I’ve Learned the Hard Way about Caring for People, Including Myself - S. Bear Bergman, author; Saul Freedman-Lawson, illustrator

Adult

All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by George M. Johnson

Widening Our Love

Board Book

Love Makes A Family by Sophie Beer
Good Night Families (Good Night Our World) - Adam Gamble, author; Kelly Cooper, illustrator
Mommy, Mama, and Me by Leslea Newman
Hugs of Three: My Daddies and Me by Dr. Stacey Bromberg
And Tango Makes Three - Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, authors; Henry Cole, illustrator
Nibi is Water by Joanne Robertson

Picture Book

Grandma Comes to Stay (First Experiences) by Ifeoma Onyefulu
A Friend for Henry - Jenn Bailey, author; Mika Song, illustrator
I Am Love: A Book of Compassion - Susan Verde, author; Peter H. Reynolds, illustrator
You Matter - Christian Robinson author and illustrator
A Manual for Marco: Living, Learning and Laughing with an Autistic Sibling by Shaila Abdullah, author, and Iman Tejpar, illustrator

Juvenile & Up

Why Are You Looking At Me? I Just Have Down Syndrome written by Lisa Tompkins and illustrated by Ryan Eubanks

Middle Grades

Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson

Teen and Up

Special Topics in Being a Human: A Queer and Tender Guide to Things I’ve Learned the Hard Way about Caring for People, Including Myself - S. Bear Bergman, author; Saul Freedman-Lawson, illustrator

Adult

The Gender Creative Child: Pathways for Nurturing and Supporting Children Who Live Outside Gender Boxes - Diane Ehrensaft, author.
Unconditional: A Guide to Loving and Supporting Your LGBTQ Child by Telaina Eriksen

Widening Our History by Expanding What We Tell & How We Tell It

Board Book

This Little Trailblazer: A Girl Power Primer written by Joan Holub and illustrated by Daniel Roode
Cradle Me (Navajo and English Edition) by Debby Slier

Picture Book

The People Remember with words by Ibi Zoboi and pictures by Loveis Wise
The 1619 Project: Born on the Water words by Nikole Hannah-Jones & Renee Watson, pictures by Nikkolas Smith’
All Around Us by Xelena Gonzalez
When We Were Alone written by David Alexander Robertson and illustrated by Julie Flett
Enough: 20 Protesters Who Changed America - Emily Easton, author; Ziyue Chen, illustrator

Juvenile & Up

I Am Not a Number by Jenny Kay Dupuis
We Are Still Here!: Native American Truths Everyone Should Know by Traci Sorell
Amelia to Zora: Twenty-Six Women Who Changed the World by Cynthia Chin-Lee
The People Remember by Ibi Zoboi, author, and Loveis Wise, illustrator
Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre written by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Floyd Cooper

Middle Grades

An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States for Young People by Roxanne Dunbar Ortiz
Show Me A Sign by Ann Clare LeZotte
1621: A New look at Thanksgiving by Catherine O’Neill Grace

Teen

Freedom’s A-Callin Me - Ntozange Shange, author; Rod Brown, illustrator
Modern HERstory: Stories of Women and Nonbinary People Rewriting History - Blair Imani, author; Monique Le, illustrator; Tegan and Sara, Foreword.
Speaking Our Truth: A Journey of Reconciliation by Monique Gray Smith
Lies My Teacher Told Me: Young Readers Edition: Everything American History Textbooks Get Wrong by James W. Loewen, adapted by Rebecca Stefoff

Adult

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James W. Loewen
The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Widening Our Commitment to Building the Beloved Community, Free from Racism and Oppression

Boardbooks

A is for Activist by Innosanto Nagara

Picture Book

A is for Activist by Innosanto Nagara
The People Remember by Ibi Zoboi, author, and Loveis Wise, illustrator
Sofia Valdez, Future Prez written by Andrea Beaty and illustrated by David Roberts
She’s My Dad!: A Story for Children Who Have a Transgender Parent or Relative written by Sarah Savage, illustrated by Joules Garcia
V is for Voting - Kate Farrell, author; Caitlin Kuhwald, illustrator
All Because You Matter - author, Tamil Charles; illustrator Bryan Collier
Young Water Protectors: A Story About Standing Rock by Aslan and Kelly Tudor

Juvenile

We Shall Overcome - Bryan Collier, illustrator
Let’s Talk About Race by Julius Lester
Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness - written and illustrated by Anastasia Higginbotham
When A Bully is President: Truth and Creativity for Oppressive TImes by Maya Gonzalez

Middle Grades & Up

Girl Warriors: How 25 Young Activists are Saving the Earth by Rachel Sarah
This Book is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do the Work by Tiffany Jewel

Teen

All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by George M. Johnson
Wake, Rise, Resist: The Progressive Teen’s Guide to Fighting Tyrants and A*holes - Joanna Spathis and Kerri Kennedy, authors.

adult

All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by George M. Johnson
Antiracist Baby - words by Ibram X. Kendi, illustrations by Ashley Lukashevsky
Trans Allyship Workbook: Building Skills to Support Trans People in our Lives - Davey Shlasko, author; Kai Hofius, illustrator
Waking Up White, and Finding Myself in the Story of Race by Debby Irving
Raising Antiracist Kids by Nicole C. Lee, Esq.
Brown: The Last Discovery of America by Richard Rodriguez
3 Keys to Defeating Unconscious Bias: Watch, Think, Act by Sondra Thienderman
How We Fight White Supremacy: A Field Guide to Black Resistance by Akiba Solomon
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi

Cultivating Relationship: Books for October 2021

October 1, 2021 Miriam Davis

This month, we share books that demonstrate the many ways in which we cultivate relationships, and the skills and tools we use to do so.

We humans are a social species. Even the most introverted among us needs others to engage with, to feel recognized, seen and heard. Our relationships are fundamental to our health; as individuals, as families, as communities, and as one global community. It is often only from within relationships, whether with self, others or the universe, that we are able to grow and change. Furthermore, pandemic time has revealed, possibly to an even greater extent than we may have realized before, cultivating relationships is important. But how do we do that? What does it take to nurture and sustain relationships? How do we ensure our relationships are vibrant, healthy and just? What tools and skills do we need for success?

As we explore this theme, we examine how we cultivate relationships

with ourselves,
with our family and friends; ,
with the communities of which we are a part,
and with our global community (human and non-human);

and some of the skills we can use to ensure our relationships are vibrant, just and healthy:

making and living up to agreements, promises and covenants,
listening, communicating and truth telling,
atoning, forgiving, repairing and rebuilding,
practicing empathy and being true to yourself.

This month’s book list includes books that focus both on who we cultivate relationships with, as well as how we cultivate them. Some books naturally fall into both multiple categories.

Who we cultivate relationships with:

With self:

picture books

Listening with My Heart: A story of kindness and self-compassion by Gabi Garcia and Ying Hui Tan (Illustrator)
It’s Okay To Be Different, Todd Parr
Magnificent Homespun Brown: A Celebration written by Samara Coyle Doyon and illustrated by Kaylani Juanita
I Can Do Hard Things: Mindful Affirmations for Kids written by Gabi Garcia, illustrated by Charity Russell

With family and friends:

Board Book

Love Makes a Family, Sophie Beer
Cradle Me (Navajo/English) by Debby Slier and various photographers
Mommy, Mama, and Me / Daddy, Papa, and Me by Leslea Newman
Hugs of Three: My Daddies and Me / Hugs of Three: My Mommies and Me by Stacey Bromberg and Joe Taravella
The More We Are Together by Tanya Roitman
Good Night Families by Adam Gamble
Welcome, Precious by Nikki Grimes and illustrated by Bryan Collier

Picture book

Yo! Yes?, Chris Raschka
The 1619 Project: Born on the Water, Nikole Hannah-Jones (author) and Renee Watson (illustrator)

Juvenile

Chicken Sunday by Patricia Polacco

Middle Grades

How I Became a Ghost - A Choctaw Trail of Tears Story (Book 1 in the How I Became a Ghost Series) by Tim Tingle
When a Ghost Talks, Listen (Book 2 in the How I Became A Ghost series) by Tim Tingle
The Whole Story of Half a Girl by Verra Hiranandani

Teen

Darius the Great is Not Okay, Adib Khorram
Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet by Laekan Zea Kemp

With community/ies:

Board book

Counting on Community by Innosanto Nagara
One Love by Cedella Marley and Vanessa Brantley-Newton

picture book

Maybe Something Beautiful: How Art Transformed a Neighborhood by F. Isabel Campoy
The Cot in the Living Room by Hilda Eunice Burgos and illustrated by Gaby D’Alessandro

Picture Book / Juvenile

Chicken Sunday by Patricia Polacco
When You Look Out the Window: How Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin Built A Community by Gayle E. Pitman

Juvenile

When a Bully is President: Truth and Creativity for Oppressive Times by Maya Gonzalez
The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth, and Harlem’s Greatest Bookstore by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson

Middle Grades

Sharing our Homeland: Palestinian and Jewish Children at Summer Peace Camp by Trish Marx and illustrator Cindy Karp
Take Back the Block by Chrystal D. Giles

Middle Grades / Teen

Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids, edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Adult

Outwitting History: The Amazing Adventures of a Man Who Rescued a Million Yiddish Books by Aaron Lansky

With the world (human and non-human):

Board Book

Nibi is Water by Joanne Robertson

Picture Book

Birrarung Wilam: A Story from Aboriginal Australia by Aunty Joy Murphy
Change Sings: A Children’s Anthem by Amanda Gorman and illustrated by Loren Long
Because Amelia Smiled, written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein
Outside In by Deborah Underwood

Teen

When They Call You A Terrorist (Young Adult Edition): A Story of Black Lives Matter and the Power to Change the World by asha bandele and Patrisse Khan-Cullors, adapted by Benee Knauer

Adult

Road Map for Revolutionaries: Resistance, Activism, and Advocacy for All by Elisa Camahort Page

How we cultivate relationships:

Making and living up to agreements, promises, covenants:

Picture Books

You Hold Me Up / Ki Kihceyimin Mana by Monique Gray Smith

Juvenile

The Promise, author Nicola Davies and illustrator Laura Carlin

Middle Grades

This Promise of Change: One Girl’s Story in the Fight for School Equality by Jo Ann Allen Boyce and Debbie Levy

Teen

When They Call You A Terrorist (Young Adult Edition): A Story of Black Lives Matter and the Power to Change the World by asha bandele and Patrisse Khan-Cullors, adapted by Benee Knauer

Adult

Unconditional: A Guide to Loving and Supporting Your LGBTQ Child by Telaina Eriksen

Listening, communicating and truth telling:

Picture Books

47,000 Beads by Koja Adeyoha
Yo! Yes? By Chris Raschka
Something Happened in Our Town: A Child’s Story About Racial Injustice by Marianne Celano

Juvenile

We Are Still Here!: Native American Truths Everyone Should Know by Traci Sorell and Frane Lessac (illustrator)

Juvenile & Middle Grades

I Can Make this Promise by Christine Day
Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre written by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Floyd Cooper

Middle Grades

Listen, Slowly by Thanhha Lai
How I Became a Ghost - A Choctaw Trail of Tears Story (Book 1 in the How I Became a Ghost Series) by Tim Tingle
When a Ghost Talks, Listen (Book 2 in the How I Became A Ghost series) by Tim Tingle

Teen

Speaking Our Truth: A Journey of Reconciliation, Monique Gray Smith
They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, illustrated by Harmony Becker

Practicing empathy and being true to yourself:

Board Book

Calm-Down Time written by Elizabeth Verdick, illustrated by Marieka Heinlen
Clive and His Babies (All About Clive) by Jessica Spanyol

Picture Book

The Boy & the Bindi written by Vivek Shraya, illustrated by Rajni Perera
Bunnybear by Andrea J. Loney, illustrated by Carmen Saldana
When We Were Alone, written by David Alexander Robertson and illustrated by Julie Flett

Juvenile

Cinderella Liberator by Rebecca Solnit (author) and Arthur Rackham (illustrator)

Teen

Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out, Susan Kuklin

Adult

Becoming Nicole: The inspiring story of transgender actor-activist Nicole Maines and her extraordinary family, written by Amy Ellis Nutt
A Clown in Cobwebs by Walt Nelson

Atoning, forgiving, repairing and rebuilding:

Picture Book / Juvenile

Chicken Sunday by Patricia Polacco
Golden Threads by Suzanne Del Rizzo

Middle Grades

Sunshine by Marion Dane Bauer

Teen

Lies My Teacher Told Me: Young Readers’ Edition: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James W. Lowewen, adapted by Rebecca Stefoff
Just Mercy: A True Story of the Fight for Justice (Adapted for Young Adults), by Bryan Stevenson
We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices, edited by Wade Hudson

Adult

Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James W. Loewen
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
The Little Book of Restorative Justice in Education: Fostering Responsibility, Healing, and Hope in Schools (Justice and Peacebuilding) by Katherine Evans

Beloved Community: Books for February 2021

February 2, 2021 Miriam Davis

Beloved Community is a term coined by philosopher Josiah Royce and popularized by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.. Dr. King imagined Beloved Community as a society based on justice, equity, peace and love of others. He deepened and broadened the meaning of Beloved Community to refer to “a global vision, in which all people can share in the wealth of the earth” (thekingcenter.org). It is a vision where the inevitability of human conflict is recognized, but a pervasive commitment to and skillfulness with nonviolence means that no conflict would lead to inequality, discrimination, or harm.

This month, we explore four themes within the richness of Beloved Community. These themes demonstrate and encourage ways we can be, live in and work towards creating communities in which all people are honored, loved, healed, celebrated and working towards justice.

Beloved Community is a special kind of community. It is a community where . . . .

. . . black leaders are honored
. . . love grows beyond bounds
. . . wounds are healed
. . . we keep working when things get difficult, uncomfortable or we make mistakes.

The books in the curated list below, all written by or about people, communities and identities under represented in published literature, each draw upon these Beloved Community themes. These books, and hundreds more, are all available for loan to our library patrons as well as TVUUC members and families. Click “Borrow A Book” to learn how to bring these and other books home. If you’re not able to check books out, please refer to these suggestions when looking for books exploring Beloved Community. And if you want to support our efforts, visit https://cdjlibrary.org/support to learn how you can do that.

How are you creating Beloved Community?

*Monthly themes adapted from the work of Soul Matters Sharing Circle https://www.soulmatterssharingcircle.com