Long Beach Public Library Foundation

What made you choose Hello, Universe as your recommendation?

Erin Entrada Kelly is the first author of Filipino descent to be awarded the most prestigious award in children’s literature, the Newbery Medal, and she won it for this book. Hello, Universe tells the story of a shy Filipino boy named Virgil Salinas and three fellow middle schoolers whose worlds collide in unexpected ways. Published in 2017, this book resonated with me because it was one of the first times I ever saw myself–my culture, my family–in a book, as the stories and experiences of Filipino Americans are not often reflected in American literature. As a longtime children’s librarian, this book made me cry because of its candid and heartwarming depictions of Filipino American intergenerational family life. To me, this book embodies the power of telling diverse stories and how affirming and inclusive literature can and should be.

Where there any stand-out scenes?

There’s a scene where Virgil observes his grandmother, or lola, slicing mangos. The way that Entrada Kelly described this simple act really hit me because it’s something my lola did for me when I was a child and brought up a lot of powerful personal memories.

What do you hope other readers get from reading your book recommendation?

I never realized until I read Hello, Universe how starved I was to see these cultural aspects of my own experience on a page. Representation matters and I hope readers someday get to see themselves reflected in literature if they haven’t already.

Do you prefer paperbacks or e-books?

Paperbacks!

What was the last book you read?

Crying in H Mart. Find it at your local library branch here.

What made you choose The Bluest Eye as your recommendation?

Some of the best learnings come from books that are tough to read. This is one of those books. In this book, her first novel, Morrison, takes a stark look at racism and a quest for equality and authenticity through the eyes of a young African-American girl in the depression era. We have to remember when it was written and how much things have changed, and how much things can still improve.

What are your favorite genres to read?

I love history. My parents got my brother and me library cards when we were in elementary school so we learned how to use them early. Randy and I loved to read. I really loved bios on people. Just like I love documentaries on streaming and television now. I still like true stories about people – people’s stories inspire me.

What do you hope other readers get from reading your book recommendation?

I had wanted to read this book for years and it took me a while to get to it and it was worth it. It is a heartfelt look at a difficult story. Never give up on a good book. As they say, it’s better late than never.

How old were you when you got your first library card?

I was in Elementary school at Los Cerritos Elementary in Long Beach when I got my first Long Beach Public Library card. 

As a kid I asked if I could use my parents library card and the first library I remember going to was at Los Cerritos elementary school. We also went to Harte Library on W. Willow.  

Reading for free was a privilege which our parents were very clear on. Also having a choice of what we were able to read was also a privilege.

What made you choose The Diary of a Young Girl as your recommendation?

I choose The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank as my book because I believe it is a book that speaks to the troubles of our time. The Holocaust and the death of millions of Jews, Soviet POWs, Poles, Roma and Sinti, the disabled and LGBTQ persons at the hands of the Nazis demonstrates in the most horrible of examples the danger and horror of prejudice and bias. But Anne’s diary also speaks of the courage and kindness of those willing to hide and help those who were targeted by the Nazis. Courage and kindness are what we need very much today. Her most famous quote is the first of these three sentences that follow, but the hope she demonstrates in the first sentence and following two are remarkable considering her circumstance when she wrote them, “In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart. I simply can’t build up my hopes on a foundation consisting of confusion, misery, and death. I see the world gradually being turned into a wilderness, I hear the ever approaching thunder, which will destroy us too, I can feel the sufferings of millions and yet, if I look up into the heavens, I think that it will all come right, that this cruelty too will end, and that peace and tranquility will return again.”

Were there any stand-out scenes or particular passages from your recommended book that have impacted your life?

Anne’s quote, In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart.” This is a sentiment I think of when I despair about the world or a personal circumstance. If she could have this optimism in her situation, surely I can in a much less dire situation.

What do you hope other readers get from reading your book recommendation?

I hope they would understand that prejudice never has a good outcome. Kindness and the courage to say that something is wrong or untrue will make this a better country and a better world.

 How old were you when you got your first library card?

I don’t remember not having one.

Did someone read to you when you were a child?

Yes, my mother was a reader and read to my sister and me until we learned to read. This habit has served me well in school and my work life.

Do you prefer paperbacks or e-books?

Although I prefer physical books to e-books, sometimes I am eager to begin a particular book and if the e-book is available from the library, I download it so I can begin reading it right away.

What are your favorite genres to read?

Mystery, historical fiction, literary fiction and humor.

Where is your favorite place to read?

My sofa. 

Is there an author you’d like to meet? Can you share their name or work?

Anne Tyler, I loved her novels Breathing Lessons, Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, and The Accidental Tourist, among others.

What’s the last book you read?

Cannery Row (which you can find at your local neighborhood library branch by clicking here)

What book will you read next?

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store

What made you choose Success Runs in Our Race to recommend to the community?

In my opinion, Success Runs in Our Race is a book folk can use to increase their ability to network, get together to get ahead, grow spiritually, and develop the resources leading to greater wealth and relationship success. The book allows us to realize our connectedness to one another and to share, give, and maximize all of our community and business resources.

Were there any stand-out scenes or particular passages from your recommended book that have impacted your life?

“It takes teamwork to make the dream work”

What do you hope other readers get from reading your book recommendation?

More than a guide for personal achievement, Success Runs in our Race is an information-packed bible of networking that also seeks to inspire a social movement and a rebirth of the “Underground Railroad,” in which successful African Americans share the lessons of self-determination and empowerment with those still struggling to scale the ladder of success.

 How old were you when you got your first library card?

9

How did your recommended book make you think or feel about a certain topic or issue?

Made me think about what can happen when Black entrepreneurs, professionals and civic leaders come together to effect positive change in our community.

What did you learn from the book or what did it teach you about yourself or others?

That Black people are often our own worst enemy, relying on others who have more evidence of their disdain for us than concern, to help us solve our problems.

Did someone read to you when you were a child?

My mom

Has a book ever changed your life?

Not the book itself, but the decision to take action based on what I read…Success Runs in our Race

Do you prefer paperbacks or e-books?

Paperbacks

What are your favorite genres to read?

Technical/professional development

Where is your favorite place to read?

On my patio

Is there an author you’d like to meet? Can you share their name or work?

The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream by Barack Obama

What’s the last book you read?

Smart Brevity: The Power of Saying More With Less (Which, by the way is available at Mark Twain Neighborhood Library)