A COMMUNITY "READ"
— sponsored by the WIDC & Woodside Public LibraryWords As Windows PDF

We are so pleased to continue our conversation on the young adult book, Stamped: Racism, Anti Racism, and You (The Remix), by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds. We have decided to reschedule the event to a later date to allow for more members to sign up, get the book (free copies of the book available while supplies last at the Woodside Library, Tuesday-Saturday 11am-4pm.
The book is also available for purchase through Books Inc., with a portion of the proceeds going to support WIDC
), and read the book. 
 
The new date for the Zoom book discussion will be Thursday, September 24th with a specific time TBD.
 
Please take a moment to read about this book series, check out the flyer, and fill out the sign-up form. Below you will also find a video clip of an interview with Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds. Please feel free to share this information with other Woodside school groups. We are happy to open this up to everyone interested in joining us!
 
Words as Windows Community Book Series
 
As the Woodside community reflects on the events of the past weeks and months, issues of social injustice, police brutality, protest, and race are at the forefront of many of our minds. These are topics that require inward reflection, and many of our community members are seeking sources to help educate themselves and guide their thought processes. Researcher Rudine Sims Bishop states that literature can be seen through a theory of windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors. Readers seek to look through literature into different viewpoints and experiences within the world, to see a reflection of themselves in literature, and to use literature as a passageway into another world. As we seek outsources to better understand our world, the Woodside School Inclusion and Diversity Council (WIDC) is sponsoring Words as Windows, a community-wide literature selection and book club series focusing on equity and social justice. The Woodside Library (part of San Mateo County Libraries) is supporting the event by providing resources such as books, book lists, and more.  It is our hope that this book will help guide our community members to process events, reflect, and engage in critical discussions.
 
We are excited to announce that our first community-read will be Stamped: Racism, Anti Racism, and You (The Remix) by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds. This is the young adult version of Dr. Kendi’s critically acclaimed book Stamped from the Beginning. The young adult remix offers a condensed version of the history of slavery in America and reads in a way that is accessible to pre-teens, teens, and adults alike. It is our hope that our community members, adults and students alike, will participate in this community read and join our discussions. Common Sense Media rates this book for ages 12+, but we encourage all parents who feel their children are ready for these discussions to read along with them. If you are looking for books on similar topics for younger children, please refer to these suggested lists provided by San Mateo County Libraries for Pre-K readersElementary readers, and Middle Grade readers.
  
On behalf of WIDC, we look forward to joining together as a community to increase our collective consciousness. We hope that Stamped: Racism, Anti Racism, and You will help you to facilitate productive discussions about systemic racism, the state of our justice system, and the value of all human lives. 
 
If you are interested in joining our discussions and receiving updates about the community read program, please go to https://bit.ly/wordsaswindows
 
“Books are sometimes windows, offering views of worlds that may be real or imagined, familiar or strange. These windows are also sliding glass doors, and readers have only to walk through in imagination to become part of whatever world has been created or recreated by the author. When lighting conditions are just right, however, a window can also be a mirror. Literature transforms human experience and reflects it back to us, and in that reflection, we can see our own lives and experiences as part of a larger human experience.”
Rudine Sims Bishop
 
To learn more details about this initiative, click HERE. Also, if you are interested in joining our discussions and receiving updates about the community read program, please fill out this form or go to https://bit.ly/wordsaswindows.  

Interview w/ Authors
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Reconsidering History: Kendi & Reynolds on new book teaching kids the roots of racism.