April is National Poetry Month, and Librarian Kim Martens-Tyo gathered this list of recommended titles that are currently part of the Library’s collection or are on-order. All were published in 2020 or 2021, and they represent a diverse range of voices and poetry styles, from a collection documenting African American poetic history (African American Poetry:… View more
Lata D’Mello, Co-Director of Programs at Monsoon Asian and Pacific Islanders in Solidarity, spoke with Librarian Meredith Crawford for the latest installment of the Cedar Rapids Public Library’s Read Woke discussion series highlighting organizations and books that center marginalized groups. The conversation followed the March 16 shooting in Atlanta that killed eight, including six women… View more
March is Women’s History Month, and Librarian Heather Meyer-Boothby has curated a list of recommended reads. Narrowing down a short list wasn’t easy when considering the literary impact of half of humanity. “I picked voices that I felt have had a profound cultural impact on women’s lives. I didn’t reach back into classics so much… View more
I Am Jazz by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings This picture book, perfect for young children and families, features a simplified life story of real trans woman and co-author, Jazz Jennings. It features a young Jazz as she works to recognize herself and explain to her family who she really is. Jennings has gone on… View more
Throughout the Library’s Read Woke program, our librarians have been interviewing community members and collecting book recommendations designed to challenge people to educate themselves about others through deliberate, thoughtful reading. For the “Read Woke: Policing and Protest” program, African American Museum of Iowa Executive Director LaNisha Cassell discussed the museum, how the museum’s “Unwavering: 21st… View more
Cool Cuts and Happy Hair by Mechal Renee Roe These two picture books from Roe celebrate many different haircuts and styles for Black children with full page illustrations. Each beautiful, confidence-boosting style highlighting variations in hair texture from person to person is paired with affirmations to charge up self-esteem. Cool Cuts is intended for masculine-presenting… View more
Dr. Mae Jemison, the first African-American female astronaut is quoted as saying, “Never be limited by other people’s limited imaginations.” During Black History month we celebrate the unending creative contributions of the African American community. The unlimited imagination that Black excellence has modeled through history is witnessed in the American canon; whether it is W.E.B…. View more
See what the Cedar Rapids Public Library staff was reading and watching in 2020.
This alternative history for young adults stars Victoria-Margaret, crown princess of the British Empire. She is to spend an incognito summer of debutante balls and negotiations in Canada as she quietly gets to know August Callaghan, a potential husband, away from the glare of London. Genetics is the crown jewel of the Empire where politically… View more
Bree Matthews is a lot of things in this fantasy young adult work from Tracy Deonn. She’s Black. She’s young (and graduated early from high school to be accepted into an early college program at UNC-Chapel Hill). She’s grieving the recent death of her mother and the anger of a life unlived. But she is… View more
