The following was submitted by Youth Services Librarian Morgan Walsh of the Island Free Library:
The Island Free Library is excited to announce the launch of a new reading challenge on our virtual reading platform, Beanstack, which we used this summer for our “Imagine Your Story” Summer Reading Program! Cicely Lewis, an activist librarian, created the Read Woke movement in 2017, and has collaborated with Beanstack to bring readers this unique challenge, which we are excited to now be able to bring to Block Island!
Read Woke is designed to challenge people to educate themselves about others through deliberate, thoughtful reading. According to Lewis, a Woke book must meet at least one of the following criteria:
• Challenge a social norm• Come from the point of view of an oppressed group• Provide information about a group that has been disenfranchised•Seek to challenge the status quo• Shed light on an issue that many may not be aware of or perceive as important
The Read Woke challenge can be accessed through www.islandfreelibrary.beanstack.org, and is open to readers of any age! The challenge will begin October 20th, and will run for 12 weeks. Throughout the challenge, the library will be
