The Shorewood Public Library is encouraging readers of all ages to expand their horizons with the Read Woke Challenge. The virtual program began earlier this year and goes through Tuesday, August 31st.
Read Woke invites children, teens, and adults to read books that:
- Challenges social norms
- Gives voice to the voiceless
- Provides information about a group that has been disenfranchised
- Seeks to challenge the status quo
- Has a protagonist from an underrepresented or oppressed group
To participate, readers can sign up at www.shorewoodlibrary.org to start tracking their reading. Readers will earn badges for each book that they read, and they will be entered into a drawing for gift cards to local bookstores at the conclusion of the program.
Read Woke is a national movement created by Cecely Lewis, a school librarian at Meadowcreek High School in Norcross, Georgia. In Lewis’ words, Read Woke is “a feeling, a form of education, a call to action and our right as lifelong learners. It means arming yourself with the knowledge to protect your rights. Learning about others so you treat people with respect and dignity no matter their religion, race, creed, or color.” Reading can be an important tool for understanding complex issues, and books allow us to witness the experiences of those whose lives are different than our own.
More information is available at www.shorewoodlibrary.org.