Episode 815: DEI Books

Reading with Libraries Podcast

This is our season finale! It's been so great to read with you all season - thanks for sharing this journey with us. As we always do, we will be on hiatus for the summer. But don't worry about being left with no book discussion! We will be dropping a short Browsing Books episode every Tuesday here, with a fun fact about a Minnesota county, and six book suggestions to go with the fact. And we'll be back with another season of Reading With Libraries in September!

Usually our final episode of the season looks at Minnesota books and authors, and of course we are always fans and supporters of these books! This season we are taking a different direction, and taking a closer look at DEI books - books that discuss diversity, equity, and inclusion.

As library people, we of course recognize and celebrate the need and opportunity to add books to a collection to ensure everyone in the community will see themselves in a book. And books also give us a chance to reach beyond ourselves and our own experiences to learn more about other people. This should not be controversial - it's a chance to enjoy new books, learn about new experiences, and build empathy for people's lives.

And we have a special guest joining us this week: Zurya Anjum is a member of the CMLE Board of Trustees and also the Great River Regional Library System Board! She is a parent, concerned about bringing the best books to schools; and she is a fan of promoting wider reading opportunities for DEI books. Thanks so much for joining us, Zurya!