Welcome to Litsy!

“[‘The Circuit‘] proves that one‘s struggles and adversities do not define how far someone can go.” https://wowlit.org/on-line-publications/review/xi-4/7/

I have nearly 12 hours in of #24in48 and I‘m exhausted—I had to work a few hours today, so I didn‘t sleep much last night. ;)

Other than a dinner break, I‘ve pretty much been reading non-stop since 2:00. My ears AND eyes hurt. 😂

This was a quick book—probably best for middle grade students—of short stories about life as a migrant worker. It was at times sweet and often very sad. I read it as part of the #ReadHarder2017 challenge. It was my #bannedbook since it was banned by the Tucson School District as part of their ban on cultural studies 🙄. Nothing even remotely objectionable in here, just a lot of hardship and resilience. 3.5/5 stars.

I was going to take a picture of The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Sáenz, but forgot before I left this morning! I saw him speak in March and that one is still on my TBR.

One thing I enjoy about doing these photo challenges is finding new books to fit the themes. In the library today I found this series of memoirs from Francisco Jimenez about immigrating to America from Mexico, his childhood as a migrant worker and life beyond.

This short novel was a beautiful insight into life on the migrant circuit: Hard work, long days, terrible pay, worse living conditions and picking up and moving often with little or no notice.

Throughout the story the author also finds the beauty of life and nuggets of humor. The first in a trilogy, I hear the others are even better.

#notawhiteprotagonist
#immigrationstories

Yesterday at the library I had a button making event for all ages. People could create using our materials, or bring their own. We had about 40 people.

My husband designed these buttons for our community March on Sunday ❤️.

I cannot recommend these true stories highly enough. The sequel, Breaking Through, is also beautiful. I was first exposed to Francisco Jiménez when I read the heartbreaking short story, Cajas de Cartón, for a college Spanish class, and I recommend anything and everything he writes. #publishedinthe1990s #photoadaynov16

This is a beautiful collection of stories that had me smiling at one moment and tearing up the next. I plan on utilizing it as a mentor text in my classroom. I recommend it to any and all who appreciate the art of story.