Author Event: Made in Mexico

I participated in my first library online event this past Thursday. In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, the LA County Library is holding weekly events that showcase Latino authors and/or Latino people (i.e. chefs, teachers...). 

For their first event, they held an author talk with Luis I. Reyes, author of Made in Mexico. In his book, Reyes gave various facts of movies that were filmed in Mexico, which he presented in this online event. He talked about films like Titanic, The Magnificent Seven, Romancing the Stone, and The Night of the Iguana. 

My favorite part was when Reyes talked about the film, The Life of General Vida. It was a docufiction shot during the Mexican Revolution with Pancho Villa portraying himself. Sadly, this film was lost and only fragments of it still exist today.

Review: Gmorning, Gnight!

By Lin-Manuel Miranda

Illustrated by Jonny Sun

Good morning. Do NOT get stuck in the comments section of life today. Make, do, create the things. Let others tussle it out. Vamos!

Before he inspired the world with Hamilton and was catapulted to international fame, Lin-Manuel Miranda was inspiring his Twitter followers with words of encouragement at the beginning and end of each day. He wrote these original sayings, aphorisms, and poetry for himself as much as for others. But as Miranda’s audience grew, these messages took on a life on their own. Now Miranda has gathered the best of his daily greetings into a beautiful collection illustrated by acclaimed artist (and fellow Twitter favorite) Jonny Sun. Full of comfort and motivation, Gmorning, Gnight! is a touchstone for anyone who needs a quick lift.

Goodreads

#FitReaders2020: Aug. 24th-Sept. 11th

 

 

#FitReaders2020 is hosted by Felicia the Geeky Blogger and Jen from That's What I'm Talking About. 

It's been a while since I posted an update. It's hard (and sad) that I don't have much to share since my activities have slowed down tremendously. So many factors came into play: 1) I am working 10+ hours 6 days a week, 2) temperatures were in the high 90s and triple digits, and 3) the wildfires! We have such poor air quality because our poor forests are burning all over California. Despite all of this, I did find a few occasions to at least walk & hike:

Audiobook Review: Ghost Boys

By Jewel Parker Rhodes

Read by Miles Harvey

Duration: 2 hours 52 minutes

A heartbreaking and powerful story about a black boy killed by a police officer, drawing connections through history, from award-winning author Jewell Parker Rhodes.Only the living can make the world better. Live and make it better. Twelve-year-old Jerome is shot by a police officer who mistakes his toy gun for a real threat. As a ghost, he observes the devastation thats been unleashed on his family and community in the wake of what they see as an unjust and brutal killing. Soon Jerome meets another ghost: Emmett Till, a boy from a very different time but similar circumstances. Emmett helps Jerome process what has happened, on a journey towards recognizing how historical racism may have led to the events that ended his life. Jerome also meets Sarah, the daughter of the police officer, who grapples with her fathers actions.Once again Jewell Parker Rhodes deftly weaves historical and socio-political layers into a gripping and poignant story about how children and families face the complexities of todays world, and how one boy grows to understand American blackness in the aftermath of his own death.

Goodreads

*Spoilers*