Groundbreaking Women

The California State Library offers Book to Action, a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funding opportunity for public libraries to provide book-themed programming with opportunities for lifelong learning. Book to Action initiatives tackle important issues in the community and encourage reading, community discussion, and action.

Solano County Library is proud to have been chosen to take part with you, our community, in the 2022 #BookToAction initiative!

This project was supported in whole or in part by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian.

Our Goal is to Promote Reading, Engage the Community, and Celebrate Women of Color

Solano County Library is continually working to provide programs and materials that reflect the multicultural perspectives of our diverse communities. We’ve selected Stacey Lee’s historical fiction, The Downstairs Girl which “…conveys the effects of restrictions placed on women and people of color and celebrates the strengths and talents of marginalized people struggling to break society’s barriers in any age.” The book will be a springboard to celebrate the strengths, perseverance, and talents of local women of color through a series of library programs and events themed “Groundbreaking Women”.

Our project will be supported with adult and teen book club discussions for The Downstairs Girl and companion novel, Kelly Yang’s Front Desk.

The Downstairs Girl is a Young Adult novel, which has broad appeal to both teens and adult readers. The companion piece, Front Desk, is suitable for families to discuss together and help us bridge the generational gap.

We look forward to offering learning programs including local history, food, writing, and book groups in partnerships with local community groups/members.

About Our Book To Action Title Selections

The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee. A Reese’s Book Club YA Pick & New York Times Bestseller

By day, seventeen-year-old Jo Kuan works as a lady’s maid for the cruel daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Atlanta. But by night, Jo moonlights as the pseudonymous author of a newspaper advice column for the genteel Southern lady, “Dear Miss Sweetie.” When her column becomes wildly popular, she uses the power of the pen to address some of society’s ills, but she’s not prepared for the backlash that follows when her column challenges fixed ideas about race and gender. While her opponents clamor to uncover the secret identity of Miss Sweetie, a mysterious letter sets Jo off on a search for her own past and the parents who abandoned her as a baby. But when her efforts put her in the crosshairs of Atlanta’s most notorious criminal, Jo must decide whether she, a girl used to living in the shadows, is ready to step into the light. With prose that is witty, insightful, and at times heartbreaking, Stacey Lee masterfully crafts an extraordinary social drama set in the New South. (Courtesy of Stacey Lee’s Website)

Front Desk by Kelly Yang. A New York Times Bestseller & Winner of the Asian Pacific American Award for Literature

Mia Tang has a lot of secrets:
Number 1: She lives in a motel, not a big house. Every day, while her immigrant parents clean the rooms, ten-year-old Mia manages the front desk of the Calivista Motel and tends to its guests.
Number 2: Her parents hide immigrants. And if the mean motel owner, Mr. Yao, finds out they’ve been letting them stay in the empty rooms for free, the Tangs will be doomed.
Number 3: She wants to be a writer. But how can she when her mom thinks she should stick to math because English is not her first language?
It will take all of Mia’s courage, kindness, and hard work to get through this year. Will she be able to hold on to her job, help the immigrants and guests, escape Mr. Yao, and go for her dreams?
(Courtesy of Kelly Yang’s Website)

Events

Traditional Filipino Cuisine Cooking Demo with Chef Roline Casper

May 19, 2022 at the Vacaville Town Square Library. 6:30 pm.

Chef Roline Casper came from humble beginnings. Being raised by a single working mother, she spent most of her time during the summer in her lola’s (grandmother’s) kitchen in the Philippines, where she was cooking savory dishes for her visiting grandchildren. While being her grandmother’s kitchen assistant and official taste tester, she developed an appreciation for the hard work put into dishes and desserts.

She graduated valedictorian from the Napa Valley Cooking School in St. Helena under Chef Barbara Alexander with an emphasis in classical French cooking. Chef Roline staged at 3 Michelin-starred restaurant, SingleThread, and worked as an extern at Morimoto in Napa. Her first book, The Easy Filipino Cookbook: 100 Classics Made Simple, which was released in March 2020, was a #1 New Release on Amazon. Chef Roline is a guest instructor at her alma mater under Chef Elena Sirignano and is Travis Air Force Base’s 1st Filipina Honorary Commander. The dishes that she creates are reminiscent of her travels around the world and is inspired by those she met along the way.

Author Talk with Kelly Yang

May 21, 2022 at the Vallejo John F. Kennedy Library. 11:00 am.

Kelly Yang is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of New From Here, the FRONT DESK series, including Front Desk, Three Keys, and Room To Dream, Yes We Will, and young adult novels Parachutes and Private Label. Front Desk is Kelly’s award-winning middle grade debut novel about a 10 year old Chinese American immigrant girl who manages the front desk of a motel while her parents clean the rooms. It was awarded the 2019 Asian Pacific American Award for Literature, the Parents’ Choice Gold Medal, was the 2019 Global Read Aloud, and was named an Amazon Best Book of the Year, a Washington Post Best Book of the Year, a Kirkus Best Book of the Year, a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, a NPR Best Book of the Year, and a Publisher’s Weekly Best Book of the Year.

Author Talk with Stacey Lee

June 18, 2022 at the Fairfield Civic Center Library. 2:00 pm.

Stacey Lee is the New York Times and Indie bestselling author of historical and contemporary young adult fiction, including The Downstairs Girl, a Reese’s Book Club Late Summer 2021 YA pick, and her most recent novel, Luck of the Titanic, which received five starred reviews. A native of southern California and fourth-generation Chinese American, she is a founder of the We Need Diverse Books movement and writes stories for all kids (even the ones who look like adults).

Stacey loves board games, has perfect pitch, and through some mutant gene, can smell musical notes through her nose.

Solano Stories: Groundbreaking Women

Nancy Geary: Dixon’s First Black Business Owner

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKKc4fh-rm4&t=24s

Celebrate Women of Color with Paint Night!

Celebrate Women of Color with Book To Action Paint Night inspired by Stacey Lee’s The Downstairs Girl.

This event is for adults and teens only. All paint materials supplied. Wear clothing you do not mind getting paint on. Copies of The Downstairs Girl will be available at each paint night. Registration required.

Click links below to register for Paint Nights.

Dixon Library. Fairfield Cordelia Library. Rio Vista Library. Vacaville Cultural Center Library. Vallejo Springstowne Library.

Book To Action 2022