Hope is a Book In Hand

This past weekend, I was fortunate to attend the Tucson Festival of Books. The festival is one of the largest in the country and attracts over 120,000 people to see more than 300 authors and dozens of exhibitors ranging from publishers to religious groups to self-published authors to non-profits. I sat in on eight sessions over the two days.

From: TucsonFestivalofBooks on Instagramma

What stood out for me was the incredible power of words and language to do good, to help people cope and understand and empathize. We live in challenging times where book banning and fear and narrow mindedness are on the rise—the stories of multiculturalism I heard offer some of the best anecdotes to counter the reprehensible behavior of the book banning horde.

One of the highlights was a panel of four Indigenous writers of young adult and kid’s books. It was both sobering and inspiring to hear the authors talk about the critical importance of writing books that showed their lives, highlighted their stories, and illustrated Indigenous people, particularly those who were not stereotypical tropes. Each of the authors, who write in various genres, discussed the importance of centering their books with people who for far too long have not been featured in mainstream publishing. It was wonderful to see these authors light up in joy when they shared stories of the positive impacts of their book; it’s every author’s dream.

Sadly, however, when asked about whether their books had been banned, all four responded “Yes.” One described how the banners whined that “the book’s subject would make white children feel bad.” Another author responded to that comment by saying that “If we could withstand the horrors of residential schools, then these white kids can probably handle this picture book.” And, as another author observed, these book bannings aren’t about the children, they are fostered by parents and their fears and prejudices. Unfortunately, far too many parents are pushing their bigotry and intolerance onto their children and others. Fortunately, writers like the ones I heard, and many many others, are writing books that need to be written, helping all of us to see the beautiful complexities of the world, no matter one’s skin color, sexual orientation, religion, age, size, or anything else.

Stories from beyond the mainstream are like curb cuts, those gently-sloped ramps connecting a sidewalk to a street. Initially mandated to provide access for those with physical disabilities (particularly in wheelchairs), curb cuts provide benefits to a far more diverse group of people than the law originally required. The same with books. A book, for example, about a Navajo girl is not only good for a Navajo child but also good for others who read about her and learn about her world. We all benefit when we learn about others and how they live.

These sentiments were summed up at another one of the sessions I attended. In the Q&A part, an attendee said: “Walking around here and seeing crowds of people who came out because they are passionate about books, gives me hope.” I completely agree. To walk among the bibliophiles and to sense their collective excitement at so simple and yet so complex a thing as a book was not only hopeful, it was life affirming and affirming of the good that exists in the world. May all of you find books that bring you joy and hope, that nourish your soul, and that further your compassion for others.

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Authors I had the good fortune to hear discuss their books: Brendan Shay Basham, Stacie Denetsosie, Cherie Dimaline, Laurel Goodluck, David A. Robertson, and Cynthia Leitich Smith.

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March 17 - IslandWood - Bainbridge Island - 2pm - I will be talking about my co-authored book Spirit Whales and Sloth Tales: Fossils of Washington State.

March 23 - Village Books - Bellingham - I will be returning to Village Books as part of their partnership with the North Cascades Institute’s Nature of Writing series. I will be talking about my co-authored book Spirit Whales and Sloth Tales: Fossils of Washington State.