2019 Santa Barbara Reads Program Guide

Santa Barbara
READS
a community event from Santa Barbara Public Library
OCTOBER 15 - NOVEMBER 15, 2019

Each year the Santa Barbara
Reads program offers one title
to the community with the
goal that everyone will read
the same book at the same
time, sparking engagement
and conversations about the
themes in the book and how
they relate to our lives.
about the book
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, affectionately
referred to by fans as Ari & Dante, is a multiple award-winning young adult
novel that explores topics such as racial and sexual identities, family
relationships, and mental health issues. The novel offers us the opportunity
to reflect on how we look at the world and the people around us. It is, at
once, a coming of age love story between two young men and also a
poetic, universal story about how we express ourselves and understand
identity, friendship, family, and love. To quote Sáenz, “To be careful with
people and with words was a rare and beautiful thing.”
about the author
Benjamin Alire Sáenz is an author of poetry and prose for
adults and teens. He is the winner of the PEN/Faulkner
Award and the American Book Award for his books for
adults. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the
Universe was a Printz Honor Book, the Stonewall Award
winner, the Pura Belpre Award winner, the Lambda
Literary Award winner, and a finalist for the Amelia
Elizabeth Walden Award. His first novel for teens, Sammy
and Juliana in Hollywood, was an ALA Top Ten Book for
Young Adults and a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. His
second book for teens, He Forgot to Say Goodbye, won the Tomás Rivera
Mexican American Children’s Book Award, the Southwest Book Award,
and was named a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age. He lives
and works in El Paso, Texas.
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SB READS | FALL 2019

CALENDAR of EVENTS
special events
Santa Barbara Reads Block Party
Thursday, October 17, 4:00 - 7:00 PM
In front of Central Library
between State St. + Anacapa St.
Join the Santa Barbara Public Library at
our Block Party to kick-off SB Reads 2019!
We'll be taking over the Central Library
block of Anapamu St (just off State St)
with music, fun, and activities for all ages.
Pick up your free copy of this year's pick,
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets
of the Universe.
Author Talk with Benjamin Alire
Sáenz
Monday, November 4, 7:00 - 8:30 PM
Marjorie Luke Theatre, 721 W Cota St
Join us for a special evening with author
Benjamin Alire Sáenz to discuss Aristotle
and Dante Discover the Secrets of the
Universe. This free event at the Marjorie
Luke Theatre is open to all.
Book Discussions
Join us to discuss the themes, characters,
and moments from Aristotle and Dante
Discover the Secrets of the Universe.
Tuesday, October 15, 5:30 PM
Social Justice Book Club, Central Library
Monday, October 28, 5:30 PM
Carpinteria Library
Monday, October 28, 5:30 PM
Club de Lectura en español, Central Library
Tuesday, October 29, 5:30 PM
Romance Book Club, Central Library
Saturday, November 9, 11:00 AM
Montecito Library
Tuesday, November 12, 5:00 PM
Eastside Library
Tuesday, November 12, 5:30 PM
Fiction Book Club, Central Library
Thursday, November 14, 5:30 PM
Ridley-Tree Cancer Center Book Club
FALL 2019 | SB READS 3

CALENDAR of EVENTS FALL 2019
kids & family
Open Sew: Fabric Collage Notecards
Saturday, October 19, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Martin Luther King, Jr. Room, Eastside Library
Just as Dante wrote letters to Ari when his
family moved away for the year, come create a
card and send it to someone you miss.
Piñata Making
Saturday, October 19, 1:30 - 3:30 PM
Meeting Room, Carpinteria Library
Come to the library to create your very own
piñata.
Dog Parade
Saturday, October 26, 10:00 - 11:00 AM
Upper Village to Upper Manning
Legs, Ari's dog, is an important part of his life.
Show off your dog as we parade our best
friends from the library, through the Upper
Village and end at Upper Manning Park.
Universe of Crafts
Monday, October 21, 2:00 - 3:30 PM
Island Room, Central Library
Celebrate Ari and Dante by making your
own “out of this world” crafts.
Bullying Prevention for Kids
with CALM
Tuesday, October 22, 4:30 - 5:15 PM
Martin Luther King, Jr. Room, Eastside Library
Interpretación en español proporcionada
Wednesday, November 6, 4:30 - 5:15 PM
Community Hall, Montecito Library
Why do kids bully? Learn interventions from
CALM for when bullying occurs.
¿Por qué los niños hacen "Bullying"?
Aprenda las intervenciones de CALM para
cuando ocurra.
Calaveras y Coco
Friday, November 1, 3:30 - 5:00 PM
Meeting Room, Carpinteria Library
Like Ari, Miguelito must uncover family
secrets to find his true self. Join us to watch
Coco and create your own Calaveras craft.
Drive-in Movie
Saturday, November 2, 2:00 - 5:00 PM
Island Room, Central Library
Build your own cardboard classic car and
park it at the library to watch Cars 3 together.
DIY and Donate: Dog Toys
Thursday, October 24, 3:00 - 4:00 PM
Island Room, Central Library
If you've read the book you've probably fallen
in love with the stray dog, Legs. Let's give to
strays like him! Make toys for the dogs
waiting to be adopted at DAWG. Best for
children 7 and up.
I came to
understand that
my father was a
careful man. To be
careful with people
and with words
was a rare and
beautiful thing.
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SB READS | FALL 2019

FALL 2019
CALENDAR of EVENTS
teens & adults
Ben Franklin Circle:
Discussion of Forgiveness
Monday, October 28, 6:30 - 8:00 PM
Faulkner East, Central Library
Come join fellow members of our community
for monthly discussions and reflections on
how to improve ourselves and our world.
This month’s topic is forgiveness.
Creative Art Workshop
with Artist Mary Heebner
Saturday, October 19, 1:00 - 4:30 PM
Small Faulkner Galleries, Central Library
Registration required
Ari and Dante expressed themselves through
their journaling and sketching. Bring your
own mixed media story to life through
bookmaking with local artist Mary Heebner.
Poetry Workshop with Emma Trelles
with Mission Poetry Series
Saturday, November 2, 1:00 - 3:00 PM
Tech Lab, Central Library
Registration required
PINTURA:PALABRA - The Mission Poetry
Series offers a creative writing workshop with
author Emma Trelles that draws from the
centuries-old practice of ekphrasis, writing
inspired by visual art.
Learning Tech: Microfilm!
Tuesday, October 22, 11:00 AM - 12:15 PM
Tech Lab, Central Library
Join us for tips and tricks on how to make the
most of your microfilm research and our
microfilm resources at SBPL.
LGBTQ+ 101
with Pacific Pride Foundation
Thursday, October 24, 6:00 - 7:30 PM
Faulkner Gallery, Central Library
Are you looking to learn about more diverse
LGBTQ+ identities, and how to best welcome
LGBTQ+ folks? Join the Pacific Pride
Foundation to learn what we call "LGBTQ+
101," and deepen your understanding of
Aristotle and Dante.
Film Screening: Far From the Tree
with PFLAG
Thursday, November 7, 6:30 PM
Alcazar Theatre, Carpinteria
Join the community to watch this moving
documentary in which parents of children
who have Down syndrome, dwarfism, autism,
and other differences share intimate stories
of the challenges they face. How do we
choose what to “fix” in our children and what
to celebrate?
FALL 2019 | SB READS
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CALENDAR of EVENTS FALL 2019
Book Discussion
with PFLAG, Santa Barbara
Interpretación en español proporcionada
Wednesday, November 13, 5:30 - 6:45 PM
Martin Luther King, Jr. Room, Eastside Library
PFLAG Santa Barbara will guide this
discussion focused on what the novel has to
say about the coming out process for parents,
family, and friends.
I got to thinking that
poems were like
people. Some
people you got right
off the bat. Some
people you just
didn't get - and
never would get.
Exploring Art: Alfredo Ramos Martínez
On Paper
with SBMA Community Speakers
Program
Thursday, November 14, 5:15 - 6:15 PM
Faulkner Gallery, Central Library
Alfredo Ramos Martínez (1871–1946) was a
pivotal figure in the modernist development
of Mexican art. In addition to exploring
SBMA’s exhibition of his works on paper this
presentation will include some of his most
important paintings and murals, including a
commission in Santa Barbara.
Alfredo Ramos Martínez, printed by María Sodi de Ramos Martínez, Vendedoras
de Flores (Flower Vendors) (detail), 1947. Serigraph / Serigrafía. SBMA, Gift of
Charles A. Storke, 1994.57.23. © The Alfredo Ramos Martínez Research Project.
The Independent Writing Contest
CATEGORIES: High school students, ages 14-18 Adults, ages 18+
WRITING TOPIC:
Write a story, poem, or essay (500 word limit) inspired by one of the following quotes from the
novel:
"...when do we start feeling like the world belongs to us?"
"I got to thinking that poems were like people. Some people you got right off the bat.
Some people you just didn't get—and never would get."
"I came to understand that my father was a careful man. To be careful with people and
with words was a rare and beautiful thing."
"Birds exist to teach us things about the sky.... If we studied birds, maybe we could learn
to be free."
Winning essays will be published in the Santa Barbara Independent.
Please include name and age when submitting.
DUE DATE FOR WRITERS:
Sunday, October 20 at 11:59 PM - 500 word limit
Send entries to LibraryPR@SantaBarbaraCA.gov.
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SB READS | FALL 2019

FALL 2019
CALENDAR of EVENTS
teens
Zinemaking
Tuesday, October 15, 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Martin Luther King, Jr. Room, Eastside Library
Thursday, October 24, 3:30 - 5:30 PM
Meeting Room, Carpinteria
Find your own creativity, just like Ari and
Dante, and create your own zine to share with
friends.
adults
Prevención de "Bullying" para Padres
Tuesday, October 22, 5:30 - 6:30 PM
Martin Luther King, Jr. Room, Eastside Library
Prevención de "Bullying" e intervenciones
para cuando ocurre. Solo adultos en esta
sesión impartida por CALM.
Fast & Curious: Ed Talks that Matter
with UCSB’s Gevirtz Graduate School
of Education
Wednesday, October 23, 7:00 - 8:30 PM
Faulkner Gallery, Central Library
Join us for a special SB Reads-themed
presentation of Fast & Curious that features
faculty, students, and alumni from the Gevirtz
School giving no more than eight-minute
talks about how their research or teaching is
shaping education. Speakers will discuss
topics such as family relationships, mental
health, and more.
Teen Time: Makerspace
Wednesday, October 16, 4:00 - 5:00 PM
Tech Lab, Central Library
Registration required
Join us to create your own zine with the
materials you find in our microfilm
scavenger hunt.
Teen Time: Hack Your Life
Wednesday, October 23, 4:00 - 5:00 PM
Tech Lab, Central Library
Join us to learn about the art of
journaling. Go home with tips and tricks
on how to use journaling the way that's
best for you.
PROUD Youth Group
with Pacific Pride Foundation
Thursday, October 24, 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Tech Lab, Central Library
Youth 12 - 17 are invited to join Pacific Pride
Foundation and SBPL to discuss the themes
of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of
Pub Quiz
Wednesday, October 30
6:30 PM - Registration, 7:00 PM - Quiz Begins
Old Kings Road, 532 1/2 State St
Join the Library for an evening of SB
Reads-themed trivia at the Old Kings Road
Pub Quiz. Teams of 1-6 Persons / $5 per
person entry. Registration starts at 6:30 PM
and Quiz starts at 7:00 PM. 21+
Bullying Prevention for Parents
with CALM
Wednesday, November 6, 5:30 - 6:30 PM
Community Hall, Montecito Library
Bullying prevention and interventions for
when bullying occurs. Adults only at this
session taught by CALM.
FALL 2019 | SB READS 7

Further Reading
The team behind Santa Barbara Reads
unanimously chose Aristotle and Dante
Discover the Secrets of the Universe as this
year’s selection because it explores themes
that almost everyone could relate to and
provides an opportunity to discuss issues
that touch many lives. We hope that it
prompts more interest in these topics.
Hard Love
by Ellen Wittlinger
This award-winning novel
includes themes similar to Ari &
Dante but from different
perspectives. John is lonely after
his parent’s divorce, but finds
solace in creating zines and a
new friend, Marisol, in this
coming of age story of friendship, identity, and
unrequited love.
The Gentleman’s Guide
to Virtue and Vice
by Mackenzi Lee
Much like Ari & Dante, this
historical romp packs quite an
emotional punch. While the
novel remains flirty, adventurous,
and fun, it pointedly touches on
heavy topics such as abuse, ableism, racism,
sexism, and homophobia.
They Both Die at the End
by Adam Silvera
Silvera’s tragic but ultimately
uplifting novel asks the question:
what would you do if you knew
you had only one day left to live?
The Miseducation of
Cameron Post
by emily m. danforth
This heartbreaking yet hopeful
story follows Cam through falling
in love with a cowgirl, and what
happens when family who
disapprove find out.
The Music of What
Happens
by Bill Konigsberg
This summer romance with equal
parts humor and gravitas
explores masculinity, acceptance,
family secrets, trauma, and the
trials and tribulations of
operating a food truck.
I Am Not Your Perfect
Mexican Daughter
by Erika L. Sanchez
This poignant but funny novel
explores the grief of losing a
sister and the pressures and
expectations of growing up in a
Mexican-American household.
Long Way Down
by Jason Reynolds
This award-winning novel in verse
explores the cycle of violence as a
teen contemplates whether or
not to take revenge on his
brother’s killer in a 60-second
elevator ride.
I Wish You All the Best
by Mason Deaver
By turns heartbreaking and
sweetly romantic, this
contemporary YA novel follows
Ben, a high school senior, after
they’re kicked out of their
parents’ house for coming out as
nonbinary.
They Call Me Güero: A
Border Kid’s Poems
by David Bowles
This award-winning collection of
poems follow 12-year-old Güero.
He may be pale, red-headed, and
freckled, but he’s comfortable in
English and Spanish and on both
sides of the river. These poems explore growing
up, nerd-culture, family traditions, identity, and
friendship in vibrant, modern language.
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SB READS | FALL 2019

The Things They Carried
by Tim O’Brien
Visceral, personal, and profound,
this classic captures not only the
war, but the effect the memories
of it have on those who return
home.
Brothers and Keepers
by John Edgar Wideman
Family tragedy and sociological
conundrum intersect in this
memoir of a professor whose
brother is imprisoned for life.
Far From the Tree:
Parents, Children and the
Search for Identity
by Andrew Solomon
This well-researched book weaves
together stories of families who
face all sorts of challenges and
explores the question at the core
of parenting: when should you love and accept
your children for who they are, and when should
you challenge them to become their best
selves? Through stories of families of prodigies
and criminals, to those with severe disabilities or
mental health concerns, Solomon finds
commonalities that reflect the human condition.
Mind Your Head
by Juno Dawson,
illustrated by Gemma Correll
Mental health is just as important
to overall well-being as physical
health. This book integrates the
author’s own stories with real-life
mental health tales from young
people around the world and practical
information from clinical psychologist Dr. Olivia
Hewitt.
Why Are We in Vietnam?
by Norman Mailer
Originally published in 1967, this
story is a recounting of a father
and son’s hunting trip in the
wilds of Alaska that reveals the
conflicting emotions and
creeping disillusionment that
came to define a generation.
Night Sky With Exit
Wounds
by Ocean Vuong
Vuong’s powerful collection of
poetry explores themes of family,
grief, war, memory, and the
experience of Vietnamese refugees.
Borderlands/La Frontera:
The New Mestiza
by Gloria E. Anzaldúa
Anzaldúa’s book—which itself
lives at the border of poetry and
prose, Spanish and
English—examines what it’s like
to live at the intersection of
multiple identities.
I'm not into all this
academic stuff. Too
much analysis. What
ever happened to
reading a book
because you liked it?
FALL 2019 | SB READS 9

FALL 2019 | SB READS 5
Santa Barbara Public Library Foundation would like to thank
the following sponsors for making SB Reads possible.
As part of our work to foster the development of our Public Library as the cultural
heart of Santa Barbara, the Santa Barbara Public Library Foundation is proud to fund
this year’s Santa Barbara Reads program. Together in partnership with our
community, the Santa Barbara Public Library Foundation can continue to
Open Doors to large-scale projects and programs like SB Reads.
Champion of SB Reads
The Cheeryble Foundation
The John C. Mithun Foundation
Sustainer of SB Reads
The Ann Jackson Family Foundation
Benefactor of SB Reads
Emily and Dan Engel
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SB READS | FALL 2019

FALL 2019 | SB READS 5
Santa Barbara Public Library Foundation would like to thank
the following sponsors for making SB Reads possible.
Patron of SB Reads
Ann Frank
Anne and Randy Howard
Carol and Alan Brumberger
Julianne and Karl Willig
Lynda Weinman
Roy Martinez
Stephanie Riordan
Susan and Claude Case
Partner of SB Reads
Chana and Jim Jackson
Dianne and Rob Duva
Linda Lorenzen
Milton Hess
Pat and Bob Fulmer
Supporter of SB Reads
Barbara A. Clark
Cami Ferris-Wong
Carol and Bob Bason
Carolyn and Art Merovick
Colleen and Jim Sterne
Elizabeth Bowman
Evelyn Jacob and Mindy Rosenblatt
Jonathan Glasoe
Karen and J. Carl Peus
Kim and Donny Lieberman
Linda Love
Lois Capps
Marilyn Gilbert
Mark Asman
Mark Cardona
Marsha and Steve Barr
Marty and Joe Blum
Mary Anne Froley
Mary Anne Marsch
Mary Ellen Wylie
Mary Kunstal
Ronald Mathews
Ruth Keyes
Sallie Watling Coughlin
Sally and Tom Reeder
Sarah-Sue Wadell
Sharon Hoshida
Sophia Matsushita
Stephen Singleton and Chris Teasley
Susan Bower
FALL 2019 | SB READS 11

thank you to all of our partners who help
make santa barbara reads possible
Community
Speakers
Program
UCSB
Gevirtz
Graduate
School of
Education
The Santa Barbara Public Library would like to thank our neighbors for their
support of the SB Reads Block Party: City of Santa Barbara, The Book Den,
Café Ana, La Cocina, First Republic Bank, Granada Garage, The Granada
Theatre, Paradise Found, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, and Sullivan Goss.
Central Library
40 E Anapamu St,
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Montecito Library
1469 E Valley Rd
Montecito, CA 93108
Eastside Library
1102 E Montecito St,
Santa Barbara, CA 93103
Carpinteria Library
5141 Carpinteria Ave.
Carpinteria, CA 93013
SBPLibrary.org
(805)962-7653
Birds exist to teach us things about the sky...If we
studied birds maybe we could learn to be free.