By Kathleen Newe

Diamond Bar – Read Together Diamond Bar 2014 was a resounding success for literacy in the community.   There were many interesting events planned during October and the community participation was great. Thanks to all who participated in any of the events.

The winning book for Read Together Diamond Bar 2014 was True Notebooks: A Writer’s Year at Juvenile Hall by Mark Salzman.  In 1997, bestselling author, Salzman, paid a reluctant visit to a writing class at the Los Angeles Central Juvenile Hall, a lockup for violent teenage offenders, many of them charged with murder.  What he found so moved and astonished him that he began to teach there regularly.  In voices of indelible emotional presence, the boys wrote about what led them to crime and about the lives that stretch ahead of them behind bars.  We see them coming to terms with their crime-ridden pasts and searching for a reason to believe in their future selves.

On Wed., Oct. 1, there was an interesting panel discussion on our juvenile justice system hosted by the American Association of University Women.  The panel included the Honorable Geanene Yriarte, Superior Court Judge; Sgt. Carl Miedema of the Baldwin Park School Police Department; Dr. Amer Holmes, Psychologist; and Ms. Patricia Hattersley, Attorney at Law, and specialist in criminal representation. As experienced professionals in their field, each offered a unique perspective on the juvenile justice system and how it affects our communities.

Wed., Oct. 8 was Open Mic for Children, with a talent show for ages 4 to 11 sharing their favorite stories or songs.

Wed., Oct. 15 was Movie Night at the Library, where families enjoyed the powerful 1988 American drama film – Stand and Deliver – based on the true story of high school math teacher, Jaime Escalante, starring Edward James Olmos.

On Wed., Oct. 22, the Friends joined with the Diamond Bar AAUW for a book discussion of True Notebooks, which was informative and entertaining.

On Sat., Oct. 18, David S. Mao, Law Librarian of Congress, spoke on “Serving Digital Natives in Libraries Today.” Through the courtesy of Congressman Ed Royce (CA-39), Mao visited Diamond Bar to help celebrate Read Together Diamond Bar and the 25^th Birthday of the City of Diamond Bar.

“Public libraries that move forward with the technology of the day will continue to attract students eager to learn, and Mr. Mao shares my passion for ensuring that the next generation of Americans has the resources they need to excel academically,” said Royce.

One exciting part of the visit of Mr. Mao was the “A Book That Changed My Life” essay contest, open to students, ages 13 to 18. The Diamond Bar Friends offered Kindles to the top three entries. First place winner, Jiachen Jiang, a student at Troy High School, wrote a heartfelt letter to Sir Terry Pratchett.  In second place, Alexandra Sakkis, a student at the University of California Riverside, wrote her letter to Suzanne Collins.  Troy Academy student, Stephon Sutphin, was the third place winner, who wrote to J.K. Rowlings, thanking her for introducing him to Harry Potter.  The three winning essays are displayed at the Diamond Bar Library.

Read Together Diamond Bar is a community-wide project open to individuals, companies and other organizations with many opportunities to participate. The Diamond Bar Friends of the Library is already planning for Read Together Diamond Bar 2015, next October.  We encourage you to be part of this exciting community project.  For more information, please call (909) 629-2711.