Mirrors and Windows

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Mirrors and Windows Reading Experience

A mirror is a story that reflects your own culture and helps you build your identity. Seeing ourselves in literature is a gift. It is an empowering experience as a reader to see a protagonist whose life experiences relate to our own.

A window is a resource that offers you a view into someone else’s life experiences.
It is critical to understand that we cannot truly learn about ourselves unless we learn about others as well.

Discover diverse books, films, and more.

Ability Diverse VoicesAfrican American VoicesAsian American VoicesWomen's VoicesLatin American VoicesLGBTQ+ VoicesNative American VoicesVoices of those Experiencing Poverty & HomelessnessMiddle Eastern VoicesJewish VoicesVoices of Immigrants and Refugees

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General Questions

What is Mirrors and Windows?

The Mirrors and Windows reading experience is an all-ages celebration of culture focused on diverse books and films offered throughout our catalog. This idea stems from a movement called Read Woke started by Georgia-based school librarian Cecily Lewis. Lewis created this literature program with the goal of connecting readers with books that encourage diversity and awareness towards underrepresented authors and voices. Lewis's main goals behind the Read Woke program are to:

  • Challenge a social norm
  • Give voice to the voiceless
  • Provide information about a group that has been disenfranchised
  • Seek to challenge the status quo
  • Have a protagonist from an underrepresented or oppressed group

Mirrors and Windows, was adapted from a famous essay written by Rudine Sims Bishop, titled Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors. This reading experience emerged out of Mesa County Libraries' commitment to diversity and anti-racism and our Year of Focus.

Where do I find books, movies, and other titles related to this reading experience?

Mirrors and Windows offers specially considered reading lists and recommendations for Adults, Teens, and Youth, and is a fantastic way for readers to broaden their knowledge of other cultures, identities, and experiences.