Citizens Read

The Barbarian Nurseries, by LA Times columnist Hector Tobar, examines the intersection of two overlapping versions of America. Inspired by California's Proposition 187, which restricted benefits and rights of illegal immigrants (passed in 1994 but later overturned), this book tackles tough questions such as, "Are we a nation of immigrants, or are people from more established immigrant groups (e.g., Europeans) more legitimate than others?

In the style of Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickle and Dimed in America, Tracie McMillan, who was raised outside Detroit, goes on an exploration of where American's food comes from. In the land of plenty, why are the people who grow, sell, and prepare our food too exhausted to enjoy its fruits? Should we pay the "true cost" of food? She works in the fields, stocks shelves at Walmart, and serves dinners at Applebee's in this book based on her first person research.

Why do the Syracuse, New York and Raleigh, North Carolina school districts achieve such disparate results? Syracuse struggles with high dropout rates and a failing school system, while Raleigh has a high graduation rate for all students. In Hope and Despair in the American City: Why There Are No Bad Schools in Raleigh, author Gerald Grant claims that the unification of Raleigh's city and surrounding areas into one unified school district - and thereby racially integrating the schools - made the difference.

In The Global Achievement Gap, education expert Tony Wagner discusses the disparity between what American schools teach their students and the real-world skills that serve students as they enter adult life and the workforce. Wagner interviews employers to learn what they're seeking, and offers examples of schools that are teaching to the needs of the future. Join Citizens Read for a discussion of this book and insights into better ways to educate the “net” generation.

Before World War II, Portland was a den of corruption. Bootlegging, gambling and prostitution abounded, and law enforcement and union leaders were all on the take. Following the war, the situation only got worse. A startling investigation by Oregonian journalists exposed organized crime and rampant corruption in the city, sparked a reform movement and created the foundation for what is today one of the nation’s most progressive cities.

February's Citizens Read is being held in conjunction with the Multnomah County Library's 2012 Everybody Read program.

Citizens Read: Uncle Sam's Plantation: How Big Government Enslaves America's Poor and What We Can do About it by Star Parker.

A stark counterpoint to the October Citizens Read selection, author Star Parker argues that America's quasi-socialist social system keeps the poor enslaved in poverty. Parker, a speaker at a Republican leadership conference on cspan and a former congressional candidate, shares her own journey out of poverty and - incorporating free-market policies - offers five actionable steps that can help others make the same trip.

Citizens Read discusses the tenth anniversary edition of Nickle and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich. Times and presidents have changed since this book was first published - but have things essentially stayed the same? Is minimum wage really sufficient to let citizens achieve the American dream? However you answer, Nickle and Dimed raises issues worth discussing.

Portland's Goose Hollow explores the intersection of the natural and urban world, when Northwest Portland was creek and lake, and Old Town was largely a bog. The plentiful photos bring the past to life in this truly local read by Tracy J. Prince with former Portland Mayor Bud Clark. Take a journey into history - join the authors and City Club for a fun and interactive discussion and slide show of Portland's Goose Hollow.

Doors open 5:00 PM, program begins 6:30 PM.

Tito is in his early twenties. Born in Cuba, he speaks fluent Russian, lives in one room in a NoLita warehouse, and does delicate jobs involving information transfer.

Hollis Henry is an investigative journalist, on assignment from a magazine called Node. Node doesn't exist yet, which is fine; she's used to that. But it seems to be actively blocking the kind of buzz that magazines normally cultivate before they start up. Really actively blocking it. It's odd, even a little scary, if Hollis lets herself think about it much. Which she doesn't; she can't afford to.