By: Ashmar Mandou
Whether it’s a non-fiction book about current life-struggles, or fictional characters displaying wisdom and complex emotions, reading serves a great purpose as it helps to develop empathy, imagination, and knowledge. Reading is about exploring new themes, identities, cultures and awakening your inquisitive nature. In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month we asked Chicago’s movers and shakers what piece of literature has made a profound impact on their life and we hope their response inspires you to head to your local bookstore or library. After all, Cicero said it best, “A room without books is like a body without a soul.”
“Mexican author Victor Villasenor’s Rain of Gold details his parents’ journey from Mexico to America and details their love story. It reminded me of my own grandparents and their struggles to build a better life so that we could have the successes and privileges they never had. Our beautiful culture values family, love, loyalty, hard work, and respect; it was the first time I read a story that struck a chord with my upbringing and made me reflect on my own family. And it helped me to see the importance of advocating for my Latino community.” –Anastasia Hernandez, Club One Director, Union League Boys & Girls Clubs, and Historian, Mexican Patriotic Club of South Chicago
“Savage Inequalities by Jonathan Kozol which I read in college; it helped spark my lifelong journey to create educational opportunities for upward mobility.” –City Colleges of Chicago Chancellor Juan Salgado
“I was completely transformed by Glotia Anzaldua’s book Borderlands because it captured what was it was like living in South Texas. As a Mexican American Tejano, I always felt like I lived in two worlds and yet always felt like I was in the group of ‘others’. To see someone who grew up in my part of the world acknowledged for their ideas and thoughts felt remarkable. It was the first time I felt seen.” –President of ChiArts Foundation José Ochoa
“Shoe Dog by Phil Knight is one book that has really inspired me. Throughout the book Knight conveys his passions and visions and was able to turn that into a global brand. I was very inspired how he has used his platform and what he has been able to accomplish with Nike.” –Joseph Perez, also known as the artist Sentrock
“Soy La Vida Que He Vivido (I am The Life I have Lived)” by Pepe Vargas. When I joined the International Latino Cultural Center in January of 2022, I was given an advance copy of this autobiography of Pepe Vargas, the Founder and Executive Director of the Center. The biography was written in Spanish and I jumped in, eager to learn more about this community leader whose work I had long admired. I was not disappointed. Pepe’s story is truly fascinating and inspiring. Born in rural Colombia to illiterate parents of humble means, Pepe’s love of reading propelled him on a lifelong quest of learning and travel that would see him traverse Colombia, Latin America, the U.S., and Europe. These experiences are the backbone of the Pan-Latino philosophy and mission that I share with the author driving us both towards the creation of a dedicated center.” -Mateo Mulcahy, Deputy Executive Director of the International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago (Editor’s Note: The English version of Soy La Vida Que He Vivido is forthcoming)
“As a recovering book worm, I am one of those people than can’t just single out one book in terms of personal impact. Rather there are dozens since I was a child and into adulthood. As a young girl I wanted to be Nancy Drew, the smart inquisitive girl who would take it upon herself to solve whatever the mystery of the day was. As I grew older, a passion for politics and international affairs took hold it was the autobiographies of those first strong, successful female journalists who paved the way for the rest of us that captivated me. Reading the stories of the Washington Post’s Katherine Graham and the AP’s Helen Thomas, along with many others, gave me the knowledge that while my road wouldn’t be easy, it could be traveled. And then there is my obsession, born in adulthood, with Harry Potter and all other things fantasy-related, as the increasingly dark world we live in led me to seek an escape from it all. The books providing that much needed balance between my very serious responsibilities and the inner child I firmly believe all of us must keep a hold of no matter what our age.” -ABC 7 Reporter Michelle Gallardo
“First of all, it helps normalize conversations on love. Bell Hooks [All About Love] mentions how as a society we do not share a definition of love and goes on to say, ‘imagine how much easier it would be for us to learn how to love if we began with a shared definition.’ She goes on to define love based on books from authors and philosophers that have explored the topic. Within this shared definition I love how she goes on to state how love is an act of will, and that will imply a choice; we choose to love. When we choose to love we then can hold ourselves accountable as opposed to just “falling in love” which takes away personal accountability. This book really helps my partner and I to truly navigate love in these modern times and discuss what love looks like with the help of age-old wisdom thought, and intention. It helps me navigate love for my family, friends, and community and altogether this is something that I recommend for everyone to read so that hopefully this word shrouded in mystery can stop being mysterious, and become something that we actively think about, discuss, and work towards so that its transformational power helps us all better our lives and live better together.” -David Leija, After School Matters Program Specialist for the North Lawndale/Little Village Community
