Cindy L. Rodriguez: Latine Heritage Month in the Library

How is your library observing Latine Heritage Month? What programs and displays have you planned for the month? Even more important, how are you using the focus on Latine heritage and culture to re-assess your library?

In today’s post, author Cindy Rodriguez reminds us that our work comes down to the details: the smiles and gestures that we use to welcome children and their parents, the languages displayed in our signs, and how simple we make it for users to access our services.

We lived in a house that was an oasis from the crumbling Chicago neighborhood that surrounded us. The house on the left was torn down after Old Man Louie died. The building on the right was bulldozed after some kids set it on fire. Inside our little haven, I didn’t know we were poor. Not then. I was too young to understand those things, to compare my family’s reality to people who lived differently and had more.

Later, I realized that, yes, we struggled financially. My parents were young with three children under the age of 5. My dad worked full-time and took night classes to finish his bachelor’s degree. My mother, a Brazilian immigrant, was a teacher in her country but her credentials didn’t transfer. Yes, we struggled financially, and in other ways, too. There were some constants, though, that made a difference and changed my life. My parents believed in the power of books and the potential for change.

I remember going to the local library, getting my first library card, and piling the car with books. I couldn’t believe it—I could take them home? We didn’t have to pay for them? And I could bring them back and then get more? It was the greatest thing ever! Especially because buying books was a luxury for us then. I don’t remember the name of the library. Now, with the internet, I was able to look up my old address and locate the nearest one. Perhaps it was the Bucktown-Wicker Park Branch of the Chicago Public Library. I certainly can’t remember the names of the librarians who helped me. I’m sorry about that because I’d love to thank them for all they did for me and kids like me.

Because of them, because of free books available at the library, I could leave that neighborhood to meet interesting characters in beautiful places who were struggling with life, love, and purpose, and who were trying to become free mentally, physically, or spiritually.

In time, my parents moved us into better neighborhoods. Books moved me into a broader world of ideas and possibilities. A love for literature has made all the difference in my life, thanks to my parents and the librarians who put books into my hands.

Cindy L. Rodriguez is a senior editor for an educational publisher and an award-winning author of children’s books. Her titles include When Reason Breaks (2015), “I’m a Survivor” from Life Inside My Mind: 31 Authors Share Their Personal Stories (2018), and Three Pockets Full: A Story of Love, Family, and Tradition (2022). Her latest is Lola Reyes Is So Not Worried (2024), which received a starred review from Kirkus. Cindy, who is of Puerto Rican and Brazilian descent, is also a former journalist and public school teacher. When she’s not working or writing, she is hanging out with her family and two dogs in Connecticut. She is represented by Tricia Lawrence from the Erin Murphy Literary Agency. You can find out more online at www.cindylrodriguez.com

On Saturday 26 October, Cindy will be appearing at the Boston Book Festival on the “Adventures in Folklore” panel with S.J. Taylor and Tracey Baptiste, 11:15 a.m.-noon

Filed under: Creators