Happy new year and welcome to the second issue of Resonance.

In college, I enrolled in a Black Studies course to explore the literary African American community. In this class, I discovered If Beale Street Could Talk, Their Eyes Were Watching God, and several Toni Morrison novels (Sula being my favorite). I devoured these pages, as they taught me lessons of marginalization and racial discrimination, lessons that connected to me in profound ways. The relationship between reader and author is unique.

This may go without saying, but saying it has to be a constant refrain: books have the power to inspire, transform, and imagine possibilities. When we open a book, we are summoned to its world that exists almost in parallel to our own. We listen to voice, collect ideas, and view life in different ways. Without this relationship to books, then, how may we transcend to an improved society?

February is Black History Month. We acknowledge, honor, and respect the Black men and women who have helped build this country to what it is today. And though it is nowhere near perfect, we can never move forward without acknowledging the pain and legacies of yesterday and today, for it is an acknowledgement merited all months of the year.

This issue of Resonance is an homage to the printed word. Check out the following titles recommended by some of our teachers, and see which of these will be on your queue to read next.

We would love your input. If you feel a book should be part of this list, send it my way. Include the author, title of the book, and a one sentence blurb about the book's relationship to you. You can reach me at mrosado@youthbuildcharter.org.

Mario Rosado

Department Chair