September 8 marks International Literacy Day, observed since 1967 as means to highlight the importance of literacy in matters of human rights and societal sustainability. This year, the theme is “Transforming Literacy Learning Spaces,” which invites thoughtful consideration regarding the fundamentals of how literacy learning is designed and how better to ensure equitable and inclusive instruction for all. The International Literacy Day celebration this year is a two-day hybrid event on September 8 and 9, based in Cote d’Ivoire.
Closer to home, efforts to instill literacy skills take place every day in classrooms throughout the five boroughs. The NYC Department of Education has a robust literacy program, from early education through high school, to set students up for success. At the New York Public Library, a wide array of programs for young learners help provide a solid foundation for early literacy skills. The Department of Youth and Community Development has a suite of literacy programs, too, including one for adults and out-of-school youth over 16.
Below are favorites from the
MEA office team and the MEA Board.
Happy Reading!
1984, by George Orwell
A Gentleman in Moscow, by Amor Towles
And Then There Were None, by Agatha Christie
Atonement, by Ian McEwan
Battle for the American Mind, by Pete Hegseth and David Goodwin
Gimme Shelter: a life of Public Service in New York City, by Bonnie Stone
Guts: The Seven Laws of Business That Made Chrysler the World’s Hottest Car Company, by Robert A. Lutz
Hamnet, by Maggie O’Farrell
Harry Potter (series), by J. K. Rowling
Horse: A Novel, by Geraldine Brooks
Let Me Sell You A Ferrari, by Robert Guarino
Little Woman, by Louisa May Alcott
Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier
Station Eleven, by Emily St. John Mandel
The 2% Way: How a philosophy of small improvements took me to Oxford, by Myron L. Rolle
The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein
The Desperate Hours One Hospital’s Fight to Save a City on the Pandemic’s Front lines, by Marie Brenner
The Goldfinch, by Donna Tart
The Hound of the Baskervilles, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Notebook, by Nicolas Sparks
The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway
The Personal Librarian, by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
The Phantom of the Opera, by Gaston Leroux
The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde
Wherever You Go, There You Are, by Jon Kabat-Zinn