Phenomenal AOC

The Roots and Rise of

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

A TRUE TALE WITH

A CHERRY ON TOP

Harper Collins

(pub.9.6.2022) 40 pages

Author: Anika Aldamuy Denise

Illustrator: Loris Lora

Character: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Overview:

" In 2019, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez became the youngest congresswoman in America. How did this young Puertoriqueña become an unstoppable force in politics? Find out in this accessible and engaging book for young readers.

AOC’s remarkable story begins in her childhood Bronx home and comes full circle the moment AOC became America's youngest Congresswoman. Ocasio-Cortez’s empowering journey reminds us that everyone, regardless of their age, race, creed, wealth, or zip code, is capable of being a voice for change."

Tantalizing taste:

" When BNC called, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, cum laude college graduate, bartender, organizer, activist, proud Puerto Rican daughter from the Bronx ... said YES."

And something more: The back of the book includes this quote from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: "Justice is about making sure that being polite is not the same thing as being quiet. In fact, oftentimes, the most righteous thing you can do is shake the table."

The Poem Forest

Poet W.S. Merwin and the Palm Tree Forest

He Grew from Scratch

A TRUE TALE WITH

A CHERRY ON TOP

Candlewick

(pub. 9.13.2022) 32 pages

Author: Carrie Fountain

Illustrator: Chris Turnham

Characters: William Stanley

Overview:

" All his life, William Stanley searched for a wild place of his own. Growing up in the straightened-out city blocks of his childhood and finding some respite in summer trips to a cabin in the woods, William Stanley yearned for space, fragrant soil, tall trees, and the silence that surrounds them. In Hawaii, he learned of acres of land depleted from toxic agricultural practices, and he became determined to restore that land and create one of the most comprehensive palm gardens in the world...leaving as his legacy a wild space for everyone."

Tantalizing taste:

" He felt at home in the wilderness, where trees grew where their seeds had fallen and the noises were wild noises and birds lived the way birds had always lived, in trees and in the sky.

As he grew up, William Stanley also learned that he loved to write poems. For William Stanley, writing poetry was like visiting a wild place - a surprising place always just exactly itself, language growing wherever it pleased.

It couldn't be straightened out."

And something more: Carrie Fountain, in the Author's Note explains that "William and Paula Merwin planted nearly three thousand palm trees [in Maui], living at the center of their forest in a house that uses rainwater and solar energy....

William's long commitment to writing left the world with a great wealth of poems, and his poetry was celebrated with many awards. Over his lifetime, he won two Pulitzer Prizes and the National Book Award. He was named Poet Laureate of the United States in 2010 and traveled to Washington, DC, to meet President Obama at the White House...

In 2010, Wlliam and Paula established the Merwin Conservancy, which will protect and grow the palm forest in perpetuity."

Covered in Color

Christo & Jeanne-Claude's Fabrics of Freedom

A TRUE TALE WITH

A CHERRY ON TOP

Abrams Books for Young Readers

(pub. 8.16.2022) 48 pages Author: Elisa Boxer

Illustrator: Susanna Chapman

Characters: Christo and Jeanne-Claude

Overview:

" This biography chronicles Christo's humble childhood in Soviet-controlled Bulgaria—under a regime that suppressed individuality and creativity—to his international fame as a bold (and controversial) innovator in the art world. Christo discovered an early love of art and found a way to make a living out of his passion by wrapping bottles, cans, stacks of magazines, and even an air conditioner. When he met his wife, Jeanne-Claude, they moved to New York City as undocumented immigrants and became equal partners in both life and work—he, the artist, and she, the dealmaker.

Together, Christo and Jeanne-Claude made elaborate, visually stunning installations that transformed public spaces around the world, all free to the public. Christo never explained why he felt compelled to wrap things in fabric—rather, his work celebrated individual interpretation and the simple joy of seeing something familiar in a new way. And though each work was temporary, their awe-inspiring designs, uniting nature with the manmade, stayed with viewers long afterward. Covered in Color inspires readers to appreciate the beauty around us, however fleeting, and to push the boundaries of 'possible.'"

Tantalizing taste:

" For four weeks,

millions of visitors streamed into Central Park

to gaze up at the orange flags forming The Gates.

For twenty-three miles,

one million square feet of fabric

hung from more than five thousand tons of steel.

When the wind and the light were just right,

the cloth panels would touch together,

creating an orange ceiling of sunshine.

With his wild, wide-open creations,

and with Jeanne-Claude's help,

Christo freed himself

from the regressive governments

and their rigid rules

in the lands he had left behind as a young man."

And something more: Matthew Burgess, in the Author's Note, explains that "Christo and Jeanne-Claude never accepted donations or sponsors. Their public art was funded entirely thorough the sale of Christo's smaller-scale work. And while that work is still housed in museums across the world, Christo and Jeanne-Claude always emphasized that their large-scale public art was, in fact, designed to end. Which is ironic, of course, because such wild, wondrous, temporary works stay forever in the hearts and minds of all who see them."