On Thursday, March 12, Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued a mandate to close all Michigan schools grades K-12 through April 5 to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Spring Break is the following week for Kalamazoo Public Schools and, as of this posting, that is still happening, which means students should be returning to school on April 13th.
In the meantime, it’s more important than ever for our kids—and us!—to read. What books do you plan to read?
Last month, we asked Communities In Schools board members what they are reading. Here’s what a few of them said:
Race Against Time by Jerry Mitchell. A reporter reopens two unsolved murder cases of the Civil Rights Era. Also, Sapiens and Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari.
-Darren Timmeney
Just Mercy by Bryan Stephenson
-Namita Sharma
Edison by Edmund Morris
-Randy Eberts
The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups by Daniel Coyle
–Judy D’Arcangelis
Range by David Epstein. Also, Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell.
-James Curry
The Five Disfunctions of a Team by Patrick Len
-Sheri Welsh
21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari
-Dave Maurer
Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela. Also, The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris.
-Pam Enslen
Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance
-Dominic Pullo
Not that long ago, we introduced you to our newest board members and they shared their favorite children’s book. You can read that post here. 
Need to get your freshly washed hands on one of these or other books? Even though the Kalamazoo Public Library is currently closed during this pandemic, their online branch never closes. They have a solution for self-isolation boredom. You can check out their large variety of digital options, including eBooks, eAudiobooks, eVideos, eMusic, and eMagazines. It’s easy to browse and you can filter your search in several ways, including by age (adult, juvenile, or teen). Here’s their website.
Also, keep in mind our three wonderful independent bookstores that serve this community. Like other small and local businesses, they are part of what makes Kalamazoo so special and they continue to need our support. They are here for us and you can help the local health of our economy by turning to them (without even setting foot outside your home!) for your reading needs instead of going to Amazon.
Here are quick links to each of their websites and Facebook pages:
Kazoo Books: website & Facebook
Michigan News Agency: website & Facebook
this is a bookstore/Bookbug: website & Facebook
You are important to us. Take care of yourself. And when we emerge from this pandemic, we will be a stronger, wiser, and even more well-read community than before. 
Tags: Bookbug, CIS Board Member, Communities In Schools of Kalamazoo, COVID-19, Darren Timmeney, Dave Maurer, Dominic Pullo, James Curry, Judy D'Arcangelis, Kalamazoo Public Library, Kazoo Books, Michigan News Agency, Namita Sharma, Pam Enslen, Randy Eberts, Sheri Welsh, shop local, supporting small businesses during crisis, this is a bookstore, time to read during a pandemic
