8 Books Worth Picking Up!

If you are looking for good reading over the holiday break consider supporting the work of these amazing authors, educators and culture keepers! They range from poetry, fiction, history, women's solidarity, youth empowerment and even an Indigenous coloring book. 

1. Waterhummingbirdhouse: A Chicano Poetry Codex 

by Israel Lopez

(Black & White VERSION) This is an experimental Chicano poetry codex. This work explores border politics and linguistic borders through the use of a multitude of poetic forms, images and bilingual antics. The poems move from english, spanish, nahuatl and Chicano imagery to convey the rupture, the mending, the re-constructing, re-membering of chicano poetics and a visual landscape that reconsiders the codices left behind by olmeca, tolteca, azteca and mayan ancestors.

2. BloomingFlower, Shooting Star by Yaocihuatzin PhD

Blooming Flower, Shooting Star is semi-fiction, there is some non-fictional history of Indigenous icons, traditions, and rituals incorporated. The book involves two characters, Citlali and Flor. Citlali is an undergraduate at New York University and was a former ward of the court in California. Flor is a senior in high school in Oakland, California and is still in the foster care system. After not being in contact for three years, they begin to e-mail each other and discuss many of the issues that young adults/teens are dealing with today. They write to each other about issues ranging from love, history, traditions, boyfriends, pregnancy, feminism, gangs, military, and share their daily lives with each other the way best friends or sisters do.

3. Revengeof the "Illegal Alien": A Mexican Takes on the Empire by Cesar A. Cruz

Mexican poet Cesar A. Cruz takes on the Empire with a powerful collection of poems, short stories and political bullets. Author Luis Rodriguez (Always Running) describes Cesar's writings as filled with "fierce insight and righteous rage." The book has received praise from Godfather of Chicano Studies, Rudy Acuna, political activist Yuri Kochiyama, former Black Panther Shaka At-thinnin, rapper Paris, and many others. Mr. Cruz dispels the myth of the so-called "Illegal Alien" in North America and stands up for all human beings seeking to change the world. Library of Congress Control Number: 2008901057, ISBN #978-0-6151-5299-8

4. IncarceratedParadise: A Journey from East Oakland to Puerto Rico by Ramas Crew

Youth from East Oakland undergo a cultural, political journey to Puerto Rico to learn about the countries' freedom fighters and their struggle for independence. Book includes poems, short stories and powerful biographies from freedom fighters desde Boriken. An OaklandLEAF.org, Ramas Crew, production. Proceeds of sales will go to Oakland LEAF.

5. YouthWisdom by Homies Empowerment

"Youth Wisdom" is a Homies Empowerment production, created by teens, ages 14-19, from Oakland, CA. based out of Arise High School. In this book, they express life lessons bringing forth hope and a vision for a new way to live. Proceeds of sales will go to Homies Empowerment.

6. DEERSONGS: A CHICANO CODEX COLORING BOOK 2014 by Israel Lopez

This Chicano Codex Coloring book is for both children and adults. This codex reflex on the deer and the medicine of the deer. The codex coloring book series are recalling, exploring and expanding the codices left behind by our ancestors. The imagery found in these texts are inspired by azteca, maya, toltecs, yaqui images but inspire the individual to continue to create not simply copy ancestral work. If we are to continue to thrive, identify and redefine the imagery and meaning left behind by our predecessors we have to re-evision, adapt and create new codices.

7. Norteños/Sureños:Time to 'Bang' For Freedom, Brief History of Mexican Mafia & NuestraFamilia by Cesar A. Cruz

This powerful book details the history of Norteno & Sureno gangs and how their split came about. It serves as an empowering historical tool for young people caught up in gangs. Includes sections on the Brown Berets, Young Lords and many freedom fighters.

8. Waterhummingbirdhouse: A Xikano Codex Coloring Book by Israel Lopez

This chicano art coloring book is 52 pages and examines neo-mayan,neo-aztec,neo-chicano glyphs. It is for both children and adults alike. This meditative work allows the viewer to explore visual metaphors that draw from what sometimes gets deemed as "lost cultures" and become inspired to create new visions for the next seven generations.  Centered around the reality that these images and cultures are here and now and continue to thrive.

Works suggested by:

cesar a. cruz

Doctoral Candidate & Founder of Homies Empowerment Program

Harvard University-Secondary School Program

Problem of the Week - Tetraflexagons

This is a fun spatial thinking activity from Martin Gardner's book Origami, Eleusis, and the Soma Cube.  You can print these out and follow the instructions to assemble them.  Can you manipulate the tetraflexagons to find the hidden faces?  Where might such a design be useful?

The first is a tri-tetraflexagon.  I'd recommend printing out the template below, cutting out (b) and writing the numbers shown on (a) on the back.  Then fold as shown in (c) and tape as shown in (d).  When you flip is over, you should see all ones on the back.  Where is the third side?

The second is the surprisingly not redundantly named tetra-tetraflexagon.  As before, cut out (b) and then cut along the dotted lines.  Next, write the numbers on the back as shown in (a).   Fold as shown in (c) and tape as shown in (d).  When you flip it over the back should be all twos.  Maybe you can find the third side, but can you find the fourth side?

Finally, the challenge we have been working towards.  Folding this properly, though challenging, is not the challenge.  For this hexa-tetraflexagon you will first cut out the shape in (b).  Then write the letters as shown in (a).  I'd highly recommend pre-creasing each square before starting to make the folds labeled with arrows in (a).  Then fold again as shown in (c), and finally put it all together as shown in (d).  The flap that has a 3 and 1 on it reverse from the tape shown in (d) should show a 1 so that the reverse of the 2 side is the 1 side.  Hopefully at this point, with some tinkering you can find the third and fourth sides.  At last you are ready for the real challenge, can you manipulate it to find the fifth and sixth sides without ripping it?  How many times did you rage quit and have to make a new one?

You're welcome for making your brain smarter.  PDF of the pictures can be found here.

By: Jim Town - Mathematics Specialist at ACOE Core Learning