Community Care
The power of caring for each other and our connected, collective well-being.
February 1 – March 31, 2022
Read Brave Saint Paul is a citywide, intergenerational reading initiative that centers the power of books to ignite empathy and help us think of big ideas to move Saint Paul forward. Read Brave connects readers of all ages to one another through the five books, their authors, programs, activities, and calls to action.
Read
Our main book this year is The Magic Fish by Trung Lê Nguyễn. The Magic Fish is Nguyen’s debut, award-winning graphic novel about Tiến navigating through fairytales while trying to communicate with parents, find the right words for what he’s going through, and ultimately find his happy ending. The Magic Fish tackles tough topics in a way that’s accessible to all and illustrates to us how we are all connected.
What We Hunger For: Refugee and Immigrant Stories About Food and Family, edited by Sun Yung Shin, is this year’s nonfiction selection. In What We Hunger For, fifteen upper midwestern writers from refugee and immigrant families write about their complicated, poignant, funny, difficult, joyful, and ongoing relationships to food, cooking, and eating.
Read Brave books are available for purchase at the following Saint Paul bookstores: Babycake’s Book Stack, opens a new window, Minnesota History Center Gift Shop, opens a new window, Next Chapter Booksellers, opens a new window, Red Balloon Bookshop, opens a new window, Storied Owl Books, opens a new window, and Subtext Books, opens a new window.
Talk
Talk about the books and the theme of community care with your neighbors, friends, and family. Use our toolkit to provides resources for digging in and facilitating conversations.
Discussion questions and toolkit coming soon!
Act
What does community care look like to you? Join us for community events and programs on the topic.
Volunteer events, author events, exhibitions, storytimes, and more coming soon!
Sign Up for the Read Brave Newsletter
Stay informed about Read Brave book selections, events, and activities.
Questions about Read Brave?
Get in touch with the Read Brave Team using the form below with any questions you have about Read Brave books, events, or patnerships.
Read Brave Saint Paul is brought to you by the Saint Paul Public Library and The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library. This program is funded with money from Minnesota’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, with special support from the Saint Paul Saints and Bernadette and Jeffrey Janisch.
