By Anthony Stevenson
CCC Journalism Program
A book discussion of “My Beloved World” by Sonia Sotomayor will take place at Rutgers University in Camden on Nov. 12 and at Camden County College in Blackwood on Nov. 16. Elisabeth Bass, a professor of English at Camden County College, will host the event at both locations.
The book is an autobiography by Sotomayor and chronicles the Supreme Court justice’s humble beginnings and eventual political success.
Maggie You, a student at Rutgers-Camden, was excited about the event and recently purchased her tickets. “Sonia Sotomayor is an inspiration to all minorities. I am looking forward to talking about this book with people who feel the same way I do,” You said.
You, a 20-year-old Asian student, reflected on how Sotomayor’s story could inspire youths who want to get into politics. “Young girls, specifically female minorities, have someone to look up to if they want to know how to escape your reality and achieve your dreams,” she said.
This will be the first time an event like this will be held at Camden County College. The discussion will be presented in conjunction with programming being offered throughout fall 2015 and spring 2016 as part of a Latino Americans: 500 Years of History grant awarded to Camden County College.
Barbara Laynor, library director at the Blackwood campus, proposed the idea. “When we received the grant, we brainstormed on what types of event we could do with this money, and we settled on a book discussion on Sonia Sotomayor. We wanted to expand our programming events and opportunities,” Laynor said.
Sam Yates, a student on the Blackwood campus of Camden County College, was not aware of the book discussion but did say it would more than likely be received well. “Sonia Sotomayor is a role model for males and females alike and she is the definition of a success story,” Yates said.
Copies of the book can be borrowed for the event at the library.
The “My Beloved World” book discussion will take place at 3:30 p.m. Nov. 12 at the Paul Robeson Library at Rutgers University in Camden and at 2:30 p.m. Nov. 16 in Conference Room 002 of the Camden County College Library in Blackwood. To reserve a seat, contact Laynor at 856-374-4923 or blaynor@camdencc.edu. For more information, visit http://libguides.camdencc.edu/latinoamericans.
A flyer for the discussion includes an image of the book cover. By Anthony Stevenson, CCC Journalism Program