UConn Reads Spring 2023 Announcement

Dear UConn Faculty, Staff & Students,

 

The UConn Reads program invites you to participate in a campus and community-wide experience discovering this year’s book selection, Light From Uncommon Stars, by Ryka Aoki. We are proud to celebrate Transgender Awareness Week (TAW) at UConn with the announcement of a significant university-wide program to raise the visibility of transgender people and address their needs and build dignity for all. For more information about TAW read more here and check out events sponsored by the UConn Rainbow Center here.

 

Aoki’s novel is a national bestseller, a Hugo Award Finalist, a Kirkus Best Book of 2021, a Barnes & Noble Best Science Fiction Book of 2021, the 2022 Alex Award Winner (for best Young Adult fiction), and 2022 Stonewall Book Award Winner (for LGBTQ+ fiction). With the Asian-Latino region of California, the San Gabriel Valley, as the backdrop, Aoki tells the story of a violin virtuoso, Katrina Nguyen. This intimately rendered character is a transgender Chinese-Vietnamese-Mexican woman in search of safety, affirmation, and joy. Her teacher, Shizuka Satomi, is a Japanese American violin master cursed by the devil and haunted by a demon. They help each other survive, but only through the resourcefulness and enterprise of Lan Tran, a refugee from another galaxy, taking the form of a Vietnamese donut shop owner. What can this story teach us about the Model Minority stereotype, love, gaming culture, classical violin instruction, digital media culture, and the trauma and violence that transphobia creates? Join us this spring to find out!

 

We hope that by engaging with this year’s selection either in the classroom, through group discussions or by sponsoring events within your community focused on the theme of this novel, all UConn community members can engage in thoughtful conversations about important topics such as dignity for transgender people, the pleasure of eating donuts, and the ingenuity of refugees (even of those from another galaxy). Light From Uncommon Stars is available to purchase through the UConn Bookstore and will shortly be circulation at all UConn library locations.

 

If you are interested in participating in the UConn Reads program in your classroom or community with a more in-depth focus, please contact uconnreads@uconn.edu to connect with a member of our team. The UConn Reads program will also be hosting a series of opportunities and events to engage with us during the Spring 2023 semester, including an interactive session with the author, Ryka Aoka.

 

To learn more about UConn Reads including the Steering Committee membership and future events, check our website.

 

Sincerely,

 

Jeffrey Shoulson

Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs

Co-Chair, UConn Reads

 

Jason Oliver Chang

Associate Professor of History and Asian American Studies

Faculty Affiliate, El Instituto, American Studies, and Maritime Studies

Director, Asian and Asian American Studies Institute

Co-Chair, UConn Reads