the 2 libraries (#20859) are identical in design but vary in sizing. there's a daddy one with…read morefiction and nonfiction books and a baby one with children's books. read: "The Old Man and the Sea" (Ernest Hemingway) -short novel of old Cuban fisherman Santiago who didn't catch any fish for 84 days. on the 85th day, he decided to go further out to sea. -he finally got a big one but couldn't reel the 1500 pound fish in. instead, the marlin pull him for almost 2 days out to sea. -finally the marlin surfaced, was harpooned, was fastened to skiff's side. a small dolphin was also caught, sliced up for food. -after 3 shark attacks, the big fish was mostly eaten. all the old man had left when he returned to port was the skeletal remains of the marlin. *the year after the release of this novel, Hemingway won the Nobel Prize for literature.

this large blue box with a lite green frame on a tree stump isn't part of the Little Free Library…read more"system" as it's labeled as "Alice St. Little Library". nevertheless, it's a great addition as there are zero libraries in the surrounding communities. it's on the corner of Alice & 17th St. in front of large apartment. there's nonfiction , fiction, and a single children's book. read: "Xia Yue Le/It's Raining!" (J FiC) all in chinese, -a beginning reader for Chinese readers with simple illustrations. -story revolves around a pond in the open spaces where wild animals (lion, elephant, cows, giraffes, birds, monkeys, ducks go to drink water. -they don't equally share, the bigger animals have primary access. -when the puddle evaporates, rain water replenishes it. -the pics are self-explanatory, knowing a few Chinese words helps a lot.

LFLs are such a gem wherever they pop up! This one especially as Lakeside and surrounding 'hoods…read more(Uptown Oakland & Chinatown) seem to be strangely devoid of them. It could be that I wasn't looking hard enough as well... This is an unofficial Little Free Library, meaning it's not registered thus it won't show up on the official site: https://littlefreelibrary.org That said, that doesn't matter to the average Joe, as its "offering" is exactly the same: piles & piles of books! Classics, some obscure literary choices, exam books & anything that someone wants to part with. The more the better. Major kudos to the individuals who conceived this blue-colored LFL from scratch, and situated it on an underutilized tree stump. It offers a wonderful pulse of the community!

Little Free Library (charter #98767) was a former mailbox before he/she/it retired and became a…read moregreen book box. Not many titles within. This box is definitely enjoying retirement. Read: Joy Luck Club -read it decades ago. Revolves around 4 women who formed a mahjong group. When a member died, her daughter took over. Novel is stories of the 4 families including 2 daughters of the deceased mahjong person. Her daughter went to China to tell mom's daughters about mom's life.

this lite green & white library (#112646) is full of fiction and nonfiction books…read more there's some pamphlet and a few children's books reads: "Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets" (Dav Pilkey) *George and Harold are 2 elementary boys who loved to prank people. they were punished for it. they found other ways ala sabotaging other students' exhibits at the science fair. -to avoid further trouble, they instead began writing about their favorite superhero: Captain Underpants who is the alter ego of their principal-Mr. Krupp. he was triggered to transform to an hero at a snap of a finger. -the tale is funny, has random mayhem, is totally illogical which appeals to young people (mainly boys?) with an active imagination. -there are many "books" in this series distributed by scholastic books. -hearsay there are cartoons or some form of video featuring Captain Underpants.

this totally white library is named "Lower Bottoms Mini Library". per it's name. there's just a few…read morenonfiction and children's books within., read: "The Color Purple" (Alice Walker) -book is written in epistolary style: i.e. all written in letters from Celie to God & her sister Nettie and her replies back. -Celie is the main character. at an young age she was the subject of rape by her father. 2 children therefrom eventually disappeared. -al Black women in the book are initially mistreated by society in general and by men specifically. -when the women began helping each other, their collective futures prospered. sisterhood & feminism is an evolving theme. -at the novel's end, Celie was reunited with her sister & 2 children as well.

this dark brown library (#30661) has filled with fiction and children's book…read more reads: "Hammerin' Hank: The Life of Hank Greenberg" (Yona Zeldis McDonough) -Hank Greenberg wasn't good at baseball initially but he enjoyed playing it. he developed his skills in the minor leagues, eventually making it to the majors. he played mostly for the Detroit Tigers, his last 2 years was at Pittsburgh, he was also in WW2 during his prime for 4 years. -H.G. is regarded as one of the 2 strongest hitters in baseball. he became the lst Jewish athlete elected to the Hall of Fame in 1956.

Free Books Free Minds is a newly installed big yellow framed box holding donated books, magazines &…read moreother media. These are meant to be exchanged for "donated" medium. "Fred Korematsu Speaks Up" wasn't from here. I borrowed it from the local library. By Laura Atkins & Stan Yogi, the book explains the events leading to Fred Korematsu being awarded the Presidents Medal of Freedom in '98 by Pres. Bill Clinton. The seeds of anti-Asian animus was planted when white miners objected to Chinese migrants mining gold in Ca. During the gold rush. It culminated in Executive Order #9066 by F.D.R. ordering the evacuation of all Japanese aliens & Japanese Americans from the west coast. Fred Korematsu did not evacuate. He Was arrested. The A.C.L.U. Defended him up to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ruled in Korematsu vs. U.S. that it was a "military necessity" for him & Japanese Americans to be evacuated, that no civil rights were violated. In 1983 Jeremy Irons & researcher Aiko Herzig-Yoshinaga found evidence in the National Archive to warrant an hearing. With Fred's consent, an appeal was made. The writ of coram nobis was granted, overturning Fred's conviction. The writ revealed that government lawyers had suppressed evidence that the Japanese Americans posed no threat, that they were loyal citizens. Jan. 30th is celebrated as Fred Korematsu Day. *May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

this turquoise library (#45409) has the usual fiction and nonfiction books…read more reads: "Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong" (James W. Loewen) *author read nearly 20 standard history textbooks. common themes found: -the process of hero-making i.e. Woodrow Wilson not identified as a racist, H. Keller not i.d. as a radical socialist, only as blind & deaf. -why Christopher Columbus was important not the first explorer to the Americas, just the lst European. -truth about the lst Thanksgiving in 1620 spanish already on the west coast in 1500's, English settlers already went to New England years earlier, leaving an epidemic that wiped out natives. Plymouth was already cleared of forest, had a corn corp the Pilgrims "borrowed" when they arrived. -Native Americans seldom mentioned in history, especially for their resistance to genocide and colonization. -"Gone with the Wind": racism is invisible -invisibility of anti-racism in history textbooks -"land of opportunity" (for people with capital, not workers) -history shown thru actions of American presidents -no mention of Vietnam war -no coverage of recent past (Iraq War) why history is written wrong-follows guidelines suggested by American Legion -inspire children with patriotism -tell truth optimistically -"must dwell on failure only for it's value as a moral lesson, ...must speak chiefly of success" wrong history deters disappeared people from learning, especially social studies. author believes history can be used to train students how to think. conversely, there are political groups who don't want students who can think, only want to train students to obey laws.

Little Free Library #16597 isn't on Fruitvale Ave. it's on the side street Lynde where the driveway…read moreto the business is. torquise colored box with 2 layers of reads. non fiction, ficctions on top, magazines, children's books on top. reads: crazy rich asian -should be interesting, imagine someone paying $16. for this (i can't)