Little Village book club members look through the author's stack of favorite books.

A GEAR UP student holds one of Buckhanon's favorite books, Toni Morrison's, The Bluest Eye.

Buckhanon asks the group, "What separates us, me from someone who lives on 5th Avenue in New York? How do these paths get created?"

Upstate author,Kalisha Buckhanon (center) visits Little Village to speak with a group of students who are participants in a book club. Standing with her are Khadeejah Lasuc (right) the Little Village GEAR UP Site Liaison and organizer of the book club, and Rhonda Thomas, Site Liaison for Michele Clark High School.

Buckhanon opens a bag and pulls out a stack of well-worn books. She tells the girls that these books are old, but they travel with her. She passes them around for them to look at. Native Son, The Bluest Eye, Catcher in the Rye, Gorilla, My Love, The Diary of Anne Franke. Remembering when she was in school, she tells them, "I had my own cerebral interior and life when I had a book."

The girls in the group acknowledge the power of books, in particular the one they've just finished reading for book club this year, Upstate, by the author standing before them. They have questions about the book. "Why did it have to end the way it did?"

"I was angry when I wrote the book," she explains. "I wanted people to see that the community was fractured." She says about Antonio, one of the characters, "He was in jail for something societal and preventable. The police, court system, community didn't care for him."

She tells the group of girls, "I wanted to show the toll it takes on women." They nod their heads in understanding. Books become a way to explore issues they're confronted with in their own lives and community. Lasuc, tells the author, "We knew we wanted a book about girls." They explain that this is a book primarily about Natasha.

Buckhanon nods her head excitedly, "Thanks, this is the first time I've heard that. The book became about him [Antonio] in the press." Buckhanon explains, "Natasha got lost. This is about her growth. She goes somewhere." The girls seem to understand.

After discussing the book, the author goes on to explain the process of actually getting a book published. It's much more complicated than it would seem. She discusses everything from the editing process to the cover art for the book. By the time she's finished, the girls in the book club have a firsthand account of the world of publishing.

- by Cheryl Rodgers