November 26, 2009

• “Wherever There’s a Fight: How Runaway Slaves, Suffragists, Immigrants, Strikers, and Poets Shaped Civil Liberties in California” tells the story of how freedom and equality have grown in California, from the gold rush to the precarious post-9/11 era. The book illuminates the hidden stories of individuals who have had to stand up for their rights, and it connects the experiences of early Chinese immigrants to runaway enslaved Africans and World War II internment of Japanese Americans to professionals who challenged McCarthyism. Published by Heyday Books in Berkeley, the 512-page paperback book retails for about $25. Information: www.heydaybooks.com.

• “Liberation Song: The Book of Resurrection,” by local author, lecturer and advocate Sadiki Bakari, was released Nov. 18. The author of four books, Bakari’s latest work is full of quotes, affirmations and proverbs and was written with the inner ascendance and personal growth and development of the individual in mind. The 161-page paperback book retails for about $13. Information: www. sadikibakari.com/products.html.

DISCUSSION/BOOKSIGNING

• Center Scene Public Programs will present a public conversation entitled “A Question of Freedom: Learning, Survival and Coming of Age in Prison,” featuring author Dwayne Betts. This event will be held at the The California Endowment’s Center for Healthy Communities Dec. 1, 6:30 p.m., at 1000 N. Alameda St., Los Angeles. Betts is the national spokesperson for Campaign for Youth Justice, a program director at D.C. Creative Writing Workshop and the founder of YoungMenRead. One night in 1996, however, then-16-year-old Betts carjacked a man sleeping in a parking lot and subsequently spent nine years in adult prison. He uses his book and his experiences to ask questions about violence, race, opportunity and the criminal justice system. A networking reception and book signing will follow this event. Admission and parking are free. Use of public transportation is strongly encouraged. Information: e-mail rsvpchc@calendow.org.

THEATER

• “Bleeding Through” tells the story of Los Angeles’ historic Angelino Heights District and the adjacent downtown area, a neighborhood where more cinematic “murders” have occurred than anywhere else in the world. Adapted from Norman Klein’s highly praised novella, this work explores the shaping of a city’s memory by commonplace experiences, chronicled history and cinematic influences. This event will take place Nov. 29, 3 p.m., and Dec. 3, 8 p.m., at the Southern California Library for Social Studies and Research, 6120 S. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles. Tickets are $20 and $15 for members of the library. RSVPs are required and a portion of the proceeds will go to the library. Information: (626) 396-0920, www.aboutpd.org.