Meet Milena from Hoppers Crossing Library
Not only is Milena Torres the Collections Support Librarian, she is also the librarian representative on the Wyndham City working group for International Women's Day (IWD) events and programs. Ensuring all library branches have beautiful and dedicated IWD displays throughout the month.
They are highlighting work by women, for women and about women. Exploring gender equality and why it benefits everyone.
To relate to this years UN theme of Count Her In the library is focusing on memoirs of women inspiring cultural and economic change for women. As well as informing members of community council events to for women in business.
As Collections Support Librarian, Milena assists women and girls who are looking for books that will educated them on finding a job, learning a new skills, recreation and wellbeing and learning new crafts. The library has dedicated migrant workshops for women migrant members searching for skills to be economic productive.
We thank Milena and the Library for the important work they are doing for gender equality and educating others via literature in all forms.
Milena’s personal recommendations:
FICTION
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy – this is a masterful novel that tackles big themes of love, hope, tragedy and the great suffering of the powerless in a hierarchical society. It also portrays the plight of Indian women in a male-dominant society, which will resonate with women in patriarchal structures everywhere.
- Circe by Madeline Miller – a female retelling of the story of the mythological witch Circe, inspired by Homer’s Odyssey.
- A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes – a powerful all-female perspective of the Trojan War, these are stories of the women embroiled in that legendary war and its terrible aftermath.
- The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams – male scholars who compiled the first Oxford English Dictionary often discarded words and meanings relating to women’s experiences. Esme, the protagonist, worked for the OED but also secretly collected words for another dictionary: The Dictionary of Lost Words.
- After Story by Larissa Behrendt – traverses the physical and personal journeys of a First Nations Australian mother and daughter through their ten-day literary tour in England. The characters draw comparisons between English literature and Indigenous Australian storytelling, and explore how both can enrich our understanding of the world.
NON-FICTION
- You’re Doing it Wrong by Kaz Cooke – from the blurb: ‘a laugh-out-loud frolic through centuries of terrible advice, from 14th-century clergy to the Kardashians ... It’s also a roar against injustice, a rallying cry for sisterhood and a way to free ourselves from ludicrous expectations and imposed perfectionism.’
- Pandora’s Jar: Women in the Greek Myths by Natalie Haynes – focuses on the remarkable women at the heart of ancient myths, whose stories have been retold countless times but often painted them as monstrous, vengeful or just plain evil.
- We Should all Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie – an essay that delves on the impacts of gender stereotypes on our lives, and emphasises how both men and women will benefit immensely from a gender equal world.
- Wordslut: a Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language by Amanda Montell – from the blurb: ‘Drawing on fascinating research, and moving between history and pop culture, Montell deconstructs language – from insults and cursing to grammar and pronunciation – to expose the ways it has been used for centuries to gaslight women.’
- Not Now, Not Ever: Ten Years on from the Misogyny Speech edited by Julia Gillard – on 9 October 2012, Prime Minister Julia Gillard stood up in Parliament to deliver the incisive – and now iconic – ‘misogyny speech’. This book is an anthology of essays from a whole collective of women reflecting on the current state of gender issues, its intersections with race and class, and what can be done to pave the path to an inclusive, gender equal future.
Please also check out our Libraries’ featured resources for IWD:
- Library Catalogue: https://catalogue.wyndham.vic.gov.au/client/en_AU/wycl/?rm=INTERNATIONAL+2%7C%7C%7C1%7C%7C%7C0%7C%7C%7Ctrue&dt=listt
- BorrowBox eBooks: https://wyndham.borrowbox.com/ebooks/product-group/4437/international-womens-day-reads
- BorrowBox eAudiobooks: https://wyndham.borrowbox.com/eaudiobooks/product-group/4450/international-womens-day-listens
- hoopla eBooks, eAudio, music, comics and movies: https://www.hoopladigital.com.au/collection/14983
- Kanopy movies: https://www.kanopy.com/en/wyndham/category/15759
Library members can access BorrowBox, hoopla, Kanopy and a wide range of digital resources for free. Please visit eBooks, Audio and Video | Wyndham City for more information.
