The Cross-Cultural Center, Campus Diversity Initiative and Pathways Program are proud to announce this year’s selection for our 3rd Annual One Book, One College program, Nina Revoyr’s Southland. We invite all members of the campus and larger community to attend the Speaker Series. Dates, times and locations are listed under Events. Copies of Southland are available in the PCC library and bookstore.

Southland

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Nina Revoyr’s 2003 Southland – a Los Angeles Times Bestseller and winner of numerous accolades including Los Angeles Times “Best Books of 2003” and the Lambda Literary Award – is appealing to readers on many levels. It’s a story about Jackie Ishida – a young Japanese American woman (re)discovering her cultural roots, coming to terms with her sexuality, and confronting the skeletons in the closet of her family’s past. It’s a lesson in tolerance and a warning about the bitter seeds that racism plants in the hearts of men. It’s a whodunnit for mystery lovers, an urban narrative for aficionados of L.A. fiction, and a noir-ish tale to boot.

Yet, what really sets Southland apart from other literary works is the emphasis the story places on justice, community, and coalition-building. Intertwining three separate narratives that take place in L.A. (more or less) but during different periods of time – the present (1994, post-1992 L.A. Riot); 1965 Watts Riot era; and Japanese American internment during WWII – Revoyr’s work demonstrates the universality and timeless nature of the ideals of justice, community, and coalition-building.