
Adult Read Woke Challenge
Why Read Woke?
Milton Public Library is participating in the Read Woke Challenge to help the residents of Milton join in the fight to be stronger, more active, and more consistent allies in the fight for racial equality. One way that we learn about the world around them and other cultures is through the social messages found in stories.
Below are some lists of books available at MPL to get you started on your reading journey. Please note this is not a definitive list.
If you wish to find your own materials, just a reminder that a Woke Book should be by and about marginalized persons, and must:
- Challenge a social norm;
- Give voice to the voiceless;
- Provide information about a group that has been disenfranchised;
- Seek to challenge the status quo;
- Have a protagonist from an underrepresented or oppressed group.
Adult Read Woke Booklists
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November: Indigenous Voices
Fiction Books:
Indians on Vacation by Thomas King
Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese
The Break by Katherena Vermette
The back of the Turtle by Thomas King
Empire of the Wild by Cherie Dimaline
Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice
Chasing Painted Horses by Drew Hayden Taylor
Medicine Walk by Richard Wagamese
Five Little Indians by Michelle Good
Noopiming: The Cure for White Ladies by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson
Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead
Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson
The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
Bone Black by Carol Rose GoldenEagle
Love Beyond Body, Space, and Time edited by Hope Nicholson
Motorcycles and Sweetgrass by Drew Hayden Taylor
Graphic Novels:
I Will See You Again by Lisa Boivin
Sovereign Traces. Volume 2, Relational Constellation edited by Elizabeth LaPensee
Carpe Fin: A Haida Manga by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas
Secret Path by Gordon Downie and Jeff Lemire
If I Go Missing text by Brianna Jonnie and Nahanni Shingoose; art by Neal Shannacappo
Sovereign Traces. Volume 1, Not (just) (an)other edited by Gordon Henry Jr. and Elizabeth LaPensee
Moonshot. Volume 2: The Indigenous Comics Collection edited by Hope Nicholson
Non-Fiction Resources:
All Our Relations: Finding the Path Forward, by Tanya Talaga
A Two-Spirit Journey: The Autobiography of a Lesbian Ojibwa-Cree Elder, by Ma-Nee Chacaby
Black Water: Family, Legacy and Blood Memory by David Robertson
Devil in the Woods: Poems, by D. A. Lockhart
From Where I Stand: Rebuilding Indigenous Nations for a Stronger Canada, by Jody-Wilson Raybould
The Inconvenient Indian, by Thomas King
In My Own Moccasins: A Memoir of Resilience, by Helen Knott
The Knowledge Seeker: Embracing Indigenous Spirituality, by Blair Stonechild
Me Artsy, by Drew Hayden Taylor
Medicine Unbundled: A Journey Through the Minefields of Indigenous Healthcare, by Garry Geddes
My name is Arnaktauyok : the life and art of Germaine Arnaktauyok , by Germaine Arnaktauyok
NDN Coping Mechanisms: Notes from the Field, by Billy-Ray Belcourt
The north-west is our mother: the story of Louis Riel's people, the M nation, by Jean Teillet
One Drum, Stories and Ceremonies for a Planet, by Richard Wagamese
Peace and Good Order: The Case for Indigenous Justice in Canada, by Harold Johnson
Reawakening our ancestors' lines : revitalizing Inuit traditional tattooing, by Angela Hovak
Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death and Hard Truths in a Northern City, by Tanya Talaga
Tawaw: Progressive Indigenous Cuisine, by Shane M. Chartrand
The trail of Nenaboozhoo and other creation stories, by Isaac Murdoch
Electronic Resources:
All our Relations by Tanya Talaga (Hoopla)
Five Little Indians by Michelle Good (cloudLibrary)
Islands of Decolonial Love by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson (Hoopla)
Keetsahnak / Our Missing and Murdered Indigenous Sisters by various authors (Hoopla)
Legacy by Suzanne Methot (Hoopla)
Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg by Gidigaa Migizi (Hoopla)
The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich (cloudLibrary)
The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones (cloudLibrary)
Seven Fallen Feathers by Tanya Talaga (Hoopla)
Surviving Canada: Indigenous People Celebrate 150 Years of Betrayal by various authors (Hoopla)
Where the Dead Sit Talking by Brandon Hobson (cloudLibrary)
Why Indigenous Literatures Matter by Daniel Heath Justice (Hoopla)
For More Great Reads:
For more Indigenous titles, use our searchable "Indigenous Collection" tag or type it into the catalogue search bar. -
December: Newcomer Voices
Fiction Books:
The Boat People by Sharon Bala
These ghosts are family : a novel by Maisy Card
Exit west : a novel by Mohsin Hamid
Elsewhere, home by Leila Aboulela
Pachinko : a novel by Min Jin Lee
America for beginners : a novel by Leah Franqui
The book of unknown Americans by Cristina Henrique
Behold the dreamers: a novel by Imbolo Mbue
Transcendent kingdom : a novel by Yaa Gyasi
A place for us: a novel by Fatima Farheen Mirza
Immigrant City : stories by David Bezmozgis
We need new names : a novel by NoViolet Bulawayo
How much of these hills is gold by C Pam Zhang
The year of the runaways: a novel by Sunjeev Sahota
Scarborough : a novel by Catherine Hernandez
Dominicana : a novel by Angie Cru
The beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri
Lost children archive: a novel by Valeria Luiselli
Days of distraction: a novel by Alexandra Chang
A woman is no man : a novel by Etaf Rum
Non-Fiction Books:
A map is only one story : twenty writers on immigration, family, and the meaning of home, edited by Nicole Chung
Breaking the Ocean, by Annahid Dashtgard
Coming here, being here : a Canadian migration anthology, edited by Donald F. Mulcahy
The death and life of Aida Hernandez : a border story by Aaron Bobrow-Strain
Homes: A Refugee Story, by Abu Baker al Rabeeah
Seeking the fabled city : the Canadian Jewish experience, by Allan Levine
The ungrateful refugee : what immigrants never tell you, by Dina Nayeri
Yes, my accent is real : and some other things I haven't told you, by Kunal Nayyar
Voice of rebellion : how Mozhdah Jamalzadah brought hope to Afghanistan, by Roberta Staley
Electronic Resources:
Boy, Bird, Snow by Helen Oyeyemi (Hoopla)
Brick Lane by Monica Ali (Hoopla)
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (cloudLibrary)
Every Day is for the Thief by Teju Cole (cloudLibrary)
Knitting the Fog by Claudia D. Hernández (Hoopla)
Krik? Krak! by Edwidge Danticat (Hoopla)
The Leavers by Lisa Ko (Hoopla)
Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann (Hoopla)
Reproduction by Ian Williams (cloudLibrary)
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January: LGBTQ2S+ Voices
Fiction Books:
All My Mother's Lovers by Ilana Masad
Frankissstein: A Love Story by Jeanette Winterson
The Book of Flora by Meg Elison
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
The Girl in the Green Dress by Cath Staincliffe
This is how it always is by Laurie Frankel
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
Swimming in the Dark by Tomasz Jedrowski
Stella Maris: & other Key West Stories by Michael Carroll
Counting on Love by RL Burgess
In at the Deep End by Kate Davies
Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl by Andrea Lawlor
The Woman in Black by Erik Tarloff
Life of David Hockney by Catherine Cusset
After the Summer Rain by Gerri Hill
Cantoras by Carolina De Robertis
Back to September by Melissa Brayden
The Melting Queen by Bruce Cinnamon
Stay and Fight by Madeline Ffitch
Graphic Novels
Death Threat by Vivek Shraya and Ness Lee
Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Comic Book edited by Ari Yarwood
Gender Queen by Maia Kobabe; colors by Phoebe Kobabe
Bloodlust & Bonnets by Emily McGovern
Gender: A Graphic Guide by Meg-John Barker & Jules Scheele
Cosmoknights by Hannah Templer
First Year Out: A Transition Story by Sabrina Symington
Non-Fiction Resources:
The A to Z of Gender and Sexuality, by Morgan Potts Edward Holleb
Any Other Way: How Toronto got Queer, edited by Stephanie Chambers
Beautiful on the Outside, by Adam Rippon
The book of pride : LGBTQ heroes who changed the world, by Mason Funk
Born both : an intersex life, by Hida Viloria
The Children of Harvey Milk: How LGBTQ Politicians Changed the World, by Andrew Reynolds
The gay Agenda, by Ashley Molesso
Headcase : LGBTQ writers and artists on mental health and wellness, edited by Stephanie Schroeder
How we fight for our lives : a memoir, by Saeed Jones
I’m Afraid of Men, by Vivek Shraya
In the Closet of the Vatican, by Frederic Martel
Life as a unicorn : a journey from shame to pride and everything in between, by Amrou Al-Kadhi
Lives in transition : LGBTQ Serbia, by Slobodan Randjelovic
Out North: An Archive of Queer Activism and Kinship in Canada, by Craig Jennex
Shortest Way Home: One Mayor’s Challenge and a Model for America’s Future, by Pete Buttigieg
Spoiler Alert: the Hero Dies, by Michael Asiello
This one looks like a boy : my gender journey to life as a man, by Lorimar Shenher
Tomboy Survival Guide, by Ivan Coyote
Trans : exploring gender identity and gender dysphoria - a guide for everyone, by Dr. Az Hakeem
What’s Your Pronoun? Beyond He & She, by Dennis Baron
A Wild and Precious Life, by Edie Windsor
Electronic Resources:
Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman (cloudLibrary)
A History of My Brief Body by Billy-Ray Belcourt (cloudLibrary)
Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe (Hoopla)
How We Fight for Our Lives by Saeed Jones (cloudLibrary)
Nothing to Lose by Clare Lydon (Hoopla)
Outrageous Misfits by Brian Bradley (cloudLibrary)
Queer City by Peter Ackroyd (Hoopla)
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (cloudLibrary)
This One Looks Like a Boy by Lorimer Shenher (cloudLibrary)
A Queer and Pleasant Danger by Kate Bornstein (cloudLibrary)
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February: Black Voices
Fiction Books:
The girl with the louding voice : a novel by Abi Daré
Sing, unburied, sing : a novel by Jesmyn Ward
Parable of the sower by Octavia E. Butler
Brother: a novel by David Chariandy
Their eyes were watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Such a fun age : a novel by Kiley Reid
The vanishing half by Brit Bennett
Half-blood blues by Esi Edugyan
The death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi
Transcendent kingdom : a novel by Yaa Gyasi
Stay with me: a novel by Ayobami Adebayo
Ordinary people : a novel by Diana Evans
The water dancer: a novel by Ta-Nehisi Coates
An American marriage : a novel by Tayari Jones
His only wife by Peace Adzo Medie
Frying plantain: stories by Zalika Reid-Benta
Girl, woman, other : a novel by Bernardine Evaristo
Deacon King Kong : a novel by James McBride
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
Luster : a novel by Raven Leilani
The color purple by Alice Walker
The care and feeding of ravenously hungry girls : a novel by Anissa Gray
How long 'til black future month? by N. K. Jemisin
Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
Angry Queer Somali Boy by Mohamed Abdulkarim Ali
It's Not All Downhill from Here by Terry McMillan
Non-Fiction Resources:
At home with Muhammad Ali : a memoir of love, loss, and forgiveness by Hana Ali
The awkward thoughts of W. Kamau Bell by W. Kamau Bell
Black girls rock! : owning our magic, rocking our truth edited by Beverly Bond
Black Klansman : race, hate, and the undercover investigation of a lifetime by Ron Stallworth
The bold world : a memoir of family and transformation by Jodie Patterson
Dapper Dan : made in Harlem : a memoir by Daniel R. Day with Mikael Awake
Hood feminism : notes from the women that a movement forgot by Mikki Kendall
I've been meaning to tell you : a letter to my daughter by David Chariandy
More than enough : claiming space for who you are (no matter what they say) by Elaine Welteroth
Notes from a young Black chef : a memoir by Kwame Onwuachi with Joshua David Stein
They said this would be fun : race, campus life, and growing up by Eternity Martis
Things that make white people uncomfortable by Michael Bennett and Dave Zirin
The yellow house by Sarah M. Broom
So you want to talk about race by Ijeoma Oluo
Policing Black Lives by Robyn Maynard
I know why the caged bird sings by Maya Angelou
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X Kendi
Electronic Resources
The Beautiful Struggle by Ta-Nahisi Coates (Hoopla)
A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James (cloudLibrary)
Africville by Jeffrey Colvin (cloudLibrary)
Beloved by Toni Morrison (cloudLibrary)
Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (cloudLibrary)
The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré (cloudLibrary)
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead (cloudLibrary)
Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward (cloudLibrary)
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March: Diverse Abilities
Fiction Books:
The kiss quotient : a novel by Helen Hoang
The Rosie project by Graeme Simsion
Still Alice : a novel by Lisa Genova
The curious incident of the dog in the night-time by Mark Haddon
House rules : a novel by Jodi Picoult
Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine by Gail Honeyman
Every note played by Lisa Genova
The lightkeeper's daughters by Jean E. Pendziwol
The things I know by Amanda Prowse
The invisible life of Ivan Isaenko by Scott Stambach
What Milo saw by Virginia Macgregor
The geranium window by Beatrice MacNeil
Forrest Gump : a novel by Winston Groom
The wonder of lost causes : a novel by Nick Trout
Anatomy of a miracle : a novel by Jonathan Miles
Graphic Novels:
Nonfiction Books:
Care work : dreaming disability justice by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha
Fall down 7 times get up 8 : a young man's voice from the silence of autism by Naoki Higashida
How far can you go? : my 25-year quest to walk again by John Maclean with Mark Tabb
Misfit : autistic, gay, immigrant, changemaker : a memoir by Andreas Souvaliotis
Normal sucks : how to live, learn, and thrive outside the lines by Jonathan Mooney
Not fade away : a memoir of senses lost and found by Rebecca Alexander with Sascha Alper
The power of disability : 10 lessons for surviving, thriving, and changing the world by Al Etmanski
Shouting won't help : why I--and 50 million other Americans--can't hear you by Katherine Bouton
Sitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body by Rebekah Taussig
Sound : a memoir of hearing lost and found by Bella Bathurst
Unconquerable : the Invictus spirit by Boris Starling
Unleash different : achieving success through disability by Rich Donovan
Electronic Resources:
Beasts of Burden by Sunaura Taylor (Hoopla)
Born at the Right Time by Ron McCallum (Hoopla)
Care Work by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha (Hoopla)
Come, Let Me Guide You by Susan Krieger (Hoopla)
Cyborg Detective by Jillian Weise (Hoopla)
Disfigured by Amanda Leduc (cloudLibrary)
Life, Animated by Ron Suskind (Hoopla)
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April: Mental Health
Fiction:
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine by Gail Honeyman
All my puny sorrows by Miriam Toews
She's come undone by Wally Lamb
Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger
Everything I never told you by Celeste Ng
Norwegian wood by Haruki Murakami
That time I loved you : linked stories by Carrianne Leung
Valencia and Valentine by Suzy Krause
How to be human : a novel by Paula Cocozza
And then you were gone : a novel by R. J. Jacobs
Dear Edward : a novel by Ann Napolitano
The first phone call from heaven by Mitch Albom
The silver linings playbook by Matthew Quick
Ghosts of Harvard : a novel by Francesca Serritella
Separation anxiety : a novel by Laura Zigman
Since we fell : a novel by Dennis Lehane
Whispers through a megaphone by Rachel Elliott
We are all that's left : a novel by Carrie Arcos
Tell : a novel by Frances Itani
Birdie : a novel by Tracey Lindberg
Nonfiction:
Depression : the comedy : a tale of perseverance by Jessica Holmes
Heart berries : a memoir by Terese Mailhot
Hello I want to die please fix me : depression in the first person by Anna Mehler Paperny
The hilarious world of depression by John Moe
Little panic : dispatches from an anxious life by Amanda Stern
My lovely wife in the psych ward : a memoir by Mark Lukach
Notes on a banana : a memoir of food, love, and manic depression by David Leite
On edge : a journey through anxiety by Andrea Petersen
Somebody I used to know : a memoir by Wendy Mitchell, with Anna Wharton
The valedictorian of being dead : the true story of dying ten times to live by Heather B. Armstrong
Graphic Novels:
Electronic Resources:
Bipolar Expeditions by Emily Martin (Hoopla)
Cracked, Not Broken by Kevin Hines (cloudLibrary)
Craving by Omar Manejwala (cloudLibrary)
Darkness Visible by William Styron (Hoopla)
Dosed by Kaitlin Bell Barnett (cloudLibrary)
The Great Pretender by Susannah Cahalan (cloudLibrary)
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May: Asian & South Asian Voices
Fiction:
The vegetarian : a novel by Han Kang
The henna artist : a novel by Alka Joshi
The night tiger : a novel by Yangsze Choo
The glass palace by Amitav Ghosh
The hero's walk : a novel by Anita Rau Badami
The last story of Mina Lee : a novel by Nancy Jooyoun Kim
A fine balance by Rohinton Mistry
The lives of others by Neel Mukherjee
The kite runner : a novel by Khaled Hosseini
Secret daughter : a novelby Shilpi Somaya Gowda
The memory police : a novel by Yoko Ogawa
The map of salt and stars by Jennifer Zeynab Joukha
The white tiger : a novel by Aravind Adiga
Pachinko : a novel by Min Jin Lee
The sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
The city of brass : a novel by S. A. Chakraborty
Erotic stories for Punjabi widows : a novel by Balli Kaur Jaswal
Homeland elegies: a novel by Ayad Akhtar
Library of Legends : A Novel by Janie Chang
Never let me go by Kazuo Ishiguro
1Q84 : a novel / Haruki Murakami
The ministry of utmost happiness : a novel by Arundhati Roy
Little fires everywhere : a novelby Celeste Ng
All the lives we never lived : a novel / Anuradha Roy
The widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey
Sea of poppies by Amitav Ghosh
The good son : a novel by You-Jeong Jeong
Graphic Novels:
Good talk : a memoir in conversations by Mira Jacob
Non-Fiction Resources:
A good wife : escaping the life I never chose : a memoir by Samra Zafar, with Meg Masters
All you can ever know : a memoir by Nicole Chung
Before I was a critic I was a human being by Amy Fung
Chop suey nation : the Legion Cafe and other stories from Canada's Chinese restaurants by Ann Hui
Curry : eating, reading, and race by Naben Ruthnum
Dear girls : intimate tales, untold secrets & advice for living your best life by Ali Wong
The emperor's orphans by Sally Ito
How to write an autobiographical novel : essays by Alexander Chee
Older sister. Not necessarily related by Jenny Heijun Wills
One day we'll all be dead and none of this will matter by Scaachi Koul
That good night : life and medicine in the eleventh hour by Sunita Puri
Under red skies : three generations of life, loss, and hope in China by Karoline Kan
Electronic Resources:
After the Bloom by Leslie Shimotakahara (cloudLibrary)
All You Can Ever Know by Nicole Chung (cloudLibrary)
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata (Hoopla)
Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal (Hoopla)
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng (cloudLibrary)
Family Trust by Kathy Wang (cloudLibrary)
A House is a Body by Shruti Swamy (Hoopla)
I am an Executioner: Love Stories by Rajesh Parameswaran (Hoopla)
The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai (Hoopla)
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More Great Reads!
Fiction Books:
Still lives : a novel by Maria Hummel
The eighth girl : a novel by Maxine Mei-Fung
Josephine Baker's last dance : a novel by Sherry Jones
The king is always above the people : stories by Daniel Alarcón
These women : a novel by Ivy Pochoda
Girl : a novel by Edna O'Brien
A long petal of the sea : a novel by Isabel Allende
You had me at hola : a novel by Alexis Daria
Expectation : a novel by Anna Hope
America was hard to find : a novel by Kathleen Alcott
Correspondents : a novel by Tim Murphy
Non-Fiction Books:
Algorithms of oppression : how search engines reinforce racism by Safiya Umoja Noble
Dear Ijeawele, or, A feminist manifesto in fifteen suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Don't label me : an incredible conversation for divided times by Irshad Manji
How to be an antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
Know my name : a memoir by Chanel Miller
Reset : my fight for inclusion and lasting change by Ellen K. Pao
Online Resources:
Algorithms of Oppression by Safiya Umoja Noble (cloudLibrary)
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nahisi Coates (cloudLibrary)
Breathe by Imani Perry (cloudLibrary)
How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi (cloudLibrary)
How we Fight for Our Lives by Saeed Jones (cloudLibrary)
I'm Still Here by Austin Channing Brown (cloudLibrary)
I've Been Meaning to Tell You by David Chariandy (cloudLibrary)
Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad (cloudLibrary)
Policing Black Lives by Robyn Maynard (cloudLibrary)
So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo (Hoopla)
Stamped by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi (cloudLibrary)
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander (cloudLibrary)
The Skin We're In by Desmond Cole (cloudLibrary)
Until We Are Free edited by Rodney Diverlus et. al. (cloudLibrary)
We Were Eight Years in Power by Ta-Nehisi Coates (cloudLibrary)
What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Blacker by Damon Young (cloudLibrary)
When They Call you a Terrorist by Patrisse Khan-Cullors and asha bandele (cloudLibrary)
Upcoming Programs:
Read Woke: Diverse Abilities
Sat, Mar 20 @ 2:00 p.m.
In partnership with the National Film Board of Canada, please join us for a special film presentation honouring diverse abilities and experiences. Register here. The film being presented is:
* The Artisans (2018): “We’re beautiful, the whole gang. We’re special,” says Jean of the 15-odd employees at The Artisan—a workshop employing people with intellectual disabilities. Jean is the self-described “handyman and best-looking” member of the group. A moving celebration of difference, The Artisans captures daily life at an organization where the workers are as courageous as they are colourful.

How to Complete the Challenge:
The most important thing you need to do is read some Read Woke books (anything that challenges you to think about other people, other places, or situations new to you). Then, to ‘complete’ the challenge and be eligible for the Grand Prize Draws, you will need to earn each badge. To earn a badge, you will:
- Read at least one corresponding book each month
- Tell us something you learned/enjoyed
- Encourage others to read woke.
How To Get Signed Up:
To participate in the challenge, you will need to make sure you have registered for a Beanstack account. If you or someone in your household participated in a Summer Reading Club Challenge, then you already have one. If not, here is how you can get started:
1. Visit your app store to download the Beanstack Tracker App to your smart phone or device, OR visit https://beinspired.beanstack.org to use the browser version.
2. Register yourself for an account. If more than one person in your household is registering for the reading challenge (we have three age groups to choose from), create one account for the whole family and add multiple readers. (TIP: make sure you look for Milton Public Library, Ontario. We’re the one with the bee logo)
3. Select your Read Woke challenge, based on your age.
Read Woke is For Everyone:
Access the children's content here
Access the teen content here
Have questions? Email beanstack@besinspired.ca
Read Woke: Diverse Abilities on cloudLibrary