Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Maria Hinojosa’s nearly 30-year career has taken her all over the world, reporting for PBS, CBS, WGBH, WNBC, CNN, NPR, and anchoring and executive producing the Peabody Award-winning show Latino USA. In her memoir, Once I Was You (now available in a Young Readers Edition from Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers), Hinojosa shares her experiences growing up Mexican American on the South Side of Chicago. The book combines stories from her life, beginning with her family’s harrowing immigration from Mexico, with truths about the United States' long and complicated relationship with the people who cross its borders.
Hinojosa credits getting a library card as a child with setting her on the path to success, giving her a sense of community and peace that allowed her to be the best student possible. And she wants everyone to visit their local libraries and “show some love.” We can think of no better time to do so than Library Card Sign-Up Month. Explore all of the wonders at the library this month—and every month—and set a course for academic achievement, lifelong learning, and more!
Photo: Maria Hinojosa speaks at the American Library Association's Annual Conference and Exhibition in Washington, D.C., on June 25. Credit: EPNAC
