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It’s just a blue, two-shelf box in the Rock Creek neighborhood of Washington County, but Wendy Shih’s Little Free Diverse Library (instagram.com/rockcreek_diverselibrary) has won national accolades. Step a little closer and notice that this library is wonderfully long on books with diverse characters and authors. Books that have cycled through the library this month include Being Mortal by Atul Gawande; Americanized: Rebel Without a Green Card by Sara Saedi; Speak Up!, a graphic novel about an autistic teenager by Rebecca Burgess; and His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie, which takes place in contemporary Ghana.
Shih, an avid reader and stay-at-home mother of two who started the library in 2022, recently won the 2024 Todd H. Bol Award for Outstanding Achievement from the global Little Free Library nonprofit for her dedication to the organization’s “mission to build community, inspire readers and expand book access for all.” Shih’s library is part of LFL’s Read in Color program, which champions diverse books.
Shih was born in Taipei, Taiwan, and moved to the U.S. at age 9. Growing up in California, Shih didn’t read many books that reflected her identity. When she became a mother, she wanted better for her two mixed-race children.
“There is so much beauty in human diversity that has historically, honestly, been excluded from mainstream publications,” Shih says.
Her Rock Creek home happens to be strategically positioned for foot traffic on a corner lot. There have been “a few hiccups” since then, she says, like the occasional blank stare when she describes her mission to curate diverse books. Worse, in 2023, someone tore up postcards advertising Third Eye Books Accessories & Gifts, a Black-owned and -operated store in Southeast Portland, and Shih’s stack of “In Our America, Love Wins” postcards and scattered them on the street and in the library.
Mostly, though, the Rock Creek community has been very supportive of Shih’s Read in Color mission. Shih maintains an active social media presence with “shelfies” of the books she has on offer, plus information about author talks and book fairs. Up next, Shih is planning a book drive for Banned Books Week, Sept. 22-28.
“I love what I’m doing because it’s not just a book-sharing box in my own neighborhood,” Shih says. “Once this was set up, I was able to connect across the country with other people who are doing this Read in Color work.”
See the rest of Willamette Week’s Best of Portland 2024 here!