El Lector

Thirteen year old Bella wants to be a lector like her grandfather. He sits on a special platform at the cigar factory, reading books, newspapers, and current events to the workers while they roll cigars. Lectors are highly respected members of the Cuban American community. This story is set during the Depression, and things are changing. The factory owners want to replace lectors with radios and union unrest begins with the arrival of other machines. Bella is a strong female protagonist, and this might supplement a unit on industialization and the labor problems associated with it. Written by William Durbin (a departure from his other books with stronger Minnesota connections), this was a finalist for the Minnesota Book Award in 2007.