Read a Book Today: ‘Bookchella’ is back at USC
Besties, remember at the beginning of the semester when I wrote my little love letter to Los Angeles? It’s okay if you don’t, because I barely remember the beginning of the semester too. I wrote about how people actually do read in L.A. It turns out my words were in anticipation of the next couple of weeks in the City of Angels.
For a very long time, I thought that L.A. was where literary ambition went to die. No one would want to write in a sun-soaked city when you could be seeking out reprieve from the heat in an air-conditioned movie theater with popcorn lining the aisles instead. For me, the L.A. aesthetic has always consisted of strip malls, long drives, sunglasses, jacaranda trees, Fleetwood Mac and Blackberry phones (until they went out of vogue). And to be honest, my L.A. opinions were slightly irrational considering that, for my entire life, the largest book festival in the Northern hemisphere was in my backyard, and I regularly attended.
The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books has been around since the late ‘90s and used to be held at the other L.A. school — if you care at all, those have been the only occasions that I have stepped onto that campus. Every author ventures to the Golden State for these festivals — if you’ve written a book, it’s a must. Certainly, if you love books, it’s a must. If you happen to be in the L.A. area during that one weekend in April, it’s a must (even if you leave after an hour to go see what’s on Hollywood Boulevard).
In 2011, the festival moved across town to USC and because it so often coincides with a little festival in Indio called Coachella, some have coined it “Bookchella.”
To top off the town’s literary reputation, the weekend following the festival, Santa Monica will have young adult readers descend upon the campus of Santa Monica High School. Lest you think they are returning for a second attempt at geometry and American lit, they’re actually there for the annual “YallWest,” a wild, lively festival filled with tons of authors coming to sign books, give out advanced reader copies and, on one occasion, sing “Hamilton” tunes for a singalong during the musical’s hype (after all, it is a book festival that has the energy of a theater kid). So in conclusion, as I’ve mentioned a thousand times over, L.A. is a reading city!
What makes the Festival of Books unique, though, is the catalog of USC professors who moonlight as authors at panels and signing booths and me: casually losing my mind at the fact that after two years, we’re finally back at the book festival. This is a holiday for me (and frankly, essential in maintaining my brand at the Daily Trojan).
The book festival makes certain that the idea that authors are inaccessible is antiquated. I don’t know, maybe that’s my English minor coming out and the fact that I’ve been able to meet so many authors, never mind taking courses with some at USC. But, I think it is also due to book festivals and social media.
One author that I’ve followed for the entirety of my existence on Twitter and thus, has always felt accessible, is Robin Benway. She’s one of my “SoCal’’ authors because her books often take place in Orange County, a departure from a more common L.A. setting. This year, Benway is coming to the festival to promote her latest book after a five-year hiatus, so I think it is somewhat appropriate for me to chat about that 2017 novel, “Far From the Tree.”
The novel takes the reader through three different perspectives of people who realize that they are actually related. It tackles teen pregnancy and foster care while providing LGBTQIA+ representation. It has been said that it is perfect for fans of the television show “This is Us.,” and as a fan of both, I guess they’re right. Benway has a fresh voice, one that feels colloquial without feeling forced to sound as such. It has crackling dialogue, characters with depth and Southern California energy. Basically, I still love Robin Benway, and I cannot wait for her return.
I don’t know, I guess I’m really just on brand today, because I have yet another historical fiction recommendation. Ruta Sepetys is adored within the bibliophilic world, though I still feel like no one knows her name. (But now you do and are able to see her at the festival.) Sepetys is best known for “Salt to the Sea,” published in 2016, which tells the tale of the largest maritime disaster in history. The chapters are short, which bodes well for those that don’t regularly spend time poring over research, and somehow a 16-year-old Rachel noted Sepetys wrote with an “emotional immediacy” (What? I don’t even know). “Salt to the Sea” tells the story of the Wilhelm Gustloff liner, which was supposed to take refugees out of Prussia to safety in 1945. Instead, the ship was so overcrowded that it sank and 9,000 died. Sepetys added her own voice, with the narratives of four people intertwined with a historical perspective. It might make you cry (check out the Goodreads reviews) and it might make you angry that some historical events receive less attention than others (That’s what my history degree is in!), but it is such a beautifully written story.
If you want to look for stories at the Vromans tent, you have to go to the festival. It’s in your backyard! The weekend is unique and worthwhile to soak up. For two weekends in a row, L.A. and USC became the centers of literary culture. It puts aside my younger self’s morbid concern that books die in L.A. and my current self’s worry that there are so few readers. So, if you see someone moving through the tents like the Tasmanian devil, it’s me, and keep it to yourself.
Rachel Bernstein is a senior writing about books and arts and entertainment news. Her column “Read a Book Today” runs every other Friday.