The Most Costly Journey
The cover of The Most Costly Journey book
Much of the work on Vermont dairy farms is done by people from Latin America. Over a thousand migrant laborers from Mexico and other countries milk cows, fix tractors, shovel manure, and take care of calves in our state.
The Vermont Reads 2022 choice, The Most Costly Journey (El Viaje Más Caro), tells the stories of 19 of these workers in their own words. Illustrated by New England cartoonists in a variety of styles, each short chapter describes aspects of life as an immigrant farm worker in Vermont: crossing the southern border, struggling with English, adapting to winter, growing gardens, raising children, dealing with health crises, and working long hours.
The Woodbury Community Library has received copies of this book and would like you to know that we will be hosting some events as part of the book discussion. Some of the suggested topics for discussion are migration, farming, mental health, cartooning, family, labor movements, and the Latinx experience. As a reading discussion group we will decide on the topic/s that the readers will want to discuss.
We will have a book distribution from December 7-10 during library hours. We will have our first group discussion in January 28th. This will be a quick check in with questions to start the discussion and to guide your comments. At this point we should be able to share ideas for an ending activity, perhaps an activity to help raise awareness about this issue, a fund raising event, hosting a speaker, creating a visual, or any other ideas that readers may contribute.
For educators we have short videos and curricula for K-12 grades.
Jan 4, 2025, 8 to 11 AM
Blood Drive - at the American LegionJan 7, 2025, 11:30 AM to 4:30 PM
"A Bridge Across Two Vermonts" with Will EberleJan 7, 2025, 6 PM