Bear Biographies-A Library of Lived Experiences: 2019 Catalog

All Smiles

Available for Check-out:  1:40-4:00 pm

Let me share what it is like having to constantly be the happy person, and what it is like to be the happy person that has a bad day. My story explains why I am always happy, or at least expected to be happy, and the effect it has had on my life and perspective of others.

 

Being Better

Available for Check-out:   1:40-4:00 pm

I may be a privileged white male, but I have not lived an easy life. Both of my parents were incarcerated at least once during my childhood, and I floated around in my youth from different family members of multiple walks of life including: cult members, felons, drug addicts, abusers, and bigots.

 

Bisexual, Welcome or Not

Available for Check-out:   1:40-3:45 pm

Growing up, I didn't even know that bisexuality existed. I've learned to accept myself and embrace my identity, no matter the circumstances. There are many chapters in my book: my coming out story, my experience being LGBTQ+ in Arkansas, learning about the meanings of bi-erasure and discrimination, effects on my path as a future teacher, and even the journey of my self-esteem. I have grown to embody who I am unconditionally. Come ask me anything.

 

Boxed In

Available for Check-out:   2:00-4:00 pm

From right-handed notebooks and furious run ins with chalk-boards as a kid, to the lack of gender neutral restrooms as a transitioning trans man, to trying to fit the extroverted mold every job of his interest seems to require; a left-handed, transgender, introvert learns to navigate a society not built for him, as he stumbles into an award-winning documentary and stretches his boundaries while at the same time hoping to bring awareness beyond our own individual ideas of what inclusiveness means.

 

Bridging the Gap: From Foreign to Faith

Available for Check-out:   1:40-2:30 pm

I'm an international student that has crossed borders to be here, and I live my life encouraging others to break down walls, cross borders, and bridge the gaps between anything that causes separation in our society. I encourage people to turn the page, so why not start with mine.

 

Everything I Need to Know, I Learned in Prison!

Available for Check-out:  1:40-4:00 pm

My “Through the Looking Glass” adventure into the world of maximum security prison culture, economy, and social order. How I learned to rely on animal instinct to recognize and interpret language and behavior of individual inmates, small groups, and the greater population on the “yard”, in the “block,” and in the “hole”. Wealth/strength vs. poverty/weakness, popularity/inclusion vs. anonymity/exclusion, and mental health vs. mental illness are representative of the contrasting conditions that determine the local market dynamics of sex, violence, drugs, and extortion in the penitentiary playscape.

 

In the Presence of a King

Available for Check-out:  1:40-4:00 pm

As a child, Dr. Angela was present for the final speech of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in Memphis, Tennessee. She will speak of key characters from her family, as well as critical aspects of American history that lead to that fateful night, in the presence of a king.

 

Invisible Warrior: Everyday Fight

Available for Check-out:   1:40-3:00 pm

College is an adventurous time to find oneself, meet new people, and step outside of your comfort zone. However, life takes a pause when faced with a chronic illness. Now there are strict limitations set on what you are physically able to do everyday.

 

Jesus Wept, and I Did Too

Available for Check-out:   2:00-3:00 pm

Growing up in the Mormon church as a closeted member of the LGBT+ community.

 

Leaving Christianity to Save Myself

Available for Check-out:  1:40-4:00 pm

I was raised Christian, indoctrinated in the religion as a child like many are. Four years ago I was a devout Christian, attending every service at my church, worshipping God, praying regularly, trying to live a godly life. Until I met a Diest who opened up my eyes to the cult-like environment of my church and how it was impacting my mental health.

 

Living Between the Veils

Available for Check-out:  1:40-4:00 pm

I became a hijabi in December of 2015 when a presidential candidate called for a ban on all Muslims coming to the U.S. My visceral response to this included remembering the Japanese internment in WWII, the words of Emma Lazarus and Martin Niemoller, and sanctioned acts of bigotry and xenophobia. Today, I continue to wear the hijab in support of the American Muslim community, immigrants, and refugees.

 

Living Beyond Binaries

Available for Check-out:   1:40-4:00 pm

This book is amount my life experiences being agender and asexual. Just by existing as myself I am shredding the mainstream conception of what it means to live by the restrictive binaries of gender and sexuality. Pronouns: they/them

 

A Man from a Different Land

Available for Check-out:   2:30-4:00 pm

The experiences and challenges of being an international student.

 

 

Military Life: My Volunteer Life!

Available for Check-out:   2:00-4:00 pm

I served 28 years in the United States Air Force. I have 2255 flight hours in a C-130 and over 200 Combat Flight Hours. I have visited and lived in many countries, living, working, and socializing with many cultures. As an American servicemember, sometimes I was welcome and sometimes I wasn't. Today, as a veteran, I occasionally encounter people who see me as an antagonist, warmonger, or even an opportunist.

 

Never Give Up: First Generation International Undergrad

Available for Check-out:   3:00-4:00 pm

I was raised by my parents; my mom didn’t go to school, and my dad was told he had to drop out in middle school because he was sick. Because of challenging financial conditions, I didn’t think going to college was an option for me, especially because I have four younger siblings. Nevertheless, I told myself that if others can do it, I can too, even if the conditions are hard, so I put in lot of effort and got recognized for my hard work.

 

Passing for Straight: Bisexuals in Opposite Gender Relationships

Available for Check-out:  1:40-4:00 pm

If someone just looked at me walking through the store with my husband, hand in hand, most people would not think, "I wonder if she's bi...". I simply pass for straight. But I'm not; I'm a proud bisexual woman, delighted to be a part of LGBTQ+ community. Often times bisexual individuals who are in relationships with the opposite gender are simply mistaken for straight, or told that we must not be bisexual anymore since now we are in a straight relationship. Even worse, we are sometimes assumed of all being polyamorous, which is a complete myth for many bisexual individuals.

 

A Recovering Christian

Available for Check-out: 1:40-4:00 pm

I was raised in a dogmatic Christian environment while growing up in the '50's and '60's in the "buckle on the bible belt."   A story of slowly letting go of Christianity and becoming more comfortable in my own skin than I have ever been.

 

Recovering from Addiction  

Available for Check-out:   1:40-4:00 pm

After dropping out of high school and being an active addict for 14 years, I overcame my addiction seven years ago, earned a GED at age 30, earned two Associate’s degrees, and am currently applying for graduate school. I will graduate from UCA in December 2019 with a B.S. in psychology.

 

A Secular Humanist in the Bible Belt

Available for Check-out:  2:00-4:00 pm

I grew up in Ohio where it was not unusual or particularly remarkable to not attend any kind of church or belong to any kind of organized religion. It was never an issue, and the first time I ever encountered anything to do with religion at school (I went to public school for 12 years) was at graduation when a non-denominational prayer was offered during the ceremony. I've now lived in Arkansas for 21 years and realized within the first couple of months that it was a little different here when I was repeatedly asked by new neighbors, people on campus, and students what my religion was and which church I was going to. There seems to be an assumption among religious people when they find out that I do not attend a church that I have no morals. Article 19 Section 1 of the 1874 Arkansas Constitution states that "No person who denies the being of a God shall hold any office in the civil departments of this State, nor be competent to testify as a witness in any court."  Just think what underlies these ideas! And this is still in effect today as it is in only six other states. So while this hasn't hampered anything in my life that I am aware of, there are subtle signals all the time indicating I don't fit in here and that I am not fully welcome. Southern hospitality seems to extend only to those who share the same values, beliefs, and ideologies of "real" Arkansans.

 

See Me

Available for Check-out:   2:00-3:00 pm

Although I am from a colourful, vibrant, and rich Caribbean culture, people regularly consider me East Indian. While there is a strong East Indian influence, the customs are very different.

 

The Shot Hits the Bird that Pokes its Head Out

Available for Check-out:  2:00-3:00 pm

People who grow up in a collective culture can experience culture shock when they encounter the individualism of Western countries. The Western emphasis on individual needs, thoughts, and feelings can seem arrogant and self-centered. I can share my experience managing the differences between Eastern and Western approaches to independence versus familial piety.

 

So a Lesbian Walks Into a Church…

Available for Check-out:   1:40-4:00 pm

This is the story of a girl who was conditioned from birth to repel from who she naturally was, in the name of religion. I was told that I could only be either a Christian or a Lesbian, but not both. I accepted this concept for a while and chose to be a Christian. But all it took was one special girl to come around to spark the fire of a 2-year identity crisis. This book will take you through those 2 years and all the paranoia, love, and self hate/acceptance that came along with it.

 

Student Mom

Available for Check-out:   2:30-4:00 pm

Parents are supposed be the ones who support us through our adolescent, pre-teen, and young adult life. Are they really supposed to be taking Biology 101 with us our freshman year?  Well, I'm here to tell you that it's possible to do both! Let me tell you what it's like being a "Student Mom."

 

Syd-erella: The Girl with Two Different Cinderella Stories

Available for Check-out:   1:40-4:00 pm

Take it from me, I have had an extremely interesting life. Having a different "mother" at three different stages of development is....interesting...yeah, let's say that. You might be familiar with the story of Cinderella, but have you heard this modern day version?

 

To Be Black and Non-Christian

Available for Check-out:   2:00-4:00 pm

A short tale about a black girl raised in the church with firm Christian principles transforming to a non-Christian in her adult years. The tale calls for discussing what it means to not identify as Christian in the black community and how it impacts our individuality.

 

Well Actually...

Available for Check-out:  3:00-4:00 pm

A tale of a woman and a mom who works in economics - a field with far more men than women in it. There's good parts, bad parts, and I'm still still working on the ending.

 

What Race Am I?

Available for Check-out:  1:40-4:00 pm

Growing up being mixed with two racial identities and experience with racism. Being mixed with both black and white has caused me to have interesting experiences growing up. Coming from an all white family and going to all white schools, I came to understand I was different than most kids around me at an early age. I remember the first time I was made aware that I was different. In first grade I was on the school bus when an older student called me a racial slur. I went home that very same day and asked my mom what the word meant. That was the first day I was made aware that I was a minority.  This is only one of the experiences that helped shape how I view my racial identity today.

 

With Love from India

Available for Check-out:   3:00-4:00 pm

My journey from India to America all alone. I had never been out of my country, ever. The struggles I faced on my way, the endless emotions I had while leaving my home and country. I met new people during this journey and learned so much from them. India is blessed with rich culture and beautiful heritage; it's a land of diversity where people speak over 100 languages. There are a number of cuisines and delicacies that we enjoy. My story will be incomplete if I don't give my readers a sneak peek into it. So here I am bringing you my story and love all the way from India.

 

The XX in an XY Body

Available for Check-out:  1:40-4:00 pm

This book explains why being labeled transgender is detrimental for accepting one's self, and the traps that Transgender Advocates, Democrats and Republicans set for discoursed living. This isn't a transgender woman talking to you, just a normal woman enriching your understanding through intelligent conversation. Please check me out because the other side needs a voice.