BY THE BOOK

America Ferrera: By the Book

Sept. 27, 2018

The actor and editor of the new anthology “American

Like Me: Reflections on Life Between Cultures” would
love to see Harry Potter get the “Game of Thrones”
treatment: “I’m here for 80 hours of a darker and more
detailed adaptation.”

What books are on your nightstand?

Brittney Cooper’s “Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers
Her Superpower.” It’s razor sharp and hilarious. There is so
much about her analysis that I relate to and grapple with on a
daily basis as a Latina feminist, particularly this point she
makes: “When I talk about owning eloquent rage as your
superpower, it comes with the clear caveat that Everyone is not
worth your time or your rage. Black feminism taught me that.
My job as a black feminist is to love black women and girls.
Period.” I say hear, hear!
I’ve also been fascinated with “Sapiens,” by Yuval Noah
Harari, but it’s quite dense and I usually pick it up at night so I
keep falling asleep after a few paragraphs. I’m rereading my
friend Amber Tamblyn’s brilliant debut novel, “Any Man.” But
mostly I’m reading “Goodnight Moon” to my 3-month-old son
every single night.

What was the last truly great book you read?

“The Warmth of Other Suns,” by Isabel Wilkerson, astonished
me. I was ashamed to just be learning about the history and
truth of the great migration of black Americans in our country.
This book forever altered my understanding of the United
States of America. It made me hunger for the rest of this
nation’s untold history.

What’s your favorite thing to read?

I love stories that illuminate the experience of coming of age in
the United States as a woman of color. Growing up, I very
rarely saw myself in the books I read and loved. I get giddy
when I see women of color from my generation telling their
stories. Patrisse Khan-Cullors’s memoir, “When They Call You a
Terrorist,” and Jenny Zhang’s story collection, “Sour Heart,” are
two recent favorites.

What are your favorite movies or shows based on books?

I was so ready to hate “Big Little Lies,” because who needs
another TV show about rich people’s problems? But I absolutely
loved it, particularly the conversations it sparked around
domestic abuse and supportive female sisterhood.

And what book would you most like to see turned into a
movie or TV show?
Julissa Arce’s “My (Underground) American Dream” is the true
story of how she became a Wall Street executive as an
undocumented immigrant. I would love nothing more than to
see this intelligent, ambitious and complicated character on
television breaking the dehumanizing and dangerous
stereotypes currently being espoused about Latino immigrants
in this country.
Also, I for one am ready for the Harry Potter books to get
the “Game of Thrones” treatment. As a lover of the books,
there was just too much that didn’t make it into the movies and
I’m here for 80 hours of a darker and more detailed adaptation
of the series.

What’s the last book that made you cry?

I tried to read “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!,” by Dr. Seuss, to my
newborn son, but eventually I couldn’t say the words through
my snot and tears.

The last book that made you laugh?

“How to Be a Woman,” by Caitlin Moran, put me into
embarrassing fits of laughter in very public places. I had to stop
reading it on the subway (one of my favorite places to read)
and indulge only in the privacy of my home.

The last book that made you furious?

“The Giving Tree.” I don’t understand why this is a children’s
book or what it’s trying to say. Am I the tree? Am I supposed to
make myself a stump? I’m so confused. And angry.

What kind of reader were you as a child?

I was a binge reader. I got into the habit of reading full books
in one sitting, whether I was reading “The Phantom Tollbooth”
at the last minute for class, or racing through as many volumes
of “The Baby-Sitters Club” as I could in one afternoon.
Weekends were for reading in bed all day. I’d start with “the
funnies” in the newspaper, and then binge on teen horror
mystery books. I distinctly remember skipping meals all day to
get through the one about some popular kids trapped in a mall
running from a murderous Santa Claus.

If you could require the president to read one book, what

would it be?
“The Drama of the Gifted Child,” by Alice Miller. A little self-
reflection and working out his childhood trauma could go a long
way toward saving us all. If he understood his inherent value
maybe he wouldn’t have to prove he has the bigger nuclear
button.

Disappointing, overrated, just not good: What book did

you feel as if you were supposed to like, and didn’t? Do
you remember the last book you put down without
finishing?
“The Catcher in the Rye.” I’ve tried so many times.
Whom would you choose to write your life story?
Sandra Cisneros. “The House on Mango Street” was the first
book I read that allowed me to see myself as the protagonist of
a story. It was also the first book I read in school written by a
Latina author. For years I’d bike through my neighborhood or
walk to school imagining how Cisneros would paint my block
and what words she might use to describe my face, my grit, my
longing to see the world. I have been deeply influenced and
inspired by her in many ways through the years.

What do you plan to read next?

“Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World,”
by Anand Giridharadas. I’m deeply curious about how we
achieve real change that actually betters people’s lives. As
someone interested in seeing more social justice in my lifetime,
I invite the uncomfortable conversations that challenge the
status quo and hold good intentions accountable. Also,
“Dragons Love Tacos 2: The Sequel.” I hear tacos go extinct in
this second installment, and as a taco lover myself, I’m dying
to know how it all ends.