Inspired by the “Book Cloud” that hangs over our front desk, pictured above, welcome to All the Covers of the Rainbow.
We all know the saying “don’t judge a book by its cover,” but that doesn’t mean we can’t appreciate them. A beautiful cover can grab a reader and draw them into the book before they even look at the first page. In this blog series All the Covers of the Rainbow, we’ll highlight a collection of books that share the same cover color.
There is nothing so exciting as a blank sheet of white paper, full of possibility and promise, just begging the writer to put pen to paper. In league with and in opposition to black, white is one of those colors that technically is not a color. Find something white and just look at it. How does it make you feel? Some may feel serene and pure, while others find it stark and cold. There’s no correct way to describe the way white makes us feel. Religions around the world use white as an important color. In the Roman Catholic Church, the Pope has been wearing white since 1956 as a symbol of purity and sacrifice. In Islam and the Shinto religion of Japan, white is worn by pilgrims. In many Asian religions, white is the color worn during periods of mourning. In hospitals and laboratories around the world, white is used for its implied cleanliness and sterility. In the natural world, we see white everywhere, from the clouds in the sky to the white sandy beaches of Lake Michigan. Animals of all kinds use white to cleverly camouflage during the winter months. Take another look at the photo above. Did you see the dove using its white feathers to blend in with the white snow around it? If not, that’s okay. White encourages us to search for new beginnings and allows us to start fresh and renewed.
Each book cover below is also a link to purchase the book on Bookshop.org, which supports local, independent bookstores. We also strongly encourage you to support your local bookstores by ordering online. They need our help more than ever, and we need them to stick around.
Written by Matthew Masino
“Once on a piece of white paper with blue lines he wrote a poem. And he called it ‘Autumn'”
—Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower
“So the America I loved still exists, if not in the White House or the Supreme Court or the Senate or the House of Representatives or the media. The America I love still exists at the front desks of our public libraries.”
―Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without a Country
“This ain’t Hollywood, this is a small town
―Taylor Swift, “White Horse”
I was a dreamer before you went and let me down
Now it’s too late for you and your white horse
To come around.”
“I’m not waiting until my hair turns white to become patient and wise. Nope, I’m dyeing my hair tonight.”
―Jarod Kintz, This Book is Not for Sale
“I have a dream that one day little black boys and girls will be holding hands with little white boys and girls.”
―Martin Luther King, Jr., “I Have A Dream…” Speech
Matthew Masino is the Social Media Coordinator for the AWM. He is also a content creator, writer, and theatre director based in Chicago, Illinois. He graduated with a B.F.A. in Theatre Directing from Columbia College Chicago in 2019. As a theatre artist, Matthew has worked with the International Voices Project, the Chicago Fringe Festival, and BYOT Productions. You can learn more by visiting his website www.matthewmasino.com.