My local library played a very important role in the direction of my daughter's life.

When my daughter was in middle school, I suggested to her that she might enjoy a Manga/Anime Club event at Homer Library (where I had previously worked and later joined the Board). The first time she went, she felt a little out of place, being younger than the other kids there. But she kept going, and enjoyed the movies and cosplay parties and other activities, and also got some of her friends involved.

She read - and ended up buying - a lot of manga (Japanese graphic novels) and the anime theme songs got her very interested in Japanese rock music. Our high school offers Japanese as a language, so she took that for four years. During those teen years, I drove my daughter and her classmates/friends to several local concerts by J-rock bands that had gigs in Chicago. I also took her to a couple shows during trips to New York City.

After high school, my daughter majored in Japanese in college and spent her junior year in Tokyo. Now a college graduate, she is living and working in Japan - where there are also good libraries!

My child is enjoying life in Japan, and it all began with the club at the library.