Over the past five years, students in the Pasadena Unified School District have lived through a pandemic, watched immigration enforcement touch their neighborhoods and seen the Eaton Fire reshape their community. Now they have turned those experiences into a book. On Friday, July 17, at 6 p.m., Octavia’s Bookshelf hosts the launch of “The Learning Curve,” also known as TLC, a collection of student writing gathered over that turbulent stretch.
The book compiles reflections from PUSD students on the COVID-19 pandemic, the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Pasadena and the January 2025 Eaton Fire — three upheavals that defined their school years. The project is a collaboration among the district, the Pasadena Educational Foundation and Octavia’s Bookshelf.
The venue is a fitting one. Octavia’s Bookshelf, Pasadena’s first Black-owned bookstore, opened in 2023 and is named for Octavia E. Butler, the acclaimed science-fiction writer and Pasadena native. Founder Nikki High built the shop around books by BIPOC writers and has made it a hub for community programming and partnerships with local schools.
The launch offers a chance to hear young writers give voice to years that textbooks have not yet caught up with. The event is free and open to the community.
“The Learning Curve” book launch will take place Friday, July 17, at 6 p.m. Octavia’s Bookshelf, 1361 N. Hill Ave., Pasadena. For more information, visit octaviasbookshelf.com. Admission is free.
