Joshua Davis (3)

INKWOOD'S OFFICIAL BOOK CLUB! Thursday, May 21 7 PM May's book selection is Spare Parts: Four Undocumented Teens, One Ugly Robot, and the Battle for the American Dream by Joshua Davis Everyone is welcome at book club! We only ask that you purchase the book from us to participate. About the book: In 2004, four Latino teenagers arrived at the Marine Advanced Technology Education Robotics Competition at the University of California, Santa Barbara. They were born in Mexico but raised in Phoenix, Arizona, where they attended an underfunded public high school. No one had ever suggested to Oscar, Cristian, Luis, or Lorenzo that they might amount to much--but two inspiring science teachers had convinced these impoverished, undocumented kids from the desert who had never even seen the ocean that they should try to build an underwater robot.

And build a robot they did. Their robot wasn't pretty, especially compared to those of the competition. They were going up against some of the best collegiate engineers in the country, including a team from MIT backed by a $10,000 grant from ExxonMobil. The Phoenix teenagers had scraped together less than $1,000 and built their robot out of scavenged parts. This was never a level competition--and yet, against all odds . . . they won!

But this is just the beginning for these four, whose story--which became a key inspiration to the DREAMers movement--will go on to include first-generation college graduations, deportation, bean-picking in Mexico, and service in Afghanistan.

Joshua Davis's Spare Parts is a story about overcoming insurmountable odds and four young men who proved they were among the most patriotic and talented Americans in this country--even as the country tried to kick them out.

Location: Street: 216 S Armenia Ave City: Tampa, Province: Florida Postal Code: 33609-3310 Country: United States (añadidos desde IndieBound)… (más)

Joshua Davis signs Spare Parts: Four Undocumented Teenagers, One Ugly Robot, and the Battle for the American Dream at the La Habra Library. Spare Parts, recently released as a motion picture, is the story of four undocumented Mexican- American teens from West Phoenix who, ten years ago, represented their underfunded high school in a national NASA sponsored robotics competition in California. These four teens risked the threat of deportation and other obstacles; follow them as they battle for the American dream.

Location: Street: La Habra Library Additional: 221 East La Habra Boulevard City: La Habra, Province: California Postal Code: 90631 Country: United States (añadidos desde IndieBound)… (más)

In 2004, four Latino teenagers arrived at the Marine Advanced Technology Education Robotics Competition at the University of California, Santa Barbara. They were born in Mexico but raised in Phoenix, Arizona, where they attended an underfunded public high school. No one had ever suggested to them that they might amount to much. But two inspiring science teachers had convinced these impoverished, undocumented kids from the desert who had never even seen the ocean that they should try to build an underwater robot. Their robot wasn't pretty, especially compared to those of the competition. Against tremendous odds, they won! This is just the beginning to Joshua Davis's Spare Parts. It is a story about overcoming insurmountable odds and four young men who proved they were among the most patriotic and talented Americans in this country, even as the country tried to kick them out. Joshua Davis will be in conversation with Rick Jacobs, one of the producers of the film adaptation. Those wishing to get books signed will be asked to purchase at least one copy of the author's most recent title from Vroman's. For each purchased copy of the newest title, customers may bring up to three copies from home to be signed. This policy applies to all Vroman's Bookstore events unless otherwise noted. Save your Vroman's receipt; it will be checked when you enter the signing line.

Location: Street: 695 E. Colorado Blvd City: Pasadena, Province: California Postal Code: 91101 Country: United States (añadidos desde IndieBound)… (más)

Credit: Sebastian Mlynarski

Joshua Davis in conversation with Wired magazine's Mark Robinson

Tuesday, January 13, 7:30pm

Spare parts: Four Undocumented Teenagers, One Ugly Robot, and the Battle for the American Dream Tickets are available at Kepler's and online at Brown Paper Tickets

Student tickets are available!

Join us for an evening with Joshua Davis, the author of Spare parts, the book that tells the incredible story of a team of undocumented Mexican American students who win a national robotics competition against all odds.

From Carl Hayden High, a scrappy, underfunded public school in West Phoenix, the newly formed robotics team, under the guidance of two unconventional teachers, took part in a national, NASA-sponsored underwater robotics competition. A seemingly classic underdog story, the Carl Hayden team beat out not only other better funded high schools with top-notch robotics programs, but also college teams, including a team of students from MIT.

Set against the backdrop of urban desert decay, a faltering school system, and our country’s cutthroat immigration policies, this becomes more than a book about triumph, it reveals the startling truth about what it means to be an American and where we will find the next generation of talent.

The book is soon to be adapted into a major motion picture starring George Lopez, Marisa Tomei, Jamie Lee Curtis, and others. We will be holding an exclusive screening of a clip from the movie. Click HERE to view the trailer.

Joshua Davis is an SF-based contributing editor for Wired magazine, a Stanford alum, and the cofounder of Epic magazine (www.epicmagazine.com). He is the author of The Underdog: How I Survived the World’s Most Outlandish Competitions, a memoir about his experiences as an arm wrestler, backward runner, and matador. In 2014, his work for Wired was nominated for a National Magazine Award for feature writing. He has also written for The New Yorker and other periodicals, and his writing is anthologized in the 2012 edition of Best American Science and Nature Writing, as well as in the 2006, 2007, and 2009 editions of Best Technology Writing.

In more than a decade at Wired, Mark Robinson has served as a senior editor, articles editor, and, now, features editor. Robinson attended Stanford’s master’s program in communication.

Location: Street: 1010 El Camino Real City: Menlo Park, Province: California Postal Code: 94025-4349 Country: United States (añadidos desde IndieBound)… (más)