Star Wars Reads ambassador Ahmed Best visited PS100 in the South Bronx and spoke with students inside the library where he once sought refuge from childhood bullies.
The school sits across the street from the 17-story apartment building where Best grew up. Signing the visitor log at the school office made him feel as though he were back in first grade.
Best said reading and libraries gave him a safe place as a child. He later found theater through reading Shakespeare aloud, years before portraying Jar Jar Binks and Jedi Master Kelleran Beq.
Best is leading this year’s Star Wars Reads campaign, meeting students and readers across the Greater New York area throughout October.
See StarWars.com’s feature on Ahmed Best and Star Wars Reads.