The American Library Association (ALA) started an "Read" poster initiative in 1985, featuring a celebrity posing with their favorite book or books. The celebrities were chosen because of their popularity, appeal, and visibility to a general audience, and the ALA worked to feature a range of diverse talent who would be great spokesmodels for reading to both adults and children. In this poster, Award-winning Colombian performer John Leguizamo is seated on a wooden staircase wearing jeans and a t-shirt. He balances "Conquest, Montezuma, Cortez, and the Fall of Old Mexico" by Hugh Thomas between his forearm and knee. His left hand rests on his left knee. The wall behind him is covered in a wallpaper embossed with ornate art deco designs.

Leguizamo is known for his cutting edge comedic performances in Mambo Mouth, Spic-o-Rama, and his Emmy award-winning HBO special Freak. He was part of the cast of ER, and starred in films including Moulin Rouge, Romeo + Juliet, Summer of Sam, and the sequel to the popular animated movie Ice Age. This poster was produced in 2006. Kim Butler was the photographer and Distillery Design Studio designed the poster. It is still available for purchase at the American Library Association online shop: https://www.alastore.ala.org/.