Community Reading Program

Nominations for our 2015 One Read book are now closed, but we will be highlighting some of the more than 100 suggested titles throughout the month so  you can check out what your fellow mid-Missourians are reading and recommending.

Next up is “Empathy Exams” by Leslie Jamison. Recently named one of the best books of 2014 by Publisher’s Weekly, this collection of essays explores empathy, using topics ranging from street violence and incarceration to reality television and literary sentimentality to ask questions about people’s understanding of and relationships with others.

Our nominator writes, “It tackles a lot of interesting questions: what do we care about and how much control do we have over that? It’s got some pop science and some deeply reflective writing. It’s witty and fun and full of ideas that challenge in a good way.”

See what other titles have been nominated for One Read 2015.

This is the last week that the Daniel Boone Regional Library will be accepting nominations for the 2015 One Read book. Make your suggestion at any of our branches, on the bookmobile or online.

In January, a reading panel will consider all of the books nominated. In the meantime, we are highlighting some of your suggestions here at oneread.org.

One recent nomination is “The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration” by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson. This book chronicles one of the great untold stories of American history: the decades-long migration of black citizens who fled the South for northern and western cities, in search of a better life. From 1915 to 1970, this exodus of almost six million people changed the face of America. Our nominator writes, “[This book is] gripping, beautifully written and very readable. It’s carefully researched and tells a story few of us know and everyone should know that is of crucial impact to our country’s past and current social landscape.”

What one book tells a story you think the whole community should know and discuss? Make a nomination today!

All month Daniel Boone Regional Library is taking your nominations for One Read 2015 and highlighting some of the suggestions we’ve received so far.

An area reader nominated “The Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President” by Candice Millard. This narrative account of the twentieth president’s political career offers insight into his background as a scholar and Civil War hero, his battles against the corrupt establishment and Alexander Graham Bell’s failed attempt to save him from an assassin’s bullet. Our nominator thinks this would make a great One Read because “it’s set during a historical turning point; it touches on the difference between medicine then and now; and one learns about Garfield (an extraordinary person), Alexander Graham Bell and the assassin Charles Guiteau. It’s in multiple formats and a relatively easy read.”

Have a suggestion of your own? Let us know what you think our community should read in 2015 by filling out a suggestion form at any of our branches, the bookmobile, or online at oneread.org.

We are currently taking your suggestions for our 2015 One Read title, and we’ll be highlighting some of these books here at oneread.org so you can see what other community members are reading and enjoying. All of these titles will be considered by our reading panel as they begin narrowing the list of suggestions. Let us know what you think our community should read in 2015 by filling out a suggestion form at any of our branches, the bookmobile or online at oneread.org by November 30.

First up is “The Invention of Wings” by Sue Monk Kidd.  The story follows Hetty “Handful” Grimke, a Charleston slave, and Sarah, the daughter of the wealthy Grimke family. The novel begins on Sarah’s eleventh birthday, when she is given ownership over Handful, who is to be her handmaid. The book follows the next thirty-five years of their lives.

Our nominator writes, “Given the events of Ferguson, this book would give people a good understanding of slavery. It could spark a good discussion of race relations and a discussion about oppression and social justice.”

What one book do you think our community should read together in 2015? Nominate a book today!