One Read, coordinated by the Daniel Boone Regional Library (DBRL), is a community-wide reading program sponsored by a task force of local media and community agencies.
Modeled after Chicago’s successful “One Book, One Chicago” project, this comprehensive program involves cities, counties, media, schools and businesses in encouraging adults of all ages to read one book and participate in thought-provoking discussion and activities.
The idea of having as many people as possible read a single book originated in Seattle. It has since spread to many other cities, including Chicago, Buffalo and Rochester, N.Y., Springfield, Ill., and Boise, Idaho. Credit for the original idea is given to Nancy Pearl, a Seattle librarian. “It’s based on the idea of community. My idea was that people would come together who would never come together any other way. Literature brings them together because a book touches them,” she said.
One Read Goals
- To encourage leisure reading.
- To encourage community collaboration throughout the DBRL region.
- To provide a variety of means of participation through book discussions and other programs.
- To provide resources for book discussion groups.
Choosing the Book
Each winter, the public submits suggestions for next year’s book. In January, a panel of community members reviews the suggestions, narrowing that list down to 10 titles, and then chooses two or three books to present for a public vote.
The reading panel considers the following when narrowing the list of books:
- Does the book contain thought-provoking subject matter that encourages discussion?
- Will the book appeal to a diverse audience?
- Is the book available in paperback and other formats that make it accessible to all?
- Can it be read or listened to in a timely fashion?
The panel looks for books the community will enjoy reading and discussing, that have a broad-based appeal to readers of different backgrounds and reading levels, and that address themes, issues and topics that will encourage and sustain spirited discussion.
Previous One Read Selections
2021 – “Furious Hours” by by Casey Cep
2020 – “A Gentleman in Moscow” by by Amor Towles
2019 – “Nomadland” by Jessica Bruder
2018 – “Killers of the Flower Moon” by David Grann
2017 – “The Turner House” by Angela Flournoy
2016 – “Bettyville” by George Hodgman
2015 – “Station Eleven” by Emily St. John Mandel
2014 – “The Boys in the Boat” by Daniel James Brown
2013 – “The Ruins of Us” by Keija Parssinen
2012 – “The Tiger’s Wife” by Téa Obreht
2011 – “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot
2010 – “Await Your Reply” by Dan Chaon
2009 – “The Air We Breathe” by Andrea Barrett
2008 – “The Whistling Season” by Ivan Doig
2007 – “Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen
2006 – “The Tortilla Curtain” by T.C. Boyle
2005 – “Ender’s Game” by Orson Scott Card
2004 – “Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America” by Barbara Ehrenreich
2003 – “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee
2002 – “Plainsong” by Kent Haruf