Suggested One Read: A Man Called Ove

December 29, 2016 Leave a comment

A Man Called Ove book cover“A Man Called Ove” by Fredrik Backman has been wildly popular this year, and so it comes as no surprise that it was nominated by multiple readers for One Read 2017.

This heartwarming story follows an old curmudgeon of a man, named Ove. He is dreadfully lonely after the passing of his wife, and so he decides to commit suicide to join her — except the new neighbors, a young rambunctious family, have other plans. One nominator explains that the book is “really a look at what makes life worth living.”

This is the last nomination we’ll be highlighting this month, so be sure to see the rest of the titles that have been suggested for One Read 2017.

Suggested One Read: Sisters in Law

December 27, 2016 Leave a comment

Sisters in Law book cover

We have just a couple more One Read 2017 nominations to share with you before the reading panel starts the difficult job of narrowing down the list.

“Sisters in Law” by Linda Hirshman is a dual biography of “Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the first two women to serve as U.S. Supreme Court Justices. The author is a lawyer who has presented cases to the Supreme Court. This nonfiction title tells the life stories of the two women who ‘went to the Supreme Court and changed the world,'” explains our nominator. Many of the issues these two women tackled in court could provide endless topics for discussion.

Read about some of the other titles nominated for One Read 2017.

Suggested One Read: Just Mercy

December 22, 2016 Leave a comment

Just Mercy book cover

Throughout the month we are continuing to highlight a few of the many books nominated for One Read 2017.

Like last year’s One Read selection, “Bettyville” by George Hodgman, “Just Mercy” by Bryan Stevenson is a memoir. Stevenson, a lawyer, is the executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, and his book recounts his experiences as a young lawyer working with inmates on death row in Alabama.

Bryan Stevenson’s actions have been compared to those of Atticus Finch from “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, which was our One Read book back in 2003.

This book has a couple of nominations, and one nominator writes: “for anyone who longs for social justice — this is the book!! A well-crafted, true story of working with innocent death row inmates to restore them to freedom.”

Check out some of the other books nominated by readers for One Read 2017.

Suggested One Read: Mrs. Hemingway

December 20, 2016 Leave a comment

Mrs. HemingwayWe continue to share some of the books nominated by local readers for One Read 2017.

Books that have ties to Missouri are often suggested for our community-wide reading program, but occasionally some are sneaky in that their relationship to our state is not immediately apparent. “Mrs. Hemingway” by Naomi Wood is one such novel.

The story of Ernest Hemingway is interesting, but perhaps not quite as interesting as his four wives. As the nominator explains, “the narrative is told in the voices of the four wives, and the settings include the United States, Europe and the Caribbean.” With one wife having been a St. Louis native, another wife a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism and a son having been born in Kansas City, Hemingway did seem to have an unusual number of Missouri connections.

Remember to take a look at some of the other titles nominated for One Read 2017.

Suggested One Read: Being Mortal

December 15, 2016 Leave a comment

Being Mortal book coverIn January, our One Read reading panel will begin narrowing down the list of more than 140 books nominated for our community-wide reading program. In the meantime, we are highlighting just some of these suggested titles so you can see what other local readers are enjoying.

Controversial topics, such as end of life care, are explored in “Being Mortal” by Atul Gawande. The author, a practicing surgeon, discusses the many triumphs of modern medicine and its impact on quality of life and how those triumphs should also apply to life’s end.

Here’s what one nominator has to say about the book: “This very readable book, written by a physician, deals with end of life decisions. He uses true stories and offers solutions to this very sensitive subject that puts the person nearing death in control. It offers a blueprint for anyone to use to make a loving plan for the last part of life. It is authoritative and would be a great book to discuss by just about anyone.”

Read about some of the other titles nominated for One Read 2017.