About One Maryland One Book

Imagine if everyone in Maryland read the same book at the same time

Reading is often a solitary pursuit. But imagine if everyone in Maryland read the same great book at the same time. What kind of conversations could you have and with whom could you connect or reconnect in your community?

The Maryland Center for the Book, a program of the Maryland Humanities Council, invites you to be a part of Maryland's only statewide community reading program-One Maryland One Book. Pick up a copy of this year's selected book, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, to read and look for book discussions and related programs at your local public library and other locations around the state in September and October.

How is the One Maryland One Book chosen?

A call for suggestions is sent out each year in November to the general public, educators, librarians, book groups, and other partners, based upon an annual theme and pre-determined criteria. Suggestions are then researched to be sure they fit the established criteria.  A selection committee reviews the list and each member provides his or her top 10 choices to Maryland Humanities Council staff.  In January the committee meets to discuss the list and parses the list down to the top three choices, later voting to establish the One Maryland One Book pick.

The 2011 Top Three Picks were:

• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
• The Last Town on Earth by Thomas Mullen
• Zeitoun by Dave Eggers

What is Selection Criteria for One Maryland One Book?

The book should:

• be able to generate sustained discussion on the year's theme.  The 2012 theme will be announce in Mid-November.
• be of interest to people in the state of Maryland
• appeal to a wide range of readers of different backgrounds/reading levels
• be able to connect to high school age readers as well as adults
• be of manageable length (under 350 pages)
• be available in paperback and priced affordably
• be in print and audio, and if possible, in large print, Braille, film and translation
• a living author is a consideartion, but not a criterion
• a Maryland author is a consideration, but not a criterion

Do you have a suggestion for next year's One Maryland One Book?  Contact Andrea Lewis by noon on November 28 at alewis@mdhc.org.