News
September 18, 20152016 One County, One Book Announcement from Schenectady County Public Library
Schenectady County Public Library’s selection for the 2016 One County, One Book program is Jacqueline Woodson’s Brown Girl Dreaming, winner of the National Book Award for Young Adult Literature. Ten years ago the first One County, One Book program was kicked off with Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird.
The community is invited to a planning meeting on Thursday, September 24, from 4:30 – 5:30 p.m., in the McChesney Room of the Central Library, 99 Clinton St., Schenectady. Those interested in assisting, but are unable to attend, may contact Lauren Bendall, Literacy Outreach Coordinator at 518.388.4513 or lbendall@mvls.info.
“Library staff spent many months working with publishers and publicists, and speaking with key library stakeholders, including local educators, in search of the right choice for our 2016 OCOB program,” states library Trustee and Co- Chair of One County, One Book, Carmel Patrick. “We wanted to tie in with Schenectady’s upcoming community-wide initiative focusing on youth, poverty and literacy, as well as celebrate the opening of the Phyllis Bornt Branch Library and Literacy Center in early 2016.”
Jacqueline Woodson is the winner of the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults, the recipient of three Newbery Honors, a two-time Finalist for the National Book Award, and has received numerous other awards including the Coretta Scott King Award and Los Angeles Times Book Prize.
In Brown Girl Dreaming Woodson shares, in verse, what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Reviewers describe her work as “Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child’s soul as she searches for her place in the world. Woodson’s eloquent poetry also reflects the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, despite the fact that she struggled with reading as a child.”
“What was that one perfect book that could touch our youth and the adults in our community and be readable by a wider audience? We believe we have found an excellent choice in the 2016 selection,” states Library Director and Co-Chair Karen Bradley. “We are grateful to the Friends of Library – who will celebrate their 50th anniversary in 2016 – for their generous support of One County, One Book over the years and are excited about a prospective visit by the author and all the related programming that will be a part of our community read.”
