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One Book – One Lincoln – 2015

one book one lincoln c450

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has been selected for the 2015 “One Book — One Lincoln” program.

The 2015 One Book – One Lincoln program was wrapped up October 18th, with the final special program, but information about Americanah and One Book – One Lincoln – 2015 is still available on this archive page.


The fourteenth annual One Book – One Lincoln community reading program began on May 25, 2015, with the announcement of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s powerful and thought-provoking novel, Americanah, as the selected title for 2015. The scheduled events of One Book — One Lincoln — 2015 will take place throughout this summer.

americanahtpb-borderPerception and Identity
What makes us “who we are”?

 

About This Year’s Selection

americanahtpb-border“From the award-winning author of Half of a Yellow Sun, a dazzling new novel: a story of love and race centered around a young man and woman from Nigeria who face difficult choices and challenges in the countries they come to call home.

As teenagers in a Lagos secondary school, Ifemelu and Obinze fall in love. Their Nigeria is under military dictatorship, and people are leaving the country if they can. Ifemelu—beautiful, self-assured—departs for America to study. She suffers defeats and triumphs, finds and loses relationships and friendships, all the while feeling the weight of something she never thought of back home: race. Obinze—the quiet, thoughtful son of a professor—had hoped to join her, but post-9/11 America will not let him in, and he plunges into a dangerous, undocumented life in London.

Years later, Obinze is a wealthy man in a newly democratic Nigeria, while Ifemelu has achieved success as a writer of an eye-opening blog about race in America. But when Ifemelu returns to Nigeria, and she and Obinze reignite their shared passion—for their homeland and for each other—they will face the toughest decisions of their lives.

Fearless, gripping, at once darkly funny and tender, spanning three continents and numerous lives, Americanah is a richly told story set in today’s globalized world: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s most powerful and astonishing novel yet.”

  • One of The New York Times’s Ten Best Books of the Year
  • Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction
  • An NPR “Great Reads” Book, a Chicago Tribune Best Book, a Washington Post Notable Book, a Seattle Times Best Book, an Entertainment Weekly Top Fiction Book, a Newsday Top 10 Book, and a Goodreads Best of the Year pick.
  • Winner of the 2013 National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction
  • Shortlisted for the 2015 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award
  • One of the New York Times Book Review’s 10 Best Books of 2013

 

What other books were considered for 2015?

The two “runners up” in the top three for One Book – One Lincoln – 2015 were:

Station Eleven       Just Mercy

Station 11 by Emily St. John Mandel
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson [Biography Stevenson]

Click Here to visit the the official One Book – One Lincoln Finalists page for more detailed information about the Top Three titles; the Top Eleven titles for 2015 have also now been added to the Finalists Page!

About One Book – One Lincoln – 2015

One Book – One Lincoln is a community reading program sponsored by Lincoln City Libraries. The program encourages all adults in Lincoln and Lancaster County to read and discuss the same book at the same time. The goal of the program is to encourage reading and dialogue by creating a community wide reading reading and discussion experience.

The idea of city-wide reading programs started in Seattle in 1998 with the program “If All Seattle Read the Same Book” initiated by the Washington Center for the Book, located at the Seattle Public Library. The Library of Congress’ Center for the Book reports that “One Book” programs have been introduced across the U.S.A. and around the world.

This is Lincoln’s 14th straight year of the program. Since 2002, the citizens of Lincoln and the surrounding communities have been encouraged to read the same book each fall, and participate in special programming and book discussions. Each year, readers in Lincoln have been invited to nominate titles for consideration for that year’s selected title. You can see an archive of the previous twelve years’ worth of One Book – One Lincoln selections at our One Book main page (although the individual pages for each previous year are still being converted for use on the Lincoln City Libraries’ all-new web site!).

Lincoln City Libraries Reference staff are in the processing of compiling additional resources about Americanah and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

How can I participate?

  • Get the Book. Check out a copy, in print, audio or downloadable formats, of Americanah at any of the Lincoln City Libraries or purchase your own copy at your local bookstore. The title is available at Lincoln City Libraries in a wide variety of physical and electronic formats. This title is also available as a Book Club in a Bag version, for book clubs wishing to check out multiple copies at once!
  • Read! Join your family, friends, co-workers, neighbors and fellow Lincolnites in reading the same book – together!
  • Watch an informational program about this year’s One Book — One Lincoln which will begin airing on CityTV (Channel 5 local cable) later this spring on both Channel 5 and the On Demand channels.
  • Attend our related programs.
  • Look at our upcoming Resource Page about Americanah, and watch for the official expanded schedule of events, to be announced in June and July!
  • Visit our One Book – One Lincoln Facebook page (also below). Look for more online opportunities.
  • Sign up to receive e-mail updates about One Book-related programs and events on our Sign-Ups page.
  • Discuss the Book in Person or Online! Attend a Community Discussion of Americanah at your local library or bookstore. A complete list of Community Discussion opportunities will be available here soon. Print off the official Discussion Questions for your own book group, or contact the library to have a trained facilitator come and lead your own discussion group. Or visit our One Book One – Lincoln Blog to reply to discussion topics posted in a discussion forum (available again on our new web site starting in June).
  • Nominate for future years — you can now nominate year-round for the next year’s One Book – One Lincoln with our online nomination form.

We can provide a discussion leader for your group

So you want to have a One Book – One Lincoln discussion group for Americanah, but you don’t have a discussion leader? During June, July and August and beyond, Lincoln City Libraries staff will be available to organizations, businesses and clubs interested in hosting a discussion group. Visit our Finalists page, to request a book discussion leader via our online form, or for further information, call Lincoln City Libraries at 402-441-8503.

What programs will there be?

Several special programs are being scheduled at various locations during July or August, with ties to the themes and events of Americanah. You can see descriptions at our One Book – One Lincoln Programs and Events page!

How was Americanah chosen?

A call for nominations from the community in January and February resulted in 222 nominations for 176 different titles being received. The general criteria for the title included:

  • Fiction or Non-Fiction
  • Of general interest to adults and young adults
  • Sparks thoughtful discussion
  • Easily available in paperback
  • Address universal themes of life
  • Readable

A selection committee with community-wide representation was formed, which narrowed the list down to an eleven title shortlist, and ultimately to both the Top Three Finalists and ultimate winner, which were announced to the public on Memorial Day 2015.

Members of the selection committee included:

  • David Smith, Chair
  • Layne Pierce, Library Representative
  • Magdalena Benton
  • Patty Beutler
  • Greg Buckley
  • Elaine Caster
  • Ardis Holland
  • Donna Kennedy Marvin
  • Tice Miller
  • Judith Ruffo
  • DiAnna Schimek
  • Julie Wolf
  • Kathy McKillip
  • Mary Graham

One Book – One Lincoln – 2015: Main Page | Finalists | Programs | Discussions | Additional Resources (coming soon)