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One Book – One Lincoln – 2017
A Gentleman in Moscow
was the winning title for 2017!
The 2017 One Book – One Lincoln program was wrapped up November 8, 2017, with the final special program, but information about A Gentleman in Moscow and One Book – One Lincoln – 2017 is still available on this archive page.
The sixteenth annual One Book – One Lincoln community reading program began on May 29, 2017, with the announcement of the Top Three Finalists and public voting through July 31st for your favorite title. The special program events of One Book — One Lincoln — 2017 will take place in September and November.
One man’s journey of self-discovery
A life sentence in a luxury hotel in Moscow leads to personal growth and greater empathy
- How can I participate?
- About One Book – One Lincoln – 2017
- How was A Gentleman in Moscow selected?
- Can I get someone to lead a discussion for my book group?
- What other books were considered for 2017?
About This Year’s Selection
“He can’t leave his hotel. You won’t want to.
From the New York Times bestselling author of Rules of Civility—a transporting novel about a man who is ordered to spend the rest of his life inside a luxury hotel.
In 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, and is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin. Rostov, an indomitable man of erudition and wit, has never worked a day in his life, and must now live in an attic room while some of the most tumultuous decades in Russian history are unfolding outside the hotel’s doors. Unexpectedly, his reduced circumstances provide him entry into a much larger world of emotional discovery.
Brimming with humor, a glittering cast of characters, and one beautifully rendered scene after another, this singular novel casts a spell as it relates the count’s endeavor to gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be a man of purpose.”
Amazon “Book of the Month” (September 2016)
And the other two 2017 finalists were…
The two “runners up” in the top three for One Book – One Lincoln – 2017 were:
Moonglow by Michael Chabon [Chabon]
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi [Gyasi]
Click Here to visit the the official One Book – One Lincoln Finalists page for more detailed information about the Top Three titles — also, the rest of the Top Ten titles for 2017 were unveiled in July and are listed on that page!
About One Book – One Lincoln – 2017
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 16th 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 past fifteen years’ worth of One Book – One Lincoln selections at our One Book main page.
Lincoln City Libraries reference staff have compiled a list of additional resources about A Gentleman in Moscow and Amor Towles.
How can I participate?
- Get a copy of this year’s winning title. Check out a copy, in print, audio or downloadable formats, of A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles at any of the Lincoln City Libraries or purchase your own copy at a local bookstore. 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 books – together!
- Watch for informational programs about this year’s One Book — One Lincoln. You can now view the One Book – One Lincoln episode of City Focus on LNKTV (formerly 5 City TV) on both Channel 5 and their On Demand channels. Also embedded on this very page, above!
- Attend our related programs.
- Look at our Resource Page about A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles, for links to further information on the themes and topics of this year’s book.
- 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 Books in Person or Online! Attend a Community Discussion of the Top 3 Finalists and/or just A Gentleman in Moscow at your local library or bookstore. A complete list of Community Discussion opportunities is available right now. Print off the official Discussion Questions for the A Gentleman in Moscow 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 there, to which you can leave reply comments.
- Nominate for future years — Don’t forget…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 A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles, or another of this year’s finalists, but you don’t have a discussion leader? During the Summer and Fall of 2017, 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. You can also access our list of Official Discussion Questions.
What programs will there be?
Several special programs have been scheduled at various locations during September and November, with ties to the themes and events of the 2017 Top 3 Finalists. You can see descriptions at this year’s One Book – One Lincoln Programs and Events page!
How was A Gentleman in Moscow chosen?
A call for nominations from the community in 2016 and through end of January 2017 resulted in 154 nominations for 100 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 multiple formats
- Addresses universal themes of life
- Readable
A selection committee with community-wide representation was formed, which narrowed the list down to a ten title shortlist, and ultimately to the Top Three Finalists, which were announced to the public on Memorial Day 2017. The “Top Ten” list was revealed on the Finalists page in mid-July.
Members of the selection committee included:
- David Smith, Chair
- Katie Murtha, Library Representative
- Donna Kennedy Marvin, Library Board
- Kathy McKillip, Library Board
- Patty Beutler
- Jessica Boren
- Brett Elizabeth Ebert
- Delmer Esters
- Mary Graham
- Erin Hussey
- Sarah Knight
- James Rea
- Ann Thompson
- Susan Vanneman
- Greg Walklin
One Book – One Lincoln – 2017: Main Page | Finalists | Programs | Discussions | Additional Resources
Interested in past years’ One Book – One Lincoln selections?
Visit our main One Book – One Lincoln archive site [data from past years is still being converted for archiving on our new web site!]
Master list of all One Book — One Lincoln finalists and selected titles [2002-2017] in PDF format.
A list of what other communities are reading for similar programs can be found on the One Book Reading Promotion Projects page on the Library of Congress Center for the Book Web site (no longer available).
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 and discussion experience.