On The Same Page 2008

Categories: Local Interest , Fiction

It has been more than ten years since the first "One Book/One City" community reading program was launched in Seattle.  Since then, hundreds of similar events have been staged; some have lasted and some have not.  We like to think that our program here in Cincinnati has "legs", i.e., that it is an event that people around town look forward to each year. 

We started out in 2002, reading Ernest Gaines' A Lesson Before Dying, in an attempt to address the aftermath of the city's riots of 2001.  Over time, the program has become more of a reading event than a city-wide healing event, although the idea of "encouraging community dialogue" continues as a strong undercurrent.  For On The Same Page 2008, the challenge for readers is to experience the Civil War through the eyes of a 14-year-old boy from the mountains of Appalachia, in Robert Olmstead's spellbinding novel, Coal Black Horse.

Olmstead will be in town for several programs, begining with a Civil War History Day on Sunday February 24 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. in the Main Library.  Discussion groups and special events will be held during the next six weeks throughout Hamilton County, featuring local Civil War history and concluding with a guided Civil War Tour of Spring Grove Cemetery on April 6. 

Each year, there are many ways in which schools, book clubs, and individual readers participate in On The Same Page, making it truly one of the most viable "One Book" programs in the country.  Look for upcoming posts about author Robert Olmstead (and about this year's title for teen readers, Bronx Masquerade).