One Maryland One Book, at KCPL

One Maryland One Book is Maryland’s only statewide community reading project and is the signature program of the Maryland Center for the Book at the Maryland Humanities Council. Initiated in fall 2008, this year-long project culminates with two months of public programs, using literature to spur conversations in communities around the state. One Maryland One Book is designed to bring diverse groups of Marylanders together to share a common reading experience by discussing a work of literature and participating in related events. Kent County Public Library is pleased to be an official community partner in the 2014 One Maryland One Book program.

This year’s selected book is The Distance Between Us: A Memoir (2012) by Reyna Grande. Born in Mexico and raised by her grandparents after her parents left to find work in the U.S., Reyna entered the U.S. at age nine as an undocumented immigrant. Filled with hope, she quickly realized that life in America was different than she had imagined it would be. The Distance Between Us captures the confusion and contradictions of childhood, while reminding us that joys and sorrows experienced as children are imprinted on the heart forever and deeply linked to the places we first called home.

Thanks to the Maryland Humanities Council, free copies of The Distance Between Us: A Memoir are available at KCPL in both English and Spanish. Members of the community are encouraged to read the book, then join us this fall for book discussions and other programs related to the book’s main themes. A schedule of these events will be available by the end of August.

More information about One Maryland One Book can be found on the Maryland Humanities Council’s website, mdhc.org. More information about upcoming One Maryland One Book programs can be found on Kent County Public Library’s website, kentcountylibrary.org, or by calling 410-778-3636.