One Book, One San Diego
"The Gangster We Are All Looking For" wins vote!
Thank you to everyone who voted! It was a close race with a narrow finish. View results of the online vote.
"The Gangster We Are All Looking For," written by lê thi diem thúy, is a true-life novel about a Vietnamese refugee family in San Diego, told from the perspective of the family’s daughter, who is just six years old when they arrive. The narrator and her parents struggle to adapt to life in an unfamiliar land, while simultaneously dealing with a troubled marriage, a father’s mysterious past, and the loss of a brother, in this painful, magical, and poetic novel.
About the Nominated Books
The Gangster We Are All Looking For
by lê thi diem thúy
"The Gangster We Are All Looking For" is a true-life novel about a Vietnamese refugee family in San Diego, told from the perspective of the family’s daughter, who is just six years old when they arrive. The narrator and her parents struggle to adapt to life in an unfamiliar land, while simultaneously dealing with a troubled marriage, a father’s mysterious past, and the loss of a brother, in this painful, magical, and poetic novel.
- Interview on American Public Media's Weekend America
- Portrait of my Father: Photo and essay by lê thi diem thúy
- Review by The Independent
- Find the book at your local library or bookstore, or purchase it on Amazon.com (a portion of your purchase will support KPBS).
Let the Great World Spin
by Colum McCann
Colum McCann’s "Let the Great World Spin" takes place in 1974 New York City, beginning with Phillippe Petit’s historical tight-rope walk between the twin towers of the World Trade Center. The novel follows a diverse group of characters in the aftermath of this extraordinary event, as their lives occasionally collide in significant and lasting ways. Influenced by the events of 9/11, McCann’s story effectively mirrors the present, though it is set in the past.
- Interview on PBS NewsHour
- Interview on NPR's Morning Edition
- Author's website
- Find the book at your local library or bookstore, purchase it on Amazon.com, or download the audio book on Audible.com
(a portion of your purchase on Amazon.com or Audible.com will support KPBS).
Into the Beautiful North
By Luis Alberto Urrea
"Into the Beautiful North," by Luis Alberto Urrea, tells the story of Nayeli, a young taco shop worker living in the Mexican village of Tres Camarones. Upon realizing that nearly all the men from her town have moved North, Nayeli and three of her friends travel to America in hopes of finding men to bring back to Mexico. The central characters encounter surprises along the way, in this funny yet powerful tale of their journey.
- Interview on KPBS' These Days
- Life Is An Act Of Literary Creation: Luis Urrea on NPR's This I Believe
- Author's website
- Find the book at your local library or bookstore, purchase it on Amazon.com, or download the audio book on Audible.com
(a portion of your purchase on Amazon.com or Audible.com will support KPBS).
2010 Selection
Community Events
Wednesday, September 8Children's Storytime At AthenaeumJoin us at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library for children's storytime, ages 3-6, every Wednesday at 3 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. |
Athenaeum Music & Arts Library |
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Wednesday, September 15Children's Storytime At AthenaeumJoin us at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library for children's storytime, ages 3-6, every Wednesday at 3 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. |
Athenaeum Music & Arts Library |
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Wednesday, September 22Children's Storytime At AthenaeumJoin us at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library for children's storytime, ages 3-6, every Wednesday at 3 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. |
Athenaeum Music & Arts Library |
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Wednesday, September 29Children's Storytime At AthenaeumJoin us at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library for children's storytime, ages 3-6, every Wednesday at 3 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. |
Athenaeum Music & Arts Library |
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Previous Selections
The Zookeeper's Wife
The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman is the remarkable true-story of Jan and Antonina Zabinski, the keepers of the Warsaw Zoo, who, with extraordinary courage, compassion, and calm under pressure, managed to save hundreds of people from Nazi hands. With her inimitable blend of lyricism and insight into the natural world, Ackerman reveals in this book how empathy for nature can, occasionally, allow us to triumph over the worst in human nature.
Three Cups of Tea
In Three Cups of Tea, author Greg Mortenson and acclaimed journalist David Oliver Relin, recount the unlikely journey that led Mortenson from a failed attempt to climb Pakistan’s K2, the world’s second highest mountain, to successfully building schools in some of the most remote regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Enrique's Journey
Enrique's Journey, by Sonia Nazario is the astonishing true story that recounts the unforgettable odyssey of a Honduran boy who braves unimaginable hardship and peril to reach his mother in the United States.

