One Book, One San Diego has announced the selections for the 2022 region-wide read: “The Vanishing Half” by Brit Bennett has been chosen for adult readers; “The Magic Fish” written and illustrated by Trung Le Nguyen for teens and tweens; and “We Are Water Protectors” by Carole Lindstrom and illustrated by Michaela Goade for children.
Each year, One Book, One San Diego features one book for adults, one for young adults, one for kids and one for Spanish language readers. This year both “The Vanishing Half” and “We Are Water Protectors” are the Spanish language selections.
“The Vanishing Half” by Brit Bennett, a #1 New York Times Bestseller, tells the story of the Vignes twin sisters and how one chooses to live her life in the Black community she was raised in and the other sister chooses to pass as white elsewhere. It is a riveting, emotional story about family and exploration of the American history of passing. It considers the lasting influence of the past and explores why people sometimes feel pulled to live as something other than their origins.
“Thank you for nominating and selecting my book, 'The Vanishing Half,' which tells the story about identical twin sisters who grow up inseparably before deciding to live their lives on opposite sides of the color line. I look forward to talking more about the book at the kickoff event in San Diego for One Book this fall,” says Bennett.
On October 6, One Book, One San Diego will host an event featuring an interview with Bennett. Event details and registration are available at www.kpbs.org/onebook.
“The Magic Fish,'' written and illustrated by Trung Le Nguyen, follows a young, first-generation Vietnamese American boy who finds fairy tales are the only way he can communicate with his Vietnamese immigrant parents. But there’s one conversation that still eludes him—how to come out to his parents. It is a beautifully illustrated Young Adult graphic novel that explores the complexity of family and how stories can bring us together.
“I made ‘The Magic Fish’ to explore themes of overcoming linguistic and cultural barriers across family generations. I wanted to extol the virtues of going to the public library and share my love of reading with readers. I really hope that readers across San Diego also enjoy 'The Magic Fish,'” says Nguyen.
“We Are Water Protectors'' by Carole Lindstrom and illustrated by Michaela Goade tells the story of an Ojibwe girl who fights against an oil pipeline in an effort to protect the water supply of her people. It is inspired by the many Indigenous-led movements across North America, particularly the Dakota Access Pipeline protests. This vibrant picture book is the 2021 winner of the Caldecott Medal and a #1 New York Times Bestseller.
“We are so thrilled to be a part of One Book, One San Diego this year. Thank you for reading and honoring ‘We Are Water Protectors.’ It means so much to me to have our book embraced in this way,” says Lindstrom.
Free discussions, film screenings, lectures and workshops around the 2022 selections will be hosted by public libraries and other partner locations throughout the fall of 2022. Find details at www.kpbs.org/onebook.
About One Book, One San Diego:
Launched in 2007, the program encourages everyone in the San Diego and the Northern Baja region to read and discuss the same book. One Book is selected for four categories of readers: adults, teens, kids and Spanish. It is a partnership, led by KPBS, with the San Diego Public Library, the San Diego County Library, San Diego State University, One Book Sin Fronteras and more than 25 others. The program is funded by the Linden Root Dickinson Foundation, the Dr. Seuss Fund at the San Diego Foundation, the Seth Sprague Educational and Charitable Foundation, the Payne Family Foundation, Kaiser Permanente, the City of San Diego, Lloyd Pest Control, Compass Charter Schools, and Francis Parker School.
