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Banner of the One Book One San Diego 2024 Selection

One Book, One San Diego

One Book, One San Diego is our region's premier literary program, presented in partnership between KPBS and over 80 public libraries, service organizations and educational institutions. Now in its 18th year, the purpose is to bring our community closer together through the shared experience of reading and discussing the same book.

Each year, One Book, One San Diego features one book for adults, one for teens, one for kids and one for Spanish language readers (One Book Sin Fronteras).

Year round, the community is asked to nominate titles the entire region should read together. The Advisory Committees review these nominations and ultimately select titles they believe fit the selection criteria best. In the fall, KPBS and our community partners host events inspired by the books selected.

Listen: KPBS Midday Edition: Chanel Miller reclaims her story with 'Know My Name'
Listen: KPBS Midday Edition: One Book, One San Diego opens a new chapter

Meet Our One Book, One San Diego Authors for 2024!

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Introducing the
2024 One Book, One San Diego
selections!

2024 Selection for Adults

“Know My Name: A Memoir*,” Chanel Miller - 2024 Selection for Adults
“Know My Name: A Memoir*,” Chanel Miller
One Book for 2024 Selection for Adults

“Know My Name: A Memoir*,” Chanel Miller

Content warning: This book explores mature themes including sexual assault, subsequent trauma, and other challenging subject matter. Reader discretion is advised. A link to resources is included below.

New York Times Readers’ Choice Best Book of the Century

Universally acclaimed, rapturously reviewed, and an instant New York Times bestseller, Chanel Miller’s breathtaking memoir “gives readers the privilege of knowing her not just as Emily Doe, but as Chanel Miller the writer, the artist, the survivor, the fighter.” (The Wrap).

She was known to the world as Emily Doe when she stunned millions with a letter. Brock Turner had been sentenced to just six months in county jail after he was found sexually assaulting her on Stanford's campus. Her victim impact statement was posted on BuzzFeed, where it instantly went viral—viewed by eleven million people within four days, it was translated globally and read on the floor of Congress; it inspired changes in California law and the recall of the judge in the case. Thousands wrote to say that she had given them the courage to share their own experiences of assault for the first time.

Now she reclaims her identity to tell her powerful story of trauma, transcendence, and the power of words. It was the perfect case, in many ways--there were eyewitnesses, Turner ran away, physical evidence was immediately secured. But her struggles with isolation and shame during the aftermath and the trial reveal the oppression victims face in even the best-case scenarios. Her story illuminates a culture biased to protect perpetrators, indicts a criminal justice system designed to fail the most vulnerable, and, ultimately, shines with the courage required to move through suffering and live a full and beautiful life.

"Know My Name" will forever transform the way we think about sexual assault, challenging our beliefs about what is acceptable and speaking truth to the tumultuous reality of healing. It also introduces readers to an extraordinary writer, one whose words have already changed our world. Entwining pain, resilience, and humor, this memoir will stand as a modern classic.

*Also available in Spanish/también disponible en español: Tengo un nombre

Resources

Readers Guide

“I Am With You,” Chanel Miller’s short film

I Am With You - Chanel Miller

2024 Selection for Teens

Photo of book cover - “Victory. Stand! Raising My Fist for Justice,” Tommie Smith, Derrick Barnes, and Dawud Anyabwile (Illustrator)
“Victory. Stand! Raising My Fist for Justice,” Tommie Smith, Derrick Barnes, and Dawud Anyabwile (Illustrator)
One book for 2024 Selection for Teens

“Victory. Stand! Raising My Fist for Justice,” Tommie Smith, Derrick Barnes, and Dawud Anyabwile (Illustrator)

Finalist for the 2022 National Book Award for Young People's Literature

Winner of the 2023 YALSA Excellence in Young Adult Nonfiction Award

A Coretta Scott King Award Author and Illustrator Honor Book

On Oct. 16, 1968, during the medal ceremony at the Mexico City Olympics, Tommie Smith, the gold medal winner in the 200-meter sprint, and John Carlos, the bronze medal winner, stood on the podium in black socks and raised their black-gloved fists to protest racial injustice inflicted upon African Americans. Both men were forced to leave the Olympics, received death threats, and faced ostracism and continuing economic hardships.

In his first-ever memoir for young readers, Tommie Smith looks back on his childhood growing up in rural Texas through to his stellar athletic career, culminating in his historic victory and Olympic podium protest. Co-written with Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Author Honor recipient Derrick Barnes and illustrated with bold and muscular artwork from Emmy Award–winning illustrator Dawud Anyabwile, Victory. Stand! paints a stirring portrait of an iconic moment in Olympic history that still resonates today.

Dr. Tommie Smith and Derrick Barnes discuss VICTORY. STAND!

Dr. Tommie Smith and Derrick Barnes discuss VICTORY. STAND!

2024 Selection for Kids

Photo of Book Cover - “Barrio Rising: The Protest that Built Chicano Park,” María Dolores Águila and Magdalena Mora (Illustrator)
“Barrio Rising: The Protest that Built Chicano Park,” María Dolores Águila and Magdalena Mora (Illustrator)
One Book for 2023 Selection for Kids

“Barrio Rising: The Protest that Built Chicano Park,” María Dolores Águila and Magdalena Mora (Illustrator)

A vivid historical fiction account of the community activism behind San Diego’s Chicano Park—home to the largest outdoor mural collection in the U.S.—and just one example of the Mexican American community’s rich history of resistance and resilience.

Barrio Logan, one of San Diego’s oldest Chicane neighborhoods, once brimmed with families and stretched all the way to the glorious San Diego Bay. But in the decades after WWII, the community lost their beach and bayfront to factories, junkyards, and an interstate that divided the neighborhood and forced around 5,000 people out of their homes. Then on April 22, 1970, residents discovered that the construction crew they believed was building a park—one the city had promised them years ago—was actually breaking ground for a police station. That’s when they knew it was time to make their voices heard.

"Barrio Rising" invites readers to join a courageous young activist and her neighbors in their successful twelve-day land occupation and beyond, when Barrio Logan banned together and built the colorful park that would become the corazón of San Diego’s Chicane community.

*Also available in Spanish/también disponible en español: El barrio se levanta: La protesta que construyó el Parque Chicano

Resources for Readers

KPBS - 50 years after first Chicano Park murals, a younger generation picks up the fight

50 years after first Chicano Park murals, a younger generation picks up the fight

SDSU Special Collections - Chicano Park Takeover, 1970

Chicano Park Takeover, 1970

  • One Book, One San Diego has announced the selections for the 2024 region-wide read: “Know My Name: A Memoir,” by Chanel Miller has been chosen for adult readers; “Victory. Stand! Raising My Fist for Justice,” by Tommie Smith and Derrick Barnes and illustrated by Dawud Anyabwile for teens and tweens; and “Barrio Rising: The Protest that Built Chicano Park,” by María Dolores Águila and illustrated by Magdalena Mora for children.
  • All three books selected for the One Book, One San Diego 2023 season exemplify courage, hope, advocacy, and solidarity. Each title explores the significance of taking pride in where we come from and coming together across differences to accomplish what we can't on our own.
  • The San Diego Union-Tribune Festival of Books is Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023 at the University of San Diego campus, with dozens of author panels, readings, children's activities and booksellers.
  • 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.

One Book, One San Diego Kids Author Event at the North Park Book Fair

Saturday, October 26, 2024 from 10 AM to 5 PM
North Park Way - From Ray St. to Granada Ave.
Free
KPBS is excited to join forces with the Verbatim Books North Park Book Fair on Saturday, October 26 for a special live event with María Dolores Águila, author of our 2024 One Book, One San Diego kids selection, "Barrio Rising: The Protest That Built Chicano Park." María will read "Barrio Rising," share her inspiration, answer questions, and sign books. Join us for a beautiful day celebrating literacy in North Park!Schedule: 10:45 - 11:30 a.m. - María Dolores Águila, Author Reading & Presentation11:30 - Noon - Book SigningFair from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Free for all ages!"Barrio Rising" invites readers to join a courageous young activist and her neighbors in their successful twelve-day land occupation and beyond, when Barrio Logan banned together and built the colorful park that would become the corazón of San Diego’s Chicane community. Verbatim Books brings you the North Park Book Fair! This year’s book fair promises to be bigger and better, bringing together book lovers, local authors, and vendors for a day of literary festivities in the heart of North Park. Expect a diverse vendor line-up, author readings and signings, hands-on activities, live music and performances, story time for kids, and food and beverages. Mark your calendars and get ready to dive into a world of books, creativity, and community.One Book, One San Diego 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 40 other community organizations. For more information about One Book, One San Diego, please visit: kpbs.org/onebookOne Book, One San Diego on FacebookOne Book One San Diego is funded by the Linden Root Dickinson Foundation, the Frieda Berlinski Foundation, the Seth Sprague Educational and Charitable Foundation, the Payne Family Foundation, Kaiser Permanente, the University of San Diego, Francis Parker School, the City of San Diego, and Lloyd Pest Control.

Sponsors

One Book is funded by the Linden Root Dickinson Foundation. Additional support comes from the Seth Sprague Educational and Charitable Foundation, the Frieda Berlinski Foundation, and the Payne Family Foundation.

Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs)

Find answers to the most common questions about the 2024 One Book, One San Diego program below.

What is One Book, One San Diego?

In its 18th year, One Book, One San Diego is a community reading program. It is a partnership between KPBS, San Diego Public Library, the San Diego County Library, and a long list of other community partners found below. The purpose of the program is to bring together our community and encourage residents to join together in the shared experience of reading and discussing the same book. The program also encourages participation in related events, discussions of the ideas raised in the featured books, and examination of how these ideas connect with our daily lives and local communities. Each year, One Book, One San Diego features one book for adults, one for teens, one for kids and one for Spanish language readers (One Book Sin Fronteras).

What is One Book for Kids?

One Book for Kids is a companion program to One Book, One San Diego that is just for kids! The Children's and Young Adult Advisory Committee reviews community nominations and ultimately selects a title they believe fits the selection criteria best. In the fall, KPBS and our community partners host events inspired by the book for kids and families.

What is One Book for Teens?

One Book for Teens is a companion program to One Book, One San Diego, that is just for tweens and teens! The Children's and Young Adult Advisory Committee reviews community nominations and ultimately selects a title they believe fits the selection criteria best. In the fall, KPBS and our community partners host events inspired by the book for teens, tweens, and their families.

How are the books chosen?

The process for selecting the One Book titles is designed for maximum community participation. Residents of San Diego and Imperial County and Baja California are invited to nominate books through online and paper submissions. The One Book Advisory Committees review all book nominations and select titles they believe will best meet the One Book criteria and goals of the program.