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One Book, One San Diego Archive
Go to: Main One Book Page | For Teens | For Kids | Sin Fronteras
2016 Selection
Waiting for Snow in Havana
By Carlos Eire
“Have mercy on me, Lord, I am Cuban.” In 1962, Carlos Eire was one of 14,000 children airlifted out of Havana—exiled from his family, his country, and his own childhood by Fidel Castro’s revolution. Winner of the National Book Award, this stunning memoir is a vibrant and evocative look at Latin America from a child’s unforgettable experience.
One Book, Sin Fronteras Selection: The One Book, Sin Fronteras companion book for "Waiting for Snow in Havana” was the original Spanish version of the book, ”Nieve en La Habana” by Carlos Eire.
- Explore the San Diego Public Library’s online discussion guide.
- Author interview on KPBS Radio
- Author Website
- Find the book at your local library, or purchase it online from your local independent bookstore, Warwick’s.
2015 Selections
The Shadow of the Wind
By Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Set in Barcelona, 1945, "The Shadow of the Wind," by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, tells the story of a city in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, and Daniel, an antiquarian book dealer’s son who mourns the loss of his mother, as he finds solace in a mysterious book entitled The Shadow of the Wine, by Julián Carax. When he sets out to find the author’s other works, he makes a shocking discovery: somone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book Carax has written. Soon Daniel’s seemingly innocent quest opens a door into one of Barcelona’s darket secrets- an epic story of murder, madness, and doomed love.
One Book for Teens Selection: The teen companion book for "The Shadow of the Wind" is ”The Dumbest Idea Ever” by Jimmy Gownley.
One Book for Kids Selection: The children's companion book for "The Shadow of the Wind" is ”The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore” by William Joyce.
One Book for Littlest Kids Selection: The toddler’s companion book for “The Shadow of the Wind” is ”It’s a Little Book” by Lane Smith.
- Explore a helpful online discussion guide.
- Author interview on KPBS Radio
- Author Website
- Find the book at your local library, or purchase it online from your local independent bookstore, Warwick’s.
Document
One Book for Kids Early Literacy Workshop
This workshop is based around our 2015 One Book for Kids selection, "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore" by William Joyce. This fun and engaging workshop helps build early literacy skills for children ages seven and under.
2014 Selections
Monstress
By Lysley Tenorio
"Monstress," by Lysley Tenorio, is a book of quirky short stories set amongst Filipino-American communities in California and the Philippines.
One Book for Teens Selection: The teen companion book for "Monstress" is "American Born Chinese" by Gene Luen Yang.
- Explore our online discussion guide.
- Author interview on KPBS Radio
- Author Website
- Find the book at your local library, or purchase it online from your local independent bookstore, Warwick’s.
2013 Selections
Caleb's Crossing
By Geraldine Brooks
Inspired by a true story, "Caleb’s Crossing," by Geraldine Brooks, is narrated by a young woman named Bethia Mayfield, growing up in Martha’s Vineyard in the 1660s amid a small band of pioneering English Puritans. At age twelve, she meets Caleb, the son of a chieftain and the two forge a secret bond. Bethia’s father is a Calvinist minister who seeks to convert the native Wampanoag, and Caleb becomes a prize in the contest between old ways and new, eventually becoming the first Native American graduate of Harvard College.
- Explore the San Diego County Library’s online discussion guide.
- Author interview on KPBS Radio
- Author Website
- Find the book at your local library, or purchase it online from your local independent bookstore, Warwick’s.
2012 Selections
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 the San Diego area 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.
- Explore our online discussion guide.
- Author interview on KPBS Radio
- Author Website
- Find the book at your local library or bookstore, or purchase it online from your local independent bookstore, Mysterious Galaxy.
Moloka’i
by Alan Brennert
Rachel Kalama, a spirited seven-year-old Hawaiian girl, dreams of visiting far-off lands like her father, a merchant seaman. Then one day a rose-colored mark appears on her skin, and those dreams are stolen from her. Taken from her home and family, Rachel is sent to Kalaupapa, the quarantined leprosy settlement on the island of Moloka'i. Here her life is supposed to end—but instead she discovers it is only just beginning.
- Explore our online discussion guide.
- Author Website
- Book Review
- Find the book at your local library, or purchase it online from your local independent bookstore, Warwick’s.
Sky of Red Poppies
By Zohreh Ghahremani
Set against the backdrop of a politically divided 1960's Iran under rule of the Shah, "Sky of Red Poppies" is a novel about culture, politics and the redeeming power of friendships. Roya, the daughter of a prominent family, is envious of the fierce independence of her religious classmate Shireen. But Shireen has secrets of her own. Together, Roya and Shireen contend with becoming the women they want to be and, in doing so, make decisions that will cause their tragic undoing.
- Explore our online discussion guide.
- Author Interview
- Author Website
- Find the book at your local library, or purchase it online from your local independent bookstore, Warwick’s.
Previous Selections
The Gangster We Are All Looking For
2011 Selection
"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.
Outcasts United
2010 Selection
"Outcasts United" was the 2009-2010 One Book One San Diego selection! An online vote was conducted during the month of October. "Outcasts United" received 61 percent of 1,500 votes. The other two choices were "Dreamers of the Day" and "Song Yet Sung."
The Zookeeper's Wife
2009 Selection
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
2008 Selection
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
2007 Selection
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.