In the wake of the pandemic and issues relating to race which inflamed tensions across the country last spring and summer, the major theme for this year’s edition is identity — namely how to navigate these questions when one is not certain how to fit into society.
“It’s a communal reading program that we do every other year. The goal is to bring the community together in reading one book, and exploring the themes of that one book together to kind of bring people together as a community,” noted Ann Kennedy, CHPL outreach librarian.
Kennedy admitted the 2021 program required a work with broad appeal, and so “The Vanishing Half,” by Brit Bennett, released last summer, made the grade. A New York Times best seller and book club favorite, the book touches on universal themes of family and identity that can bring together a wide spectrum of readers to start fruitful discussions.
“One Book” wasn’t limited to just one section of the community, There was a parallel youth read, “Genesis Begins Again” by Alicia D. Williams, geared to the preteen and early teen crowd. It introduces the idea of colorism and racism within a family unit. As luck would have it, October’s teen book club selection embraced discussion of ‘otherness,’ feeling as out of a group despite common interests or ethnicity.
Kennedy also set up a children’s story time, choosing picture books that talked about identity and being true to yourself.
“I also think you start out internally, and discuss (these books) as a family and a unit, and then you can bring (the book and its respective issues) out externally and bring those ideas into the community,” Added CHPL Marketing Director Suzanne Fox about the worth of extending ‘One Book’ to include young children.
“So, you’ll go inward and then outward.”
Culmination of the program is set for the first day of November, when keynote lecturer Dr. Christopher Fisher will be the point person for a wide ranging discussion on the history of race as it pertains to identity.
Fisher is no stranger to this project, as he has been the go-to scholar when the library creates a new schedule of events.
“One Book, One Cherry Hill” is sponsored by a grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, and part of that grant, one scholar is chosen to work with libraries to shape each monthly venture, .Fisher is currently an associate professor of history at The College of New Jersey. Friends of the Cherry Hill Public Library also chip in to subsidize a significant chunk of the programming.
“He is going to be talking about the history of ‘passing’ in the United States in general, and how it relates to ‘The Vanishing Half,’” Kennedy explained. “He’s starting the discussion broadly, and then bringing it in really narrow to New Jersey and talking about the history here and about what it means to be an American when you might feel as an ‘other’ within your own country.”
Fisher’s appearance will be in person at the library, in the conference center’s lower level, beginning at 7 p.m. Attendees will have to register for the discussion, and masks will be required indoors.
Visit www.chplnj.org or call (856) 667-0300, ext. 2, for more information.
