One Book, One Bakersfield, One Kern

Download Announcement Flyer (Adobe PDF)

We are so excited that this year’s fall reading choice for One Book, One Bakersfield, One Kern is The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. It’s the remarkable coming of age story of Esperanza, told in a series of vignettes -- sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes deeply joyous. It is the story of a young Latina girl growing up in Chicago, inventing for herself who and what she will become. The book's highly discussable themes are poverty, language barriers, struggle for self-definition, domestic violence, gender roles, and the achievement of ones hopes and dreams despite societal roadblocks. At the heart of the book is the central theme of home, and the power it has to define a person. The book is a modern classic and is assigned reading in most Kern County schools – middle school through university level – and has been enjoyed by readers across the nation. This fall, programming will be in celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15 through October 15, 2012. One Book programs will take place September through November.

The concept behind the One Book reading and discussion project is to give the widest possible cross section of our community access to the timeless themes in one great book, bringing those ideas vividly alive, and helping us recognize how those important ideas apply to our lives in Kern County. One Book programs have provided life defining experiences for our community members and have helped residents bridge geographic, socio-economic and racial divides to create meaningful conversations about important ideas. The showcase event, An Evening with the Author (November 8th, 2012) is a unique cultural experience that can provide a defining moment in a person's life. Last year, over 2,200 students and community members attended the author event, with over 6000 people attending One Book events in total.

The One Book Project is sponsored by Kern County Library and California State University Bakersfield which underwrites the cost of the author visit through its First Year Experience Runner Reader Program funds. This fall, 1,400 students will participate in reading, discussing and attending community events. Kern County Library's role is to build collaborative partnerships inviting the entire community to get involved through a wide-array of programs and cultural events. Community partners include:

Download the Printable Event Calendar Here – choose from two versions:

Events Brochure (Expanded) (Adobe PDF)

Events Brochure (Shortened) (Adobe PDF)

Save the Date!

An Evening with the Author
Thursday, November 8, 2012 @ 7pm
CSUB Icardo Center

Family Storytimes: A family hour of stories, songs and crafts inspired by Mexican, Hispanic and Latino themes and settings.