The One Book Project is a countywide reading and discussion project that fosters empathy, promotes awareness, and strengthens the fabric of our community by exploring the themes in this year’s One Book selection, Sitting Pretty: The View From My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body by Rebekah Taussig.
About the Fall 2023 Primary Title
Sitting Pretty: The View From My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body
by Rebekah Taussig
Growing up as a paralyzed girl during the 90s and early 2000s, Rebekah Taussig writes about the rhythms and textures of what it means to live in a body that doesn’t fit. Rebekah reflects on everything from the complications of kindness and charity, living both independently and dependently, experiencing intimacy, and how the pervasiveness of ableism in our everyday media directly translates to daily life.
ONE BOOK PROJECT
FOR ALL GENRES & AGES
Sitting Pretty & One Book companion titles are available for checkout in print, eBook, eAudiobook, & book on CD from the Kern County Library.
Also available for purchase from Russo’s Books and Barnes & Noble.
True Biz
The Words in my Hands
by Asphyxia
Perfect World. 1
What Happened to You?
Woodpecker Girl
Bear
Hello, Universe 
Sign up for the One Book Project Reading Challenge through Beanstack.
Record reading sessions and manage family accounts to earn digital badges and prizes!
The challenge starts September 12, 2023 and ends November 30, 2023.
Reader Advisory Titles
Picture Books for Early Learners
Nonfiction Picture Books for Early Learners
Books for Kids & Tweens
Kids Graphic Novels
Teen Graphic Novels
Young Adult Fiction
Adult Fiction
Biographies & Memoirs
One Book Premier Events
The One Book Kickoff Event
Panel Discussion & Resource Fair for Disabled Students with co-host Bakersfield College
Wednesday, September 13 | 11am – 1pm
Levan Center, Bakersfield College, 1801 Panorama Drive Bakersfield 661.395.4011
Join the Kern County One Book Project for our Annual Kick Off Event at Bakersfield College. We’ll be joined by students, staff, and community panelists discussing the multitude of ways we navigate the world and how to support, and provide support, to everyone in that endeavor. Resource fair to follow. Connect with college departments, services, and community organizations that serve disabled students and community members.
NOR Film Screening of Stronger
Wednesday, September 27 | 1pm
Rasmussen Senior Center, North of the River Recreation and Parks District, 115 E. Roberts Lane, Bakersfield, Ca. 661.868.0701
Upon losing his legs in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, Jeff Bauman navigates the incident’s overwhelming aftermath in this drama based on a true story.
Parks, Parafencing, and Play!
Adaptive Sports & Outdoor Spaces for Disabled Community
Thursday, October 5 | 4:30-6:30pmBeale Memorial Library Auditorium, 701 Truxtun Avenue. 661.868.0701
Come learn about open spaces, recreational places and adaptive sports programs available in Kern County for disabled residents. Watch indoor sport demonstrations by Special Olympics participants in the lobby and a wheelchair parafencing demonstration on stage in the Auditorium.
Speakers/Partners
- Pilar Colunga – Supervisor, Bakersfield Recreation and Parks District
- Ja’Nette Beck – Supervisor, Bakersfield Recreation and Parks District
- Nathan Gutierrez – ADA & Title VI Coordinator, City of Bakersfield
- Jasmin LoBasso – Superintendent of Recreation & Community Services, North of the River Recreation & Park District
- Kellie Peterson – Manager II, Sports & Programs, Special Olympics Southern California-Kern County Office
- Matthew Johnson – Player and Team Spokesperson, Valley Children’s Ice Center – Bakersfield Oilers – Special Needs Hockey
- Charlotte Johnson – Parent of Matthew Johnson
- Lucas Dobrzanski – Founder, President and Coach of the Kern Athletic Fencing Foundation
Did you miss this event? Watch how it went.
Beautiful, Broken, & Blessed
World Faith Traditions and the Experience of People with Disabilities
Thursday, October 12 | 7pm
Zoom Format – Register at www.emmanuelbakersfield.org, up to one hour before program.
What is the experience of disabled people when they encounter religious institutions, faith traditions, and spirituality? Panelists representing a range of faith traditions will review their beliefs and practices regarding disability, and we invite those from the disabled community to also share their lived experiences within these traditions. Event moderated by Dawn Wilder, Pastor at Emmanuel Lutheran Church.
Featured Panelists
- Craig Satterlee – Bishop, North/West Lower Michigan Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
- Shaheer Afaqi – Ph.D, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, CSUB
- Alan Salazar – Elder, Chumash & Tataviam Tribes
- Jonathan Klein – Rabbi, Temple Beth El
For more information call: 661-323-3355
Did you miss this event? Watch how it went.
An Evening with Rebekah Taussig, Author of Sitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary, Resilient, Disabled Body
Thursday, October 26 | 7pmIcardo Center, CSUB, 9001 Stockdale Hwy., Bakersfield, CA 93311. 661.654.3172
(Free parking in Lot I after 6pm)
Rebekah Taussig, disability advocate, educator & best-selling author, will challenge everything you think you know about disability as she invites us to a talk about her experience of living in a body that looks and moves differently than most. Taussig, who has been paralyzed since the age of three, is a mom, wife, author, disability advocate and educator with a Ph.D in creative nonfiction and disability studies. A storyteller at heart with a great sense of humor, Taussig invites us to think bigger and more critically about who has a seat at the table and the barriers that bar others from inclusion.
CSUB One Book Project web page.Red Carpet Movie Night
Friday, October 27 | 6-9pmBeale Memorial Library Auditorium, 701 Truxtun Avenue. 661.868.0701
All are invited to dress up and enjoy our red carpet affair for photo ops in front of a specially designed selfie station or mingle and visit “Self Help Yourself” tables with information and swag from community organizations serving the special needs community before the film screenings and talk with guest speaker, Dale Oprandy, Executive Director of Inclusion Films.
Schedule
- 6:20-6:30pm: Short Talk by Dale Oprandy, Executive Director, Inclusion Films
- 6:30-7:15pm: Short Film Screening, Enough is Enough created by Inclusion Films titled.
- 7:15-9:00pm: Main Film Screening: Rising Phoenix [1 HR 45 Min]
PathPoint Project Search – Clients created the selfie stations and marquee for the event!
Did you miss this event? Watch Dale Oprandy speech here.
Courage After Fire
Personal Stories & Services for Disabled Veterans
Thursday, November 9 | 4:30-6:30pmBeale Memorial Library Auditorium, 701 Truxtun Avenue. 661.868.0701
Join us for an evening with combat veterans who will share their stories of military service and the true cost of freedom. Our guest speakers will talk about how they received help after coming back home and the services, organizations and programs that helped them re-adjust to civilian life.
Featured Guest Speakers
- Casey Schaubschlager – Director of Programs and Outreach, Wounded Heroes Fund
- Chad Garcia – Combat Veteran, Advocate, Small Business Owner, and Skydiver, Comrades and Canopies
- Ben Rodriguez – Outreach Representative, Department of Veterans Affairs Vet Center
Did you miss this event? Watch how it went.
One Book Project Event Highlights
Storytimes
Enjoy stories, songs, rhymes, & fun for the whole family.
Family Storytime & Craft
Wed. | Sept. 6 | 4pm
Wed. | Oct. 4 | 4pm
Wed. | Nov. 1 | 4pm
Preschool Storytime
Tue. | Sept. 5 | 11am
Tue. | Oct. 3 | 11am
Tue. | Nov. 7 | 11am
Tue. | Nov. 28 | 11am
Preschool Storytime with the Valley Center for the Blind
Tue. | Oct. 3 | 10:30am
Tue. | Nov. 7 | 10:30am
Preschool Storytime & Craft
Fri. | Sept. 22 | 12pm
Fri. | Oct. 27 | 12pm
Fri. | Nov. 17 | 12pm
Superhuman Day Storytime
Thur. | Sept. 7 | 3pm
Family Storytime
Wed. | Sept. 13 | 3:30pm
Thurs. | Sept. 21 | 5pm
Wed. | Oct. 11 | 4pm
Preschool Storytime
Thur. | Sept. 14 | 11:30am
Thur. | Oct. 12 | 11:30am
Thur. | Nov. 16* | 1pm
*storytime includes craft
Family Storytime
Fri. | Sept. 15 | 5pm
Fri. | Oct. 20 | 4pm
Wed. | Nov. 8 | 4pm
Preschool Storytime & Craft
Thur. | Sept. 21 | 12pm
Family Storytime & Craft
Thur. | Oct. 19 | 12pm
Thur. | Nov. 16 | 12pm
Preschool Storytime & Craft
Thur. | Sept. 14 | 11am
Thur. | Oct. 12 | 11am
Thur. | Nov. 9 | 11am
Family Storyland Adventures
Fri. | Sept. 1 | 4:30pm
Sat. | Oct. 21 | 2:30pm
Sat. | Nov. 18 | 4:30pm
Family Storytime
Fri. | Sept. 8 | 3:30pm
Family Storytime & Craft
Fri. | Oct. 6 | 3:30pm
Fri. | Nov. 3 | 3:30pm
Preschool Storytime & Craft
Wed. | Sept. 6 | 3pm
Wed. | Oct. 4 | 3pm
Wed. | Nov. 1 | 3pm
Family Storytime & Craft
Mon. | Sept. 11 | 12pm
Mon. | Oct. 16 | 12pm
Mon. | Nov. 13 | 12pm
Preschool Surprise Storytime!
Thur. | Sept. 7 | 11am
Thur. | Oct. 5 | 11am
Thur. | Nov. 2 | 11am
Preschool Storytime & Craft
Tues. | Sept. 12 | 11am
Tues. | Oct. 10 | 11am
Tues. | Nov. 14 | 11am
Preschool Storytime
Thur. | Sept. 21 | 10:30am
Thur. | Oct. 19 | 10:30am
Thur. | Nov. 16 | 10:30am
Family Storytime & Craft
Tues. | Sept. 26 | 4pm
Tues. | Oct. 24 | 4pm
Tues. | Nov. 28 | 4pm
Preschool Storytime
Mon. | Sept. 11 | 11am
Mon. | Sept. 18 | 11am
Family Storytime
Tues. | Nov. 7 | 5pm
Thur. | Nov. 16 | 5pm
Superhuman Day Storytime
Wed. | Sept. 6 | 3pm
Inclusive Storytime
Tues. | Oct. 10 | 3pm
Family Storytime (Embracing Difference & Inclusion)
Mon. | Nov. 6 | 3pm
Family Storytime
Fri. | Sept. 15 | 3pm
Fri. | Oct. 20 | 3pm
Fri. | Nov. 17 | 3pm
Family Storytime
Tues. | Sept. 12 | 3pm
Tues. | Sept. 19* | 3pm
Tues. | Oct. 3 | 4pm
Tues. | Oct. 17 | 3pm
Tues. | Nov. 14 | 3pm
*storytime includes craft
Family Storytimes
Tues. | Sept. 26 | 4pm
Tues. | Oct. 24 | 4pm
Tues. | Nov. 28 | 4pm
Coloring Stations
Stop by our coloring station and make new friends while expressing yourself through color. Take a coloring sheet or an activity sheet and have some fun! From September to November, we'll have One Book Project related sheets ready for you, so come on by!
Arts & Crafts
Get inspired and crafty at select library branches for One Book Project related craft events.
Ages 6-11 are invited to attend
Buttonwillow Branch Library
Thur. | Sept. 21 | 3pm
Fri. | Sept. 22 | 3pm
Fri. | Sept. 29 | 3pm
Mon. | Oct. 6 | 3pm
Mon. | Oct. 9 | 3:30pm
Mon. | Oct. 23 | 3:30pm
Fri. | Nov. 17 | 3pm
Delano Branch Library
Fri. | Oct. 6 | 4:30pm
Wed. | Nov. 8 | 4:30pm
Taft Branch Library
Tue. | Sept. 19 | 3pm
Wed. | Sept. 20 | 3pm
Wed. | Sept. 27 | 3pm
Tue. | Oct. 3 | 3pm
Wed. | Oct. 25 | 3pm
Wed. | Nov. 15 | 3pm
Wasco Branch Library
Tue. | Oct. 3 | 4:30pm
Tue. | Oct. 17 | 3:30pm
Tue. | Nov. 14 | 3:30pm
Ages 12-17 are invited to attend
Ridgecrest Branch Library
Thur. | Sept. 14 | 3:30pm
Ages 12-18 are invited to attend
Beale Memorial Library
Wed. | Sept. 20 | 4:30pm
Wed. | Oct. 18 | 4:30pm
Wed. | Nov. 15 | 4:30pm
Book Discussions
Join us for a live book discussion on Sitting Pretty: The View From My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body by Rebekah Taussig, and other companion titles.
Tue. | Nov. 14 | 3pm
Tue. | Sept. 19 | 4pm
Tue. | Oct. 24 | 4pm
Tue. | Nov. 21 | 4pm
Thur. | Oct. 19 | 5:30pm
Tue. | Nov. 7 | 5pm
Fri. | Nov. 3 | 4:30pm
Wed. | Sept. 27 | 4pm
Wed. | Oct. 25 | 4pm
Wed. | Nov. 29 | 4pm
Wed. | Nov. 1 | 4:30pm
Fri. | Sept. 8 | 5pm
Wed. | Nov. 8 | 4:30pm
Fri. | Nov. 17 | 5pm
Wed. | Sept. 27 | 2pm
Wed. | Oct. 18 | 4pm
Fri. | Nov. 17 | 4pm
Thur. | Sept. 28 | 4pm
Mon. | Oct. 30 | 4:30pm
Thur. | Sept. 21 | 4pm
Thur. | Oct. 19 | 4pm
Thur. | Nov. 16 | 4pm
Wed. | Sept. 20 | 5pm
Wed. | Nov. 15 | 5pm
Thur. | Oct. 26 | 12:30pm
Tues. | Nov. 21 | 1pm
Tue. | Oct. 24 | 4pm
Tue. | Sept. 12 | 3pm
Wed. | Oct. 18 | 3pm
Tue. | Nov. 21 | 5pm
Fri. | Nov. 17 | 4pm
Tues. | Sept. 12 | 3:30pm
Wed. | Oct. 25 | 4pm
Learn American Sign Language (ASL)
Join us while we learn how to use American Sign Language. We will use stories, games and activities to better understand this amazing language.
Mon. | Sept. 25 | 11am
Fri. | Sept. 15 | 3:30pm
Fri. | Oct. 20 | 3:30pm
4pm – Every Tuesday in September
4pm – Every Tuesday in October
Thur. | Sept. 14 | 4pm
Mon. | Sept. 25 | 5pm
Fri. | Sept. 1 | 5pm
Mon. | Nov. 13 | 4pm
Movie Screenings
Enjoy movie screenings that share themes similar to this year's One Book Project book selection.
All ages are invited to attend
Beale Memorial Library
Fri. | Oct. 27 | 6pm
California City Branch Library
Thur. | Sept. 21 | 3:45pm
Delano Branch Library
Thur. | Sept. 28 | 4pm
Thur. | Oct. 12 | 4pm
Thur. | Nov. 16 | 4pm
Southwest Branch Library
Sat. | Nov. 4 | 2pm
Wasco Branch Library
Mon. | Sept. 25 | 3pm
Ages 6-11 are invited to attend
Baker Branch Library
Tue. | Sept. 5 | 1pm
Tue. | Oct. 3 | 3pm
Buttonwillow Branch Library
Thur. | Sept. 21 | 4pm
Thur. | Nov. 9 | 4pm
Northeast Branch Library
Thur. | Sept. 7 | 1pm
Thur. | Sept. 28 | 3pm
Thur. | Oct. 5 | 3pm
Thur. | Nov. 30 | 1pm
Ages 12-18 are invited to attend
Taft Branch Library
Tue. | Nov. 7 | 4pm
Ages 19+ are invited to attend
Boron Branch Library
Fri. | Sept. 29 | 3:45pm
Ridgecrest Branch Library
Fri. | Oct. 27 | 2pm
History of the One Book Project
The program began in 2001 through the grassroots efforts of Jillian Fritch, an elementary school teacher who had read a story in the Los Angeles Times regarding One Book, One Community initiatives; at the time Seattle Reads and One Book Chicago were pioneers, and Los Angeles had decided to do a One Book project. Jillian was inspired to begin a project in Bakersfield. The first book was “To Kill a Mockingbird.” An array of community partners jumped on board, including education, nonprofits, local government, businesses, and media outlets. The Kern County Library became the lead organization in 2003. Now, the One Book Project continues to reach out to our diverse Kern County community both in book choice and related programming. In 2010, the One Book Project began a partnership with California State University, Bakersfield’s “Runner Reader Program” (or First-Year Experience Program), which involves students reading a common book. Through this partnership, the community has benefited extended programming, including author visits and talks at CSUB at the culmination of the read. In November 2011, more than 1,400 people turned out to hear author Wes Moore speak about his book, “The Other Wes Moore.” One Book, One Bakersfield, One Kern remains a grassroots project that relies on community partners and donations to provide related programming and copies of the book throughout the county.
Our Partners
The One Book Project is presented by Kern County Library and California State University, Bakersfield, Office of the Provost.
A special thanks to our community partners for participating in our One Book Project effort.
Bakersfield College
Disabled Students Programs & Services
City of Bakersfield Recreation & Parks District
California State University of Bakersfield
Services for Students with Disabilities
Department of Veterans Affairs
Friends of the Kern County Library, Inc.
Kern Athletic Fencing Foundation
Kern Council Teachers of English
North of the River Recreation & Parks District
Special Olympics Southern California
Bakersfield Oilers
Wounded Heroes Fund
