The idea behind “OCR” is to foster community by having as many people at one time reading the same book. Through a planned series of events that draw on the themes from the book, people have the opportunity to gather and share ideas.
Last year when the program was unveiled, the book selection was “Born a Crime” by Trevor Noah. Over a 6-week period there were 14 events including films, discussion groups, Trivia Night, art exhibitions, and a poetry slam among others. The goal is to engage the entire community, including high school and college students.
This year’s book was selected at a reception hosted by the Friends of the Aptos Library. It was held on September 5, 2018 and attended by more than 45 members of the community, including civil servants, educators, and business owners. After each “nominee” was presented, the audience voted from a choice of 4 candidates.
This year there were 2 fiction and 2 non-fiction choices. Death and Life of Monterey Bay, by Stephen R. Palumbi and Carolyn Sotka; The Circle by Dave Eggers; Weapons of Math Destruction by Cathy O’ Neil; and Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel.
The theme of Our Community Reads this year is “The Future” in that each book deals with a different aspect of what the future could bring ranging from technology as it pertains to personal privacy, the impact of algorithms on our daily life, the health and preservation of the Monterey Bay, and how an apocalyptic event could affect our society.
The winning book will be announced the 1st of October. Events will begin mid-January and run approximately 6 weeks. The Friends’ of the Aptos Library intends to make Our Community Reads an annual event. Stay tuned!
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For information on how you can become involved please contact [email protected].
Find out more about this and other projects of the Friends of the Aptos Library on their website: http://www.friendsofaptoslibrary.org