You're Invited: One Maryland One Book (OMOB)

Who: Everyone
What: A Hope in the Unseen: An American Odyssey from the Inner City to the Ivy League by Ron Suskind
When: Reading this summer followed by community based programs this fall
Where: All over Maryland

Imagine if all of Maryland were reading the same book at the same time, if all of us were engaging in constructive discussion, sharing from personal experiences, and connecting as a community. Well this summer that dream is becoming a reality through the One Maryland One Book (OMOB) program! Launched by The Maryland Center for the Book, a division of the Maryland Humanities Council and hosted by Katie O’Malley, The First Lady of Maryland, this program is being supported by groups across the state, including the Banneker-Douglass Museum. The plan is to read the book and discuss it both as individuals and small groups over the summer. Early fall community partners will host events to engage community discussion and thoughtful reflection about the book and the topics it raises. This program will encourage us all to read, communicate, relate, and explore the themes raised through this and other materials. If you want more information about the program you can go to its website at http://www.onemarylandonebook.org/ where you’ll find information about the program and the book, the community partners, and up-coming events.

The book chosen for this year is A Hope in the Unseen: An American Odyssey from the Inner City to the Ivy League by Ron Suskind. It follows the life of Cedric Lavar Jennings, beginning with his junior year in one of the worst Washington, DC, high schools up through his time at Brown University. Having read about eighty pages, I can’t wait to read more. The book is hard to put down. The subjects it addresses, such as race, the influence of society, the claws in the education system, and the importance of family, guarantee no shortage of topics to think about and discuss.

While we all are reading and anxiously waiting for our community programs to start the Maryland Humanities Council has provided a Readers Guide with resources to both excite readers and help them engage the reading. With biographies of both Cedric Jennings and Ron Suskind and discussion questions both for the general reader and specifically for teens, the Readers Guide is a great resource for everyone interested in reading this book alone or with others. Also included in the Guide are lists of other resources, including books ranging from fiction, nonfiction, teen, and Maryland based stories, and even some movies that might appeal to those who enjoyed A Hope in the Unseen.

Books are available for purchase at the Banneker-Douglass Museum (BDM) for $12.00. For more information on the program and the events planned by the BDM in relation to OMOB feel free to contact us at (410) 216-6180 or JJones [at] mdp.state.md.us.

Good luck and happy reading!

photo source:
OMOB website http://www.onemarylandonebook.org/
Blog composed by J. Caity Swanson, Hodson Intern