How to Participate

Marylanders read together with One Maryland One Book

It only takes 3 steps to participate in One Maryland One Book!

1. Grab your copy

Find the One Maryland One Book at your local library or bookstore and get reading!

2. Reach out

Each year, more than 10,000 Marylanders read the One Maryland One Book. How many of those people are your friends or family members? How many are perfect strangers you sit next to on the train or stand in line with at the grocery store? Use the book to jump-start a meaningful conversation with an old friend or make a new one.

3. Pull up a chair

Join thousands of other Marylanders at one of the many book discussions and related programs happening around the state in September and October. Keep an eye on our Event Calendar for updates. All One Maryland One Book events listed are open to the public and FREE!

Want To Host Your Own Discussion or Program?
Maryland Humanities invites organizations across the state to participate by planning free public programs related to the theme and topics of ``Purple Hibiscus.`` We welcome schools, libraries, colleges and universities, book clubs, and other organizations to join us! CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP!
Do You Teach at a High School?
Maryland high schools are encouraged to participate! Public high school teachers and librarians are eligible to receive a free set of 30 copies of ``Purple Hibiscus`` while supplies last. ALL participating teachers and librarians receive free teaching materials! CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP!
Apply Now!

Official Resources for Purple Hibiscus

The Reader’s Guides and Teacher’s Guides are available now.

2017 One Maryland One Book Reader’s Guide

2017 One Maryland One Book Teacher’s Guide

Supplemental Purple Hibiscus Resources

Supplemental resources for discussions and other programming focusing on Purple Hibiscus are available now.

Supplemental Teacher Resources for Purple Hibiscus

Igbo Glossary for Purple Hibiscus

Trailer Rubric for Purple Hibiscus

Web Quest Worksheet for Purple Hibiscus

Keep the conversation going with a book club

We love to hear about great conversations and stories of all the interesting book-related programs you attended. It’s not unusual for One Maryland One Book conversations to inspire participants to start a new book club. If you are interested in starting a book club, we recommend that you take a peek at the I love libraries website.

Want discussion questions or other materials to help get the conversation rolling? Contact Andrea Lewis.

  • “The impact of this particular book was probably stronger than any other Maryland One Book due to the connections we could make with real world events and police brutality in the headlines. Many groups were reading and discussing the book at our school: Student Equity Team, Drama Club, Faculty book club, sociology and English classes. It fostered important discussions about race relations.”

    One Maryland One Book 2016 teacher

  • “[One Maryland One Book] taught me how much we need to talk and listen to one another.”

    One Maryland One Book 2016 participant

  • “The book selections offer an opportunity to read a book that is informative and engaging. It enhances our view of the world and the individuals within it. We sincerely look forward to the OMOB selections and materials each year. It is a topic of excitement and discussion among students and staff. Truly and wonderfully.”

    ​One Maryland One Book teacher

  • “One student in my book club who is in a wheelchair and has a lot of other persona/home issues, was the first to finish the book, and wheeled herself into the library more than once to ask me if I had finished the book because she wanted to talk about it. She was a huge contributor to the discussion.”

    One Maryland One Book 2016 teacher

  • “One of my students, a boy who works 35 hours a week at McDonalds, took the time to write me a letter stating the book had changed his life.”

    ​One Maryland One Book 2015 teacher

  • “A sophomore on our school’s state-champ runner-up varsity football team was so taken by Joe’s story of the sophomore year on the boat that he got his dad (the coach) and several members of his team to read the book even though they weren’t assigned it in class. Another student described a discussion she got into with her math teacher after school about the relevance of the English curriculum and used her experience with Brown’s work and the field trip to convince her teacher that humanities are just as important as STEM. Great stuff!”

    ​One Maryland One Book 2015 teacher

  • “[One Maryland One Book taught me that] these types of book discussions that include diverse populations across the state open necessary dialogues to help solve problems. We need to have many more.”

    One Maryland One Book 2016 participant

  • “For most of my 10th grade students, this was the first book they have read from cover to cover.”

    One Maryland One Book 2016 teacher

  • “Left on my own, I would choose the same kind of books over and over again. Now, [participating in One Maryland One Book,] my reading experience is broader and richer and all the more enjoyable.”

    One Maryland One Book 2016 participant

  • “I completed the book club with 22 students, all of them on the JV football team – so not your stereotypical group of book club attendees. On the last day of our book club experience I asked students for some feedback and also asked if they would be interested in participating in another book club. Nearly all of them said that this was the first time they had ever participated in a book club, and a few said it was the first time they had actually read an entire book. I keep hearing back from them, too, [asking] ‘When is the next book club starting up?’. The discussions we had were powerful and meaningful–this was truly one of the most moving experiences I have had as an educator.”

    One Maryland One Book 2016 teacher

  • “I distributed copies of the book and we engaged in an afterschool discussion which included students and staff. Everyone who participated was so engaged that our 45 minute planned discussion ended up stretching into an hour and a half!”

    One Maryland One Book 2016 teacher

  • “What a discussion! That what’s needed in every town, city, and every age group.”

    One Maryland One Book 2016 participant

  • “One student who has been held back several years and suffers from emotional disorders spent several minutes asking One Maryland One Book [author Daniel James Brown] questions. He very patiently listened and answered each question. He then signed her book: ‘Write with your heart not your head.’ To watch this interaction was very touching.”

    One Maryland One Book 2015 teacher

  • “This program is a gift, literally and figuratively!”

    One Maryland One Book 2015 teacher

  • “We had our best attendance, ever, for a book discussion, in the seven years I’ve been here.”

    One Maryland One Book 2015 participant
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About Us
Maryland Humanities is a statewide, educational nonprofit organization that creates and supports educational experiences in the humanities that inspire all Marylanders to embrace lifelong learning, exchange ideas openly, and enrich their communities.
Maryland Humanities
108 West Centre Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21201-4565
(410) 685-0095
(410) 685-0795 fax
info@mdhumanities.org
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