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Past Picks

Bringing Maryland together since 2008

One Maryland One Book picks are stories that ring true long after their year is over. Explore past picks and find a new favorite!

If you would like materials for any prior selections, please contact alewis@mdhumanities.org.

Book Cover	Year	Title	Author
	2020	The Island of Sea Women	Lisa See
	2019	What the Eyes Don’t See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City	Mona Hanna-Attisha
	2018	Bloodsworth: The True Story of the First Death Row Inmate Exonerated by DNA Evidence	Tim Junkin
	2017	Purple Hibiscus	Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
	2016	All American Boys	Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely
	2015	The Boys in the Boat	Daniel James Brown
	2014	The Distance Between Us: a Memoir	Reyna Grande
	2013	King Peggy: An American Secretary, Her Royal Destiny, and the Inspiring Story of How She Changed an African Village	Peggielene Bartels and Eleanor Herman
	2012	The Cellist of Sarajevo	Steven Galloway
	2011	The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian	Sherman Alexie
	2010	Outcasts United	Warren St. John
	2009	Song Yet Sung	James McBride
	2008	A Hope In the Unseen	Ron Suskind

“[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
“[One Maryland One Book is] excellent! I come to as many of the One Maryland One Book events and will continue to do so—always pleased!”

One Maryland One Book 2016 participant
“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 Maryland One Book] brings cross curricular teachers together to the library to read, discuss topics and social issues in the book. It’s a way for students to read good books without the pressure of an assignment.”

One Maryland One Book 2015 teacher
“What a discussion! That what’s needed in every town, city, and every age group.”

One Maryland One Book 2016 participant
“[One Maryland One Book] taught me how much we need to talk and listen to one another.”

One Maryland One Book 2016 participant
“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
“I had two students participate who told me they’ve never finished a book before and they finished this one and want to read more!”

One Maryland One Book 2015 teacher
“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
“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 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
“The discussion of the [2015 One Maryland One] book could not have been better. Everyone had a particular part of the story that touched them. One of the newcomers was an experienced rower and gave us wonderful insight into the physical and spiritual aspects of the sport. It is the first time in my ten years with this group that everyone loved the book.”

One Maryland One Book 2015 participant
“This program is a gift, literally and figuratively!”

One Maryland One Book 2015 teacher
“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

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