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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.

Year	Title	Author
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

“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 how much we need to talk and listen to one another.”

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

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
“The school I am reporting on is designed as an alternative center for students who are not successful in the “regular” classrooms in our district. These students are challenged by a number of factors, including emotional problems, discipline issues, etc. This particular book was one that a number of students were able to relate to and engage with. As a consequence, students who do not normally read became active participants in both reading and discussing!”

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
“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
“[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
“My students have been removed from their home schools. Right away, they made comments about the diction of the text, how it seemed realistic to them and they pointed out words they would have changed. We talked about word choice, slang, etc. I had 2 instances where students were excited to see me because they had events similar to the book happen to them and they needed to tell someone. They want to know how to change things. […] These kids typically failed English class or were chronic non-attenders or were removed before they came here. They are excited about reading a book! Teacher librarian win!”

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
“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] is wonderful; enlightening, explorative, innovative, [and] educational.”

One Maryland One Book 2016 participant
“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

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