Join Gulf Coast Reads and Share a Great Book with Your Neighbors
2011 Resource Guide
About Gulf Coast Reads
gulf coast
READS Gulf Coast Reads: On the Same Page is a new and exciting annual “one book” reading series that replaces and expands the Books on the Bayou: Houston Reads Together initiative. Gulf Coast Reads is an area-wide project that focuses on reading. It is hoped that people living in the Houston area will all read the same book at the same time, generating discussion among co-workers, friends, families and classrooms. The goal of Gulf Coast Reads is to cultivate a culture of reading in the Houston area by encouraging people to come together in libraries, bookstores, community centers, homes, churches, and schools to discuss the book. This new series is spearheaded by Fort Bend County Libraries, Harris County Public Library, Houston Public Library and Montgomery County Memorial Library System, in collaboration with other local libraries, schools, bookstores and other community organizations. This year’s selection is One Amazing Thing by Chitra Divakaruni. Local libraries, bookstores, and community organizations will be hosting book discussions and various other programs throughout the month of September to coincide with this selection. For more information, please visit www.gulfcoastreads.org.
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Gulf Coast Reads Committee Fort Bend County Libraries www.fortbend.lib.tx.us
Houston Great Books Council www.houstongreatbooks.net
Harris County Public Library www.hcpl.net
Houston Independent School District www.houstonisd.org
Houston Public Library www.houstonlibrary.org
Houston READ Commission www.houread.org
Montgomery County Memorial Library System www.countylibrary.org
Inprint www.inprinthouston.org
Bellaire Public Library www.ci.bellaire.tx.us
Lee College, Baytown www.lee.edu
Blue Willow Bookshop www.bluewillowbookshop.com
Literacy Advance of Houston www.literacyadvancehouston.org
Brazoria County Library System www.bcls.lib.tx.us
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston www.mfah.org
Brazos Bookstore www.brazosbookstore.com
Sterling Municipal Library – City of Baytown www.baytownlibrary.org
Houston Community College www.hccs.edu
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About the Author - Chitra Divakaruni
Chitra Divakaruni is an awardwinning author and poet. Her work is widely known, as she has been published in over 50 magazines, including the Atlantic Monthly and The New Yorker, and her writing has been included in over 50 anthologies. Her works have been translated into 20 languages, including Dutch, Hebrew and Japanese. She was born in India and lived there until 1976, at which point she left Calcutta and came to the United States. She continued her education in the field of English by receiving a Master’s degree from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. To earn money for her education, she held many odd jobs, including babysitting, selling merchandise in an Indian boutique, slicing bread in a bakery, and washing instruments in a science lab. At Berkeley, she lived in the International House and worked in the dining hall. She briefly lived in Illinois, Ohio and Texas, but has spent most of her life in Northern California, which she often writes about. Divakaruni currently teaches in the nationally ranked Creative Writing Program at the University of Houston. She serves on the Advisory board of Maitri in the San Francisco Bay Area and Daya in Houston. Both are organizations that help South Asian or South Asian American women who find themselves in abusive or domestic violence situations. She is also on the board of Pratham, an organization that helps educate children (especially those living in urban slums) in India. Divakaruni has judged several prestigious awards, such as the National Book Award and the PEN/Faulkner Award. Two of her books, The Mistress of Spices and Sister of My Heart, have been made into movies by filmmakers Gurinder Chadha and Paul Berges (an English film) and Suhasini Mani Ratnam (a Tamil TV serial) respectively. Divakaruni lives in the Houston area with her husband Murthy, her two sons Anand and Abhay (whose names she has used in her children’s novels) and Juno, the family dog.
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About the Book
One Amazing Thing
It is late afternoon in an Indian visa office in an unnamed American city; most customers have come and gone, but nine people remain: a punky teenager with an unexpected gift; an upper class Caucasian couple whose relationship is disintegrating; a young Muslim-American man struggling with the fallout of 9/11; a graduate student haunted by a question about love; an African-American ex-soldier searching for redemption; a Chinese grandmother with a secret past; and two visa office workers on the verge of an adulterous affair. When an earthquake rips through the afternoon lull, trapping these nine wildly individual characters together, their focus first jolts to a collective struggle to survive. There’s little food. The office begins to flood. Then, at a moment when the psychological and emotional stress seems nearly too much for them to bear, the young graduate student suggests that each tell a personal tale, “one amazing thing” from their lives, which they have never told anyone before. As their surprising stories of romance, marriage, family, political upheaval, and self-discovery unfold against the urgency of their life-or-death circumstances, the novel proves the transcendent power of stories and the meaningfulness of human expression itself. One Amazing Thing is a passionate creation about survival—and about the reasons to survive. “Ingeniously conceived and intelligently written, this novel is a fable for our time. The characters, troubled or shattered by their past, vibrate with life whenever they begin to speak. The book is a fun read from the first page to the last.”
Ha Jin, author of Waiting, winner of the National Book Award
“One Amazing Thing collapses the walls dividing characters and cultures; what endures is a chorus of voices in one single room.”
Jhumpa Lahiri, author of Interpreter of Maladies, winner of the Pulitzer Prize
“An incredible and highly original premise in the hands of a gifted storyteller has resulted in this jewel of a story. It is, to paraphrase the book’s title, an amazing thing.” Abraham Verghese, author of Cutting for Stone, chosen as a Best of 2009 by Publisher’s Weekly
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Books by Chitra Divakaruni For Adults
The Anju and Sudha Novels Sister of My Heart (1999) Two girls, one the daughter of an upper-caste Calcutta family, the other the daughter of the black sheep of that same family, form a sisterly bond that shatters when one of the girls discovers a dark family secret. Vine of Desire (2002) After a year of living separate lives, Anju and Sudha are reunited and rekindle their friendship in America, a link that helps both women as they establish new relationships with their families and with men and women outside the Indian immigrant community.
More Books for Adults
Arranged Marriage: Stories (1995) A collection of short stories features Indian-born women facing change and conflict in their lives in America, including a young wife whose fidelity to traditional Indian customs is scorned by her Americanized husband.
California Uncovered: Stories for the 21st Century (2004) Hear and feel this dynamic California in the words of established writers like John Steinbeck, Maxine Hong Kingston, and Joan Didion, as well as compelling new voices that reveal California in all its complexity.
Leaving Yuba City: Poems (1997) Groups of interlinked poems divided into six sections are peopled by many of the same characters and explore varying themes. The trials and tribulations of growing up and immigration are considered here and, as with all of Divakaruni’s writing, these poems deal with the experience of women and their struggle to find identities for themselves. The Mistress of Spices (1997) Tilo, an Indian clairvoyant, becomes queen of the pirates who kidnapped her for her powers, and she gains immortality and the skills of a mistress of spices, which she uses to help mortals before falling in love with Raven. The Palace of Illusions (2008) Panchaali, wife of the five legendary Pandavas brothers, offers her own version of the ancient Indian epic, The Mahabharat, as she chronicles the story of her magical birth, the problems of dealing with five husbands who have been cheated out of their birthright, the trials she endures, her friendship with Krishna, and her attraction to her husband’s enemy.
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Queen of Dreams (2004) Rakhi, a young artist living in Berkeley, California, finds herself caught between the turmoil of life in America in the wake of September 11th and the India of her mother, a woman with the ability to share and interpret the dreams of others.
The Unknown Errors of Our Lives (2001) A collection of short stories set in India explores the adjustment of immigrants to a foreign land, the accommodations families make to the differences between generations, and the struggle to find a balance between the pull of home and the promise of change.
For Kids
Brotherhood of the Conch Series The Conch Bearer (2003) In India, a healer invites twelve-year-old Anand to join him on a quest to return a magical conch to its safe and rightful home, high in the Himalayan Mountains.
Houston Storytellers Guild The Houston Storytellers Guild has been called one of the most active and vital local storytelling organizations in the nation. The Guild is dedicated to sharing stories and storytelling techniques, developing storytelling skills, encouraging diverse tellers, and just having fun listening and telling.
The Mirror of Fire and Dreaming (2005) As twelve-year-old Anand continues his studies to become a full-fledged member of The Brotherhood of the Conch, he journeys back to Moghul times, where he encounters powerful sorcerers, spoiled princes, noble warriors, and evil jinns.
Here is a short list of upcoming events: October 2011:
• Storytelling from the Start: A Beginning Storytelling Workshop • Skyline Screamers: A Free Program of Ghost Tales under the Stars
November 2011:
• Tellabration: The International Night of Storytelling
Shadowland (2009) A search to find the magical conch shell and restore it to its proper home deep in the Himalayas sends Anand and Nisha to the bleak futuristic city of Coal, where the air and water are polluted and the upper classes live in luxury under hermetically sealed domes.
April 2012:
• Houston Area Liars Contest • Master Class by Storyteller Willy Claflin
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For more information, to be added to our e-list, or to find a storyteller for your event, go to www.houstonstorytellers.org
Further Reading Adult List
Canterbury Tales by Peter Ackroyd (translator) A prose translation of the fourteenth-century poem seeks to retain Chaucer’s vigorous and bawdy style while rendering its contents more accessible to modern readers, in a version that emphasizes the humanity of key characters.
The Runaway Quilt: An Elm Creek Quilts Novel by Jennifer Chiaverini When Sylvia Compson discovers evidence of her ancestors’ involvement with the Underground Railroad, it raises the historical issue of the use of quilts as a method of signaling fugitive slaves.
Brick Lane by Monica Ali Carrying into her adult years a sense of fatalism instilled during her hardscrabble birth, Nazneen finds herself married off to a man twice her age and moved to London, where she wonders if she has a say in her own destiny.
Stiltsville by Susanna Daniel Miami,1969. Frances is captivated by the community of houses built on pilings in the middle of Biscayne Bay. On the dock of one stilt house, she meets Dennis, and turns away from her predictable life. Stiltsville becomes their island oasis-- until it’s gone, and Francis is forced to figure out how to make her family work on dry land.
His Illegal Self by Peter Carey Brought up in isolated privilege by his New York grandmother, Che, a precocious seven-yearold boy, yearns for his parents, radical activists wanted by the FBI, until one afternoon, a woman claiming to be his mother arrives to help him escape, sending him on a bizarre odyssey that leads him to confront his life, his family, and his identity. Farewell, I’m Bound to Leave You by Fred Chappell As Jess Kirkman’s grandmother lies dying, he begins to recall the stories she and his mother have passed on to him-”Fisherwoman” and “Traveling Woman,” “Silent Woman” and “Feistiest Woman”--offering a chorus of women’s voices that helped shape his youth and his preparation to become a man.
Hood by Emma Donoghue Attending the funeral of her lesbian lover, Pen O’Grady recalls their turbulent fourteen-year relationship, which encompassed shared terms in convent school, Cara’s personality oddities, and bittersweet infidelities. The Garden of Last Days by Andre Dubus Reluctantly bringing her daughter to her men’s club office when her babysitter falls ill, stripper April endeavors to keep her child safe while servicing a wealthy foreign client, while a drunken regular angrily retaliates for being thrown out of the club.
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A Multitude of Sins: Stories by Richard Ford A collection of short stories that explores the theme of love and intimacy, looks inside the relationships between men and women--both in and out of marriage—and the sense of right and wrong. Three Junes by Julia Glass Reveals the interconnected lives, loves, and relationships of different generations of the McLeod family over the course of three crucial summers.
Among the Missing by Morag Joss Three lives collide in the wake of an unforeseeable tragedy. When a bridge collapses in the Highlands of Scotland, dozens of commuters vanish into the freezing river below, swept by the currents toward the sea, and only an amateur video and the bridge’s security camera record their last moments. Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay Shen Tai, a general serving the Emperor of Kitai, receives 250 Sardian horses, an unthinkable gift fit to overwhelm an emperor, and travels to claim the horses in person. The Forgotten by Elie Wiesel A father, fearful of losing his memory, tells his son the stories of his father’s murder in Carpathia, of his own life as a teenager in the army, and his return to a ghetto with no Jews left. -8-
Teen List
Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah Year Eleven at an exclusive prep school in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia, would be tough enough, but it is further complicated for Amal when she decides to wear the hijab, the Muslim head scarf, full-time as a badge of her faith-without losing her identity or sense of style. Ten Things I Hate About Me by Randa Abdel-Fattah Lebanese-Australian Jamilah, known in school as Jamie, hides her heritage from her classmates and tries to pass by dyeing her hair blonde and wearing blue-tinted contact lenses, until her conflicted feelings become too much for her to bear. Serendipity Market by Penny Blubaugh When the world begins to seem unbalanced, Mama Inez calls ten storytellers to the Serendipity Market and, through the power of their magical tales, the balance of the world is corrected once again. Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier Seventeen-year-old Dimple, whose family is from India, discovers that she is not Indian enough for the Indians and not American enough for the Americans, as she sees her hypnotically beautiful, manipulative best friend taking possession of both her heritage and the boy she likes.
Teen List cont.
When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt During the summer of 1971 in a small Texas town, thirteenyear-old Toby and his best friend Cal meet the star of a sideshow act, 600-pound Zachary, the fattest boy in the world. A Step from Heaven by An Na A young Korean girl and her family find it difficult to learn English and adjust to life in America.
Karma: A Novel in Verse by Cathy Ostlere After Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination, Maya and her father are separated and she must rely on Sandeep to reunite them. Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer Through journal entries sixteenyear-old Miranda describes her family’s struggle to survive after a meteor hits the moon, causing worldwide tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman In India, in 1941, when her father becomes braindamaged in a non-violent protest march, fifteen-yearold Vidya and her family are forced to move in with her father’s extended family and become accustomed to a totally different way of life.
American Born Chinese by Gene Yang Alternates three interrelated stories about the problems of young Chinese Americans trying to participate in the popular culture. Presented in comic book format. Cartoonist Junior leaves his troubled school on the Spokane Indian Reservation to attend an all-white farm town school where the only other Indian is the school mascot (Fiction).
Kids List
Finders Keepers? A True Story in India by Robert Arnett In the midst of lovely illustrations, tantalizing travel morsels, and modest moralizing, Arnett includes a brief anecdote about losing his wallet while traveling in India and having it returned to him by a small boy who wanted no reward. Eight Days: A Story of Haiti by Edwidge Danticat Junior tells the games he played in his mind during the eight days he was trapped in his house after the devastating January 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Includes author’s note about Haitian children before the earthquake and her own children’s reactions to the disaster. Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman One by one, a number of people of varying ages and backgrounds transform a trash-filled inner-city into a productive and beautiful garden, and in doing so, the gardeners are themselves transformed.
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Kids List cont.
Storyteller by Patricia Reilly Giff Forced to spend months at an aunt’s house, Elizabeth feels a connection to her ancestor Zee, whose picture hangs on the wall, and who reveals her story of hardships during the Revolutionary War as Elizabeth comes to terms with her own troubles.
The Storyteller’s Beads by Jane Kurtz During the political strife and famine of the 1980’s, two Ethiopian girls, one Christian and the other Jewish and blind, struggle to overcome many difficulties, including their prejudices about each other, as they make the dangerous journey out of Ethiopia.
Hobie Hanson, Greatest Hero of the Mall by Jamie Gilson When his town is devastated by a flood, Hobie’s fifth grade class is forced to meet every day in the shopping mall.
The Storyteller’s Candle by Lucia Gonzalez During the early days of the Great Depression, New York City’s first Puerto Rican librarian, Pura Belpre, introduces the public library to immigrants living in El Barrio and hosts the neighborhood’s first Three Kings’ Day fiesta. Monsoon by Uma Krishnaswamni A child describes waiting for the monsoon rains to arrive and the worry that they will not come.
The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin Frustrated at her seeming lack of talent for anything, a young Taiwanese American girl sets out to apply the lessons of the Chinese Year of the Dog, those of making best friends and finding oneself, to her own life. Baya, Baya, Lulla-by-a by Megan McDonald As a mother in rural India sings to her baby, a weaverbird builds a nest for its young. My Mother’s Sari by Sandhya Rao A young girl reveals all of the ways in which she can use her mother’s sari, a long stretch of cloth that forever binds them together.
For the most up-to-date information on Gulf Coast Reads, visit www.gulfcoastreads.org - 10 -
2011 2012 I N P R I N T M A R G A R E T T R O O T B R OW N R E A D I N G S E R I E S
FRANCISCO GOLDMAN & NICOLE KRAUSS
September 19, 2011
MICHAEL ONDAATJE
October 10, 2011
JEFFREY EUGENIDES
October 26, 2011
MARGARET ATWOOD
January 23, 2012
RAE ARMANTROUT & CHRISTIAN WIMAN
February 27, 2012
TÉA OBREHT & GARY SHTEYNGART
March 26, 2012
W. S. MERWIN
April 23, 2012
bringing the page to the stage For locations and tickets, visit www.inprinthouston.org
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All readings begin at 7:30 pm and are followed by an on-stage interview, book sale and signing.
Houston Great Books Council Don’t stay at home and read alone. Join a discussion group and get more out of your book! Check out all of our groups at www.houstongreatbooks.net. - 11-
Gulf Coast Reads Celebrations Opening Celebration
Saturday, August 27 | 11AM – 4PM Houston Public Library | Central Library - 500 McKinney St, 77002 | Ph. 832-393-1313
Join us for a special day of activities to officially launch the Houston area’s new reading and programming series, Gulf Coast Reads. We will begin with a book discussion of One Amazing Thing, followed by the official opening featuring special guests and an interactive presentation from One Amazing Thing author Chitra Divakaruni. The afternoon will be filled with ongoing crafts, presentations and cultural entertainment, all related to the themes of the book.
11 AM:
Book Discussion, featuring special guest, Connie Lewis from Houston Great Books Council
12 PM:
Official Opening and Author Presentation Tim Heller of ABC-13, Master of Ceremonies
2 PM:
Educational Activities and Cultural Entertainment
Tim Heller of ABC-13, Master of Ceremonies
All events are free and open to the public.
Meet the Author
Monday, September 19 | 7 PM Pearland Westside Event Center 2150 Country Place Pkwy, Pearland, 77584
Saturday, August 27 | 12 PM Houston Public Library Central Library | 500 McKinney St, 77002 832-393-1313
Monday, September 26 | 6 PM Kendall Neighborhood Library | 832-393-1880 609 N. Eldridge, 77079
Thursday, September 8 | 4 PM Harris County Public Library Barbara Bush Library | 6817 Cypresswood Dr, 77379 | 281-376-4610 Saturday, September 10 | 2 PM Montgomery County Memorial Library System South Regional Library | 2101 Lake Robbins Dr, The Woodlands, 77380 | 936-442-7727 Wednesday, September 14 | 10 AM Harris County Public Library Cy-Fair College Library | 281-290-3210 9191 Barker Cypress Rd, 77433 Thursday, September 22 | 7 PM Fort Bend County Libraries First Colony Branch Library | 281-238-2800 2121 Austin Pkwy, Sugar Land, 77479
Thursday, September 29 | 7 PM Presented in partnership with Sterling Municipal Library Lee College Tucker Hall Auditorium | 281-427-5611 200 Lee Drive, Baytown, 77520
Visits via Skype Monday, September 12 | 6:30 PM Pearland Library | 281-485-4876 3522 Liberty Dr, Pearland, 77581 Tuesday, September 20 | 6:30 PM Alvin Library | 281-388-4300 105 South Gordon, Alvin, 77511
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All events are free and open to the public.
Book Discussions Join us for a discussion of this year’s Gulf Coast Reads selection, One Amazing Thing by Chitra Divakaruni. These events are part of the Gulf Coast Reads 2011 reading and programming series.
Blue Willow Bookshop
14532 Memorial Dr, 77079 | 281-497-8675
Brazoria County Library System For a complete list of book discussions and other events at our eleven branch libraries, please consult the online calendar or our activities page at: bcls.lib.tx.us
Thursday, September 22 | 7 PM Presented in partnership with Houston Great Books Council Freeman Branch Library 16616 Diana Lane, 77062 | 281-488-1906 Friday, September 23 | 2:30 PM Barbara Bush Branch Library 6817 Cypresswood Dr, Spring, 77379 | 281-376-4610
Fort Bend County Libraries Monday, September 12 | 1:30 PM Sienna Branch Library 8411 Sienna Springs Blvd, Missouri City, 77459 281-238-2900
Houston Great Books Council Monday, September 12 | 7 PM Central Market Group HEB Houston Central Market 3815 Westheimer, 77027 | 713-386-1700
Monday, September 19 | 12 PM Bob Lutts Fulshear/Simonton Branch Library 8100 FM 359 S, Fulshear, 77441 | 281-633-4675
Sunday, September 18 | 2 PM Special Meeting Café Express 1101 Uptown Park, 77056 | 713-963-9222
Tuesday, September 20 | 12 PM Albert George Branch Library 9230 Gene St, Needville, 77461 | 979-793-4270 Tuesday, September 20 | 7 PM Missouri City Branch Library 1530 Texas Pkwy, Missouri City, 77489 | 281-238-2100
Tuesday, September 13 | 6:30 PM Spring Branch Memorial Library 930 Corbindale, 77024 | 713-464-1633
Monday, September 19 | 2 PM Northwest Branch Library 11555 Regency Green Dr, Cypress, 77429 | 281-890-2665
Thursday, September 22 | 1:30 PM Barbara Bush Branch Library 6817 Cypresswood Dr, Spring, 77379 | 281-376-4610
Tuesday, September 27 | 7 PM Tough Broads Book Club
Wednesday, September 7 | 11 AM West University Library 6108 Auden, 77005 | 713-668-8273
Monday, September 19 | 11 AM Evelyn Meador Branch Library 2400 N. Meyer Rd, Seabrook, 77586 | 281-474-9142
Thursday, September 22 | 10 AM North Channel Branch Library 15741 Wallisville Rd, 77049 | 281-457-1631
Wednesday, September 21 | 11 AM Coffee Cake Book Club
Harris County Public Library
Tuesday, September 13 | 7 PM Barbara Bush Library 6817 Cypresswood Dr, Spring, 77379 | 281-376-4610
Tuesday, September 27 | 7 PM Young Thinkers Group Té House of Tea 1927 Fairview St, 77019 | 713-522-8868
Houston Public Library Saturday, August 27 | 11 AM Central Library 500 McKinney St, 77002 | 832-393-1313
Wednesday, September 7 | 6:15 PM Heights Neighborhood Library 1302 Heights Blvd, 77008 | 832-393-1810
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All events are free and open to the public.
Book Discussions cont. Tuesday, September 13 | 12 PM Central Library 500 McKinney St, 77002 | 832-393-1313
Wednesday, September 7 | 10 AM and 11 AM There will be two separate, one-hour sessions. South Regional Library 2101 Lake Robbins Dr, The Woodlands, 77380 936-442-7727
Thursday, September 15 | 1 PM Collier Regional Library 6200 Pinemont Dr, 77092 | 832-393-1740
Wednesday, September 14 | 10 AM Tullis Branch Library 21569 US Hwy 59, New Caney, 77357 | 936-442-7705
Friday, September 16 | 1:30 PM McCrane-Kashmere Gardens Neighborhood Library 5411 Pardee St, 77026 | 832-393-2450
Thursday, September 15 | 1 PM Charles B. Stewart West Branch Library 202 Bessie Price Owen Dr, Montgomery, 77356 936-442-7718
Tuesday, September 27 | 1 PM Kendall Neighborhood Library 609 N. Eldridge, 77079 | 832-393-1880
Sterling Municipal Library
Montgomery County Memorial Library System Thursday, September 1 | 2 PM George and Cynthia Wood Mitchell Branch Library 8125 Ashlane Way, The Woodlands, 77382 | 936-442-7728
Tuesday, September 20 | 6 PM Mary Elizabeth Wilbanks Ave Baytown, 77520 | 281-427-7331
All events are free and open to the public.
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All events are free and open to the public.
Montgomery County Memorial Library System is proud to provide services in seven libraries and online at www.countylibrary.org. We circulated over 2 million books in FY2010 and shared resources with 35 neighboring libraries in the Houston area.
Other Events Brazoria County Library System
Houston Public Library
An Evening with Shubhra Ramineni Monday, September 19 | 6 PM
For a complete list of book discussions and other events at our eleven branch libraries, please consult the online calendar or our activities page at: bcls.lib.tx.us.
McGovern-Stella Link Neighborhood Library 7405 Stella Link, 77025 | 832-393-2630 and
Thursday, September 29 | 6 PM Central Library 500 McKinney St, 77002 | 832-393-1313 Join us for these special visits from Shubhra Ramineni, who will discuss and sign copies of her cookbook, Entice with Spice.
Fort Bend County Libraries A Legacy of Words – Storytelling Thursday, September 15 | 7 PM George Memorial Library
1001 Golfview Dr, Richmond, 77469 | 281-341-2688 Scott Hill Burngardner, storyteller, will talk about the history and importance of storytelling and how to become a storyteller.
Storytelling Workshop Saturday, September 17 | 1 PM Freed-Montrose Neighborhood Library 4100 Montrose, 77006 | 832-393-1800 In One Amazing Thing, characters each tell a story. Learn to tell your story or collect stories from your family or others in this free workshop presented by the Houston Storytellers Guild. Participants will receive tools to evoke stories, and learn what can be done with stories in business, advocacy, or family sharing.
Family Safety Preparedness Day Saturday, September 17 | 10 AM George Memorial Library 1001 Golfview Dr, Richmond, 77469 | 281-341-2688
George Memorial Library and the Office of Emergency Management of Fort Bend County will present a show of emergency vehicles, a disaster-preparedness for kids’ presentation by the Ready Super Heroes, information and demonstrations from the Medical Reserve Corps training, and much, much more.
Montgomery County Memorial Library System Emergency Preparedness Thursday, September 8 | 6:30 PM
Central Library 104 I-45 North, Conroe, 77301 | 936-539-7814 Learn what to do during a hurricane, tornado, flood, or wildfire. - 15 -
All events are free and open to the public.
Reader’s Guide These discussion questions were obligingly provided by the publisher. 1. If you were to tell the story of one amazing thing that had happened in your life, what would it be? Would it be a memory of a gift, an experience, a person that you met, or an event that you witnessed? What made it amazing, and how did it change your life? 2. Would the experience of reading One Amazing Thing have been different had the narrative been from the point of view of just one person, or if the story had been told by an outside figure removed from the events in the book? 3. If you were trapped in a similar dangerous situation as the characters in One Amazing Thing, how do you think you’d react? Was there an action or behavior by a character that resonated with you? 4. Out of the nine people in the visa office, did you identify with any in particular? Which one(s) and why? 5. Why was each character’s “one amazing thing” remarkable? 6. The book begins and ends with Uma Sinha, the graduate student. Why did the author choose Uma’s story to “bookend” the novel in this way? What about Uma set her apart from the members of the group, in your mind? 7. Which character’s story did you find the most unexpected? Conversely, were you able to predict what was to happen in any of the stories? 8. Refresh your memory with the stories of the female characters in the book. Did these stories have anything in common? 9. “Apologize to a woman and she would gain the upper hand. Mangalam knew better than to let that happen” (p. 55). What did you first think of Mr. Mangalam, and did this change after you learned his story? 10. Discuss Mr. and Mrs. Pritchett. Were you surprised, as their stories unfolded, to discover their reasons for going to India? 11. Almost all of the characters experience or perpetuate some kind of cultural misunderstanding. What did you learn about some of the cultures and religions explored in the book? 12. What did you think of the book’s ending? What do you think the group’s fate was? Why did Uma’s story end where it did?
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World of Poetry e th to U O Y g Linkin Public Poetry exists to bring together the public and the poetry community, and to create a buzz about poetry. Join us for a free poetry reading series presented on the first Saturday of each month. These interactive poetry events will feature local and visiting poets, and the occasional local celebrity or public figure. Poets will be available for Q&A and book signing at the end of each program.
www.houstonlibrary.org/poetry
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CUT HERE
We Want to Hear from You! How did you hear about Gulf Coast Reads?
Where did you get your copy of One Amazing Thing? q Bookstore (which one): q Library (which one): q Other:
Did you think it was a good selection, Why or why not?
Which of the Gulf Coast Reads programs did you attend? Where did you attend these programs?
Thank you for your feedback. It will help in planning future programs and events.
If your organization or book club would like to participate in future Gulf Coast Reads programs, please fill out the form below.
Name of Book Club or Organization_______________________________ Contact Name_________________________________________________ Email________________________________________________________ Telephone____________________________________________________ Please complete and return this evaluation to: Gulf Coast Reads c/o Programming Department Houston Public Library 500 McKinney St. Houston, TX 77002 - 18 -
Print funding provided by a Loan Star Libraries Grant authorized by the Texas Legislature and awarded to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission to the Houston Public Library.
Gulf Coast Reads Partners and Sponsors