DECEMBER 12, 2021 TO FEBRUARY 26, 2022
“Made me laugh, made me cry, made me think.” –Author Liane Moriarty “A lively and fascinating story of a thoroughly modern family.” –Maria Semple
“Deeply satisfying…An intimate family story.” –The New York Times
One Book, One Community In its sixth year, One Book, One Community (OBOC) is a partnership among Cook Memorial Public Library, Indian Trails Public Library and Vernon Area Public Library to bring a community read to our residents. Through this annually anticipated program of events, OBOC sparks conversations around the themes of the chosen book. With the opportunity to come together, we may better understand ourselves and others.
About The Book Taking inspiration from her own life, Laurie Frankel’s third novel, This Is How It Always Is, tells the story of a child’s personal metamorphosis and the loving family who eventually helps her thrive. Told through a compassionate lens, the novel weaves themes of revelations, fairy tales, and the difficulty and beauty of change while taking on timely and important questions about identity and the unpredictability of childhood and parenting. Rosie and Penn have a big, happy family of five lively boys. Rosie is an emergency room doctor, and Penn is a novelist and stay-at-home dad who weaves fairytales for the family. Their lives dramatically change when their youngest, Claude, announces he wants to wear dresses, grow his hair long, and be a girl called Poppy. While his parents and brothers accept Claude as Poppy, they worry about how the world will treat him with his new identity. Soon the family is keeping Claude’s wishes a secret — but secrets don’t get to be kept forever.
About The Author Laurie Frankel is a New York Times bestselling, award-winning author of four novels that have been translated into 25 languages. Her writing has appeared in numerous publications, including The Guardian and Publisher’s Weekly. She is the recipient of the Washington State Book Award for works of outstanding literary merit and the Endeavour Award for her distinguished science fiction/fantasy novel, Goodbye for Now. After studying English literature, Frankel taught at a community college before settling to write full-time. She is a Baltimore native who now resides with her family in Seattle, Washington. She makes delicious soup and is a self-described fearer of bats.
Join Us Stop by a library kick-off event in celebration of this year’s One Book, One Community series and pick up a complimentary copy of This Is How It Always Is while supplies last. Additional copies will be available for checkout. Registration is not required.
Know before you go! Masks may be required when visiting library buildings. Please check with your destination library prior to attending.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12, 1-3 PM Cook Memorial Public Library Pick up at the library building
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12, 1-3 PM Aspen Drive Public Library Pick up at the library building
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12, 12-2 PM Indian Trails Public Library Pick up in the main library lobby
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12, 1 PM Vernon Area Public Library Pick up in the library lobby
Programs Programs are free and open to all. Registration is required at 1book.org or the host library. A PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE FROM A TRANSGENDER PARENT Tuesday, January 11, 7-8 pm • Virtual | Zoom Cook Memorial Public Library In 1998, Karen Topham became the first teacher in the U.S. to transition on the job from male to female. Five years later, her first-born child became the first student at Stevenson High School to transition from female to male. Karen discusses her unique LGBTQ+ perspective as a transgender woman parenting a transgender man in a world that, two decades after her own transition, still fights for the acceptance of this misunderstood minority.
MAKING CHANGE: LGBTQ ACTIVISM SINCE THE 1950S Tuesday, February 15, 7-8 pm • Virtual | Zoom Cook Memorial Public Library The change that has taken place in the United States since the 1950s around LGBTQ issues has been enormous. From criminalization, religious condemnation, psychiatric illness diagnosis, and the need to live completely “in the closet,” we have moved to a time of visibility, decriminalization, marriage equality, and much more. Join us for an overview of the activism that has propelled this change, while also acknowledging the work that remains to be done.
UNDERSTANDING GENDER EXPANSIVE YOUTH Tuesday, January 18, 7 pm • Virtual | Zoom Vernon Area Public Library Confused about the growing list of genders? What is the etiquette of pronouns? How does Generation Z look at the gender spectrum differently? How can communities support transgender athletes? This presentation answers your questions about gender-expansive youth and the distinctions between gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, and sex assigned at birth. Heather McCammond-Watts (she/her) is a local children’s librarian and a self-proclaimed mama dragon to two transgender kiddos (now 20-something adults). Learn to be an effective LGBTQIA+ ally and find books and resources that illuminate the queer community’s perspectives and experiences.
Presenter John D’Emilio is a pioneer in the field of LGBTQ history and the history of sexuality. He has written or edited almost a dozen books, including Intimate Matters: A History of Sexuality in America, and Queer Legacies: Stories from Chicago’s LGBTQ Archives.
NONBINARY IDENTITIES 101 Thursday, January 27, 7-8 pm Hybrid | In-person or Zoom Indian Trails Public Library Performer and educator Charlie Baker discusses the basics of nonbinary identities, including the gender spectrum, pronouns and their uses and misgendering.
MYTHS AND STORYTELLING: THEIR REFLECTIONS IN OUR LIVES Monday, February 21, 7-8 pm Hybrid | In-person or Zoom Indian Trails Public Library Just as our lives influence the stories we tell, stories can also shape our lives. Join folklorist and queer theory expert, Ben Aldred, as they discuss the impact myths and storytelling have on us.
REEL TALK: THE TRUE ADVENTURES OF WOLFBOY Friday, February 18, 3:30 pm • Virtual | Zoom Vernon Area Public Library A coming-of-age journey about a boy with an illness that causes hair growth over the entirety of his face and body. Hailed as “something precious, valuable, and rare” by RogerEbert.com reviewer Roxana Hadadi. Nominated for the 2021 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film (Limited Release), it is screenwriter Olivia Dufault’s first feature film, inspired by her own experiences as a trans woman.
Book Discussion Registration required at 1book.org or host library. Tuesday, January 11, 10:30-11:30 am • Virtual | Zoom Indian Trails Public Library Thursday, January 13, 10:30-11:30 am • Virtual | Zoom Indian Trails Public Library Thursday, February 3, 7-8 pm • Virtual | Zoom Indian Trails Public Library Thursday, February 10, 10 am • Virtual | Zoom Vernon Area Public Library Tuesday, February 15, 3-4:30 pm • Virtual | Zoom Vernon Area Public Library Tuesday, February 22, 7-8 pm • Virtual | Zoom Cook Memorial Public Library Wednesday, February 23, 7 p.m. • Virtual | Zoom Vernon Area Public Library Thursday, February 24, 1-2 pm • Virtual | Zoom Cook Memorial Public Library
Author Event Laurie Frankel Saturday, February 26, 1-2:30 pm • Hybrid | In-person or Zoom Stevenson High School West Auditorium, 1 Stevenson Dr., Lincolnshire Laurie Frankel talks about the inspiration behind our One Book, One Community read, This Is How It Always Is. Her books will be available for purchase courtesy of the Book Bin of Northbrook. The event is free. Registration is required at 1book.org. Please register for one event type only; in-person or virtual.
Reading List Adult Fiction The House of Impossible Beauties by Joseph Cassara Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters Little Fish by Casey Plett Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin Annabel by Kathleen Winter Thirty Names of Night by Zeyn Joukhadar
Movies A Kid Like Jake | Director: Silas Howard, Writer: Daniel Pearle (adapted by) 3 Generations | Director: Gaby Dellal, Writers: Nikole Beckwith, Gaby Dellal Transgender Nation | Director: Philip Gardiner
YA Fiction Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender Pet by Awkaeke Emezi The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson Biography/Memoir A Year Without a Name: A Memoir by Cyrus Grace Dunham Once a Girl, Always a Boy: a Family Memoir of a Transgender Journey by Jo Ivester Being Jazz: My Life as a (transgender) Teen by Jazz Jennings Tomorrow Will Be Different: Love, Loss, and the Fight for Trans Equality by Sarah McBride Becoming Nicole: The Extraordinary Transformation of an American Family by Amy Ellis Nutt Self-ish: a Transgender Awakening by Chloe Schwenke Sissy: A Coming-of-Gender Story by Jacob Tobia Nonfiction Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out by Susan Kuklin Trans Like Me: Conversations for All of Us by CN Lester “You’re in the Wrong Bathroom!” and 20 Other Myths and Misconceptions about Transgender and Gender-Nonconforming People by Laura Erickson Schroth Far From the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity by Andrew Solomon The End of Gender: Debunking the Myths about Sex and Identity in Our Society by Debra Soh Emerging Gender Identities: Understanding the Diverse Experiences of Today’s Youth by Mark A. Yarhouse
Find Us Cook Memorial Public Library District Cook Park Library 413 N. Milwaukee Ave. Libertyville, IL Aspen Drive Library 701 Aspen Dr. Vernon Hills, IL 847.362.2330 cooklib.org Indian Trails Public Library District 355 Schoenbeck Rd. Wheeling, IL 847.459.4100 itpld.org Vernon Area Public Library District 300 Olde Half Day Rd. Lincolnshire, IL 847.634.3650 vapld.info
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Share your feedback and comments about your One Book, One Community experience by completing an online survey at 1book.org/survey
Book Giveaway Sponsors Cook Memorial Public Library District Friends of The Library Indian Trails Public Library District Helen Morrow Trust
Purchase a Book Local Independent Book Store Books can be purchased at: The Book Bin 1151 Church Street Northbrook, IL 847.498.4999 bookbinnorthbrook.indielite.org