The One Book One Community Committee is pleased to announce that In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin by Erik Larson is the book selection for 2014.
Erik Larson is a master of narrative non-fiction and this work, In the Garden of Beasts, is a vivid portrait of the American ambassador and his family in Berlin during the first years of Hitler’s reign. The book transports the reader back to a time of intolerance, uncertainty and a turning point in history – all from the perspective of a father and daughter who find that the exciting, optimistic Germany they experience is undergoing a quietly sinister transformation. Larson has crafted a gripping, deeply-intimate narrative, which the New York Times hailed as “By far his best and most enthralling work of novelistic history….Powerful, poignant…a transportingly true story.â€Â Larson’s other books include The Devil in the White City, Isaac’s Storm, Lethal Passage, Thunderstruck and The Naked Consumer.
Erik Larson to Speak Oct. 28
One Book One Community will host author and historian Erik Larson on Tuesday, October 28 at 7:30 p.m. at the Victory Theatre, where he will speak about his books. This event is free and open to all.
In the Garden of the Beasts is available in a variety of formats for loan through the Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library (EVPL) or for purchase at Barnes & Noble. Library discussion groups will soon be underway as southern Indiana prepares to read the same book and listen to Larson when he visits in October.
About One Book One Community
One Book One Community is a reading program to develop a community built around the shared experience of people reading and talking about the same book. Bringing people together to discuss ideas in books can play an important role in breaking down barriers between people, cultures and economic and educational backgrounds.
The EVPL is joining with local media, schools, universities, book stores, businesses and other libraries to promote a culture of reading in Southwestern Indiana. In 2014, One Book One Community is excited to also partner with The Committee to Promote Respect in Schools (CYPRESS) whose mission is to encourage teaching about the Holocaust in area schools because of its lessons of tolerance and respect for diversity. This year marks the 70th anniversary of World War II, and CYPRESS is partnering with several organizations to raise awareness and recognize this important milestone anniversary.
