Librarians and Archivists with Palestine launches “One Book, Many Communities: Mornings in Jenin”

Here’s the press release for the latest project from Librarians and Archivists with Palestine, and we are looking for librarians and their friends to get involved!

—-

This winter, Librarians and Archivists with Palestine (LAP) is coordinating an exciting international reading campaign: “One Book, Many Communities: Mornings in Jenin.” The project draws inspiration from the “one book, one town” idea–wherein people in local communities come together to read and discuss a common  book. LAP invites readers, librarians, and others to organize gatherings in January 2015 to discuss Mornings in Jenin, the acclaimed novel by Palestinian-American author and activist Susan Abulhawa.

Mornings in Jenin is a sweeping, heart-wrenching historical saga about four generations of the Abulheja family. From Jenin to Jerusalem to Beirut to Philadelphia, the novel follows the family from its displacement from Ein Hod village in 1948 through love and loss over decades of life in Palestine and the diaspora. LAP’s “One Book, Many Communities” campaign will introduce readers to the richness of Palestinian literature, and  create a broader awareness and understanding of Palestinian history and the struggle for self-determination.

All are welcome to organize a reading group in their community in January 2015. Book groups can be held at a library, university or school, at a local non-profit organization or community center, in a living room, or at a bookstore. Event organizers can get in touch with LAP at librarians2palestine@gmail.com. There will also be a campaign launch featuring author Susan Abulhawa at Bluestockings bookstore in New York City on Saturday, November 8.