“One Book, One Philadelphia” Title Announced

Today, the title for this year’s “One Book, One Philadelphia” event was announced. The annual event, intended to create civic dialogue and encourage literacy in readers of all ages, is organized by the Free Library of Philadelphia. The 2019 title, “Sing, Unburied, Sing” was published in 2017 by author Jesmyn Ward of Philadelphia. Ward, an associate professor of English literature at Tulane University, is a survivor of Hurricane Katrina and a blogger as well as a novelist. “Sing, Unburied, Sing” is her third published novel, and it won the 2017 National Book Award for fiction. Ward was the first woman as well as the first African-American to win two National Book Awards.

“Sing, Unburied, Sing” is the story of a black family in Bois Sauvage, Mississippi. It is told through the viewpoint of Jojo, aged thirteen, who can communicate with ghosts and understand animals’ thoughts. The novel contains elements of magical realism, interspersed with the sad tale of a neglectful mother, a child made to grow up too soon, and the relationships between grandparents caring for their grandchildren in a parent’s absence. Elements of racism and drug use are woven throughout.

Copies of the novel will be distributed to Philadelphia middle and high school students, and copies of the novel and its companion selections will be available at the Free Library. “One Book, One Philadelphia” is sponsored by the Field Foundation with endowment by the Joseph and Marie Field Fund and sponsored by The Field Foundation. According to the Philadelphia Tribune, “One Book, One Philadelphia will include panel discussions, musical performances, film screenings and more at Free Library locations across the city.”

Previous titles chosen by the Free Library for the much-anticipated annual event include: “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” “Cold Mountain,” “Orphan Train” and “Another Brooklyn,” which was 2018’s selection.