Gothamist

A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.

Gothamist

WNYC Listen Live

Donate

 

 

News

What If New Yorkers Read The Same Book At The Same Time?

By

Raphael Pope-Sussman

Published Feb 1, 2017

Modified Feb 3, 2017

Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail

Never miss a story

 Email address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .

Take a look, in a book.

 

Richard Anderson/Flickr

By

Raphael Pope-Sussman

Published Feb 1, 2017

Modified Feb 3, 2017

Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail

We rely on your support to make local news available to all

Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

The Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment on Tuesday announced the kickoff of a community reading initiative that will spotlight a series of books with connections to New York City. Their end goal: get the city to read the same book at the same time (which has been attempted in the past). The program, called "One Book, One City," is being run as a contest in February, with New Yorkers given the chance to vote on one of five books selected for consideration. The books are:

According to a press release announcing the initiative, the city will be publicizing the contest all around New York to bring residents of all five boroughs aboard.

"We're thrilled to celebrate our enduring literary capital with the One Book, One New York program," stated Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment Commissioner Julie Menin. The program "will reignite conversations about reading throughout the city, from our libraries to our subway platforms, from our local bookstores to the coffee shop."

Each book is being promoted by a different celebrity "advocate" who will offer a video testimonial through a partnership with BuzzFeed. The celebrities (and their books) are: Larry Wilmore (The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao), Danielle Brooks (Between the World and Me), William H. Macy (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn), The Get Down's Giancarlo Esposito (The Sellout) and Bebe Newirth (Americanah).

At the end of February, New Yorkers will cast their votes, online or at digital kiosks at certain subway stations. There will be public events focused on the winning book across the city throughout the spring. According to the release, the books' publishers provided copies of the books to each public library branch in the city. That's more than 4,000 books for more than 200 branches.

One Book, One New York "will encourage the entire city not only to read the same book at the same time, but to engage in honest, perhaps even painful, conversations about the themes addressed in these five extraordinary works, including race, immigration and how we choose to perceive those who are different from us," Brooklyn Public Library President and CEO Linda E. Johnson stated.

Tagged

one book one city

reading

Raphael Pope-Sussman

Read more

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

MORE news

Why NY judges oppose bill to make safety top priority in child custody battles

Judges say a bill would have unintended consequences and make their workloads untenable.

By

Jimmy Vielkind

Published Sep 5, 2026 at 7:00 a.m. ET

Federal court dismisses Trump DOJ’s lawsuit over ICE activity in NJ

The ruling comes after federal prosecutors filed a lawsuit in response to Gov. Mikie Sherill’s executive order banning immigration agents from operating in nonpublic state property.

By

Giulia Heyward

News

Federal court dismisses Trump DOJ’s lawsuit over ICE activity in NJ

The ruling comes after federal prosecutors filed a lawsuit in response to Gov. Mikie Sherill’s executive order banning immigration agents from operating in nonpublic state property.

By

Giulia Heyward

Did violence in Times Square and on the Brooklyn Bridge change how people feel about NYC?

By

Willow Higgins

and

Brittany Kriegstein

Mount Sinai reaches deal with Trump DOJ to end gender-affirming care for minors

By

Giulia Heyward

and

Caroline Lewis

NYPD ramps up security for West Indian Day parade as past shootings remain unsolved

By

Ben Feuerherd

Never miss a story

Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.

Sign upEmail address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .