The San Francisco Public Library has teamed up with dozens of libraries in three states for One Coast, One Book
San Francisco Public Library will be among the 140 municipal libraries in California, Oregon and Washington taking part through May in One Book , One Coast , a multi-state reading program launched this month by the Los Angeles County Library.
Actor, activist and writer George Takei’s 2019 graphic novel “The Called Us Enemy” — also written by Justin Eisinger and Steven R. Scott, with illustrations by Harmony Becker — is the program’s first entry. Takei’s graphic novel recounts a portion of his childhood spent in an American concentration camp during World War II. Organizers said they hope the power of shared reading will spark conversations and encourage readers to attend film screenings, panels and other interactive events. SFPL Adult Engagement Coordinator Lori Talarico said she is “really excited about the idea of building a shared community of readers across the west coast.” Talarico has been working on the initiative since November, when she first heard about the program through LA County Library Director Skye Patrick. She said she thinks “They Called Us Enemy” is “such a strong choice” to kick off the program. The book “tells a deeply personal story, and it connects to histories that are especially meaningful here on the west coast,” Talarico said. “For me, it naturally opens up conversations about civil liberties, identity and democracy.” The Friends of the San Francisco Public Library is sponsoring The City's participation in the multi-state affair, just as it does San Francisco’s One City, One Book initiative. The organization’s executive director, Emily Garvie, said it is “incredibly meaningful to be part of a collaboration of this scale.” She said the new program will give people a deeper understanding of U.S history by inviting patrons to converse and reflect on the topics and subjects discussed. Garvie said she hopes people will feel encouraged to “engage with one another in meaningful ways through the themes of civil rights and injustice.” Several events relating to the book will take place at the Main Library in the coming weeks. As part of next month’s annual “Night of Ideas” event held with KQED, library employees will hold two workshops where participants can learn the traditional art of origami. Attendees will “think about paper folding not just as an art form, but as a way to reflect on memory, resilience and cultural expression,” Talarico said. Paper cranes made at the workshop will be hung in the Main Library’s main atrium as part of a public art installation, according to organizers. San Francisco’s One Coast One Book offerings will also feature events “that came together a bit serendipitously,” Talarico said. The Ireichō, a traveling book that records the names of over 125,000 Japanese Americans who were incarcerated during World War II, will make a stop at the Asian Art Museum Art on the weekend of May 9-11. Ex // Top Stories Thurmond wants California’s billionaires taxed and its kids literate The gubernatorial candidate promises to improve schools and build homes For what — and for whom — is SF's public art? As private art prevails and public arts programs suffer, societal divisions grow 'Time to do something': Art bar launches grant for local artists Madrone Art Bar employees are teaming up to support four artists with $1,500 grants and solo exhibitions During that weekend, the Main Library will host a May 10 panel in Koret Auditorium that will explore Japanese American incarceration during the war, as well as a May 11 presentation by Bekki Shibayama. Shibayama will share her family’s history of incarceration, which includes her father’s abduction from Peru and imprisonment in a Texas incarceration camp, as well as her mother’s forced removal and stays at camps in California, Oregon and Idaho. Two films will also be screened at the Main Library: Emiko Omori’s “Defiant to the Last: Resistance at the Tule Lake Jail” and “Rabbit in the Moon.” Both documentaries revolve around the incarceration of Japanese Americans, and organizers said the films include personal testimonies, family histories and political reflections. Talarico said in attending these events, visitors will be able to “draw a line” between the names found in the Ireichō and “the lived experience” shared in Takei’s graphic novel. The program’s first season will culminate in a May 31 virtual event, when Takei will chat with Patrick and Cathy De Leon, Long Beach Public Library’s director. City Librarian Michael Lambert said One Coast, One Book will “stimulate a dialogue about this dark chapter in our country’s history and foster community with residents.” “This is the first time public libraries have banded together on such a scale,” Lambert said. “I could not have envisioned a better author to support this discussion than the iconic civil rights activist George Takei.” As an adult engagement coordinator, Talarico said her role has allowed her to see “how powerful a shared reading experience can be.” Partnering San Francisco staff with colleagues from dozens of other libraries will allow everyone involved to take the program “to another level,” she said. Talarico said she hopes residents participating in the program’s first season will learn that libraries are more than places where you can just read a book. “It’s about creating a space where ideas can be explored in different ways and where people can connect with each other through those ideas,” she said.
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