THORN: One Book, so many opinions

By Patti Thorn, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published February 9, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

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Photo by The Rocky / 2004

Mayor John Hickenlooper unveils the selection for the inaugural One Book, One Denver program. That first book, Peace Like a River, was well-received, but interest in the community reading program has gradually declined since then.

How hard is it to please thousands of people with one book?

For the answer, just take a gander at my recent e-mails. After my article last week and a previous column taking a critical look at Denver's community reading program One Book, One Denver, readers had plenty to say - and they weren't mincing words.

Joann Kuhar, for example, wasn't thrilled with the idea of reading Nick Arvin's Articles of War.

"When my country is at WAR and I read about it DAILY, why would I want to pick up a book about another WAR - no matter how well written, how many awards, etc.?" (Point well TAKEN!)

Another e-mailer didn't have much to say about Arvin's book, but as for the choice before it: "The Milagro Beanfield War was a tedious read for me, so I did not finish the book."

And local author Joy Hakim wasn't too happy with any of the four novels picked, when you get right down to it.

"Come on, Patti," she writes, "you know what people are reading today. Look at tomorrow's NYTimes (sic) Book Review. I haven't seen it, but I'm willing to bet that there will be seven or eight nonfiction titles and four or five novels. This is the information age and what most of us want to read is real stuff. . . . The novel was an exciting literary form in the 19th century. . . . Today's literary form is nonfiction."

Hakim suggests that the program adopt her book Einstein Adds a New Dimension.

Memo to anyone thinking you can please all the people at least some of the time: I have a bank account waiting for you in Nigeria; send Social Security number.

In last week's column, I compared Denver's waning program with Seattle's thriving project. While One Book has merit, I wrote, it's become mired in political correctness, among other obstacles. As a result, participation has declined in each of the four years it's been in existence.

We asked for your feedback, and many of you obliged, commenting on all facets of the program.

I have to admit I love Kathy Wojcik's comments - mostly because she loved mine: "Thank you for writing such a valid and honest account of what has happened to One Book, One Denver. I remember the first year, there was such a buzz! I work in downtown Denver and live north of the city. We have lots of friends who play music, and in coffee shops as far up as Longmont and Firestone everyone was talking, book groups were gathering and opinions were flying."

Wojcik lamented the ensuing years, in which organizers have seemingly looked for reads that won't offend anyone: "Oh, come on! Grow up, Denver! What brings people together is something real, something controversial, something with guts and teeth."

I couldn't agree more. And many others also noted their dismay at the vetting process. Some weren't sure, though, that book choices were solely to blame for dwindling excitement.

Jim Bernath, for example, lamented that the Rocky Mountain Book Festival met a similar fate. That fact seemed to provide a clue to the cause of One Book's woes. "As a longtime bookseller and book-lover in the metro area, I have to wonder how literate this town is. I have great memories of the heyday of that event, and correlate the mounting apathy toward the One Book program to a younger, literature-free population."

Despite his dismay, Bernath wasn't giving up on the program. He suggested that organizers give people more time to read the book. And he wasn't the only one offering advice.

Some suggested that bookstores make splashy displays for the titles, to attract more attention. Others noted that high- schoolers should be dropped from the program, to open up the pool of possible reads. "If teachers find the book useful," explained one reader, "they will (still) use it."

And one e-mailer even urged organizers to read Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point, a book about how ideas gain steam in our culture - no doubt hoping planners would then do a better job of selling the program to the public.

I'm guessing organizers have enough reading on their hands as it is. But such sincere attempts to help lifted my spirits. And near- ly all who wrote voiced the de- sire to see the program continue.

Still, I have to admit that some e-mailers gave me pause. JK Holliman Page, for instance, seemed to think I was in charge of selecting the books and had rudely snubbed his/her idea.

"Again," JK seemed to huff, "here is a suggestion for One Book, One Denver. This writer and his books have been submitted before for consideration. . . . I am again suggesting that you give his work attention."

(And I'm telling you, JK, that I have nothing to do with the book choices. Please don't make me tell you that. Again.)

I was also dismayed to note that while several local authors wrote to say they agreed that the book choice should be free from public pressure, they didn't miss a beat in then lobbying for their own titles. Their insistence gave me a glimpse into the sort of heat the mayor's office no doubt endures in implementing the program.

Finally, there was one e-mail so terrifying to me, so utterly nightmarish in its implications, that it eclipsed all others. It was from Jan Karras, a woman who lives in Highlands Ranch, where she somehow came up with this troubling idea:

"I think that you, the mayor, his wife and a writer of Kent Haruf's stature would be able to pick the next book without all the meetings that are part of the winnowing process."

Me? Help choose the next book and face the wrath of the same people we just encouraged to e-mail? I'd rather be dipped in a vat of boiling Caramelos and Milagro Beanfield Wars.

On the other hand, Karras did have one or two important in- sights I simply can't ignore: "Thanks so much for your wonderful writing," she said. "I always look forward to your columns."

OK, Jan. I can't stay mad forever.

thornp@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5419

Readers sound off about One Book titles

How satisfied are readers with past choices for One Book, One Denver? Of those who e-mailed, most lauded the program's first pick, Peace Like a River. After that, satisfaction seemed to head downhill fast. In general, people:

* Noted Caramelo was too long and difficult to get into;

* Lamented that they'd read The Milagro Beanfield War when it was first published 30 years ago and didn't feel the need to revisit it.

* Seemed to like Articles of War if they read it. But many said they were turned off by the WWII subject matter and never cracked the book open.

As for future titles, a number of readers lobbied for Plainsong by Kent Haruf - apparently unaware that Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper has already nixed that idea, as I reported. Other titles e-mailers suggested as future selections:

* Eventide, by Kent Haruf

* The Tie That Binds, by Kent Haruf

* The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho

* The Meadow, by James Galvin

* Close Range: Wyoming Stories, by Annie Proulx

* The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak

* March, by Geraldine Brooks

* The Tender Bar, by J.R. Moehringer

* Hyperion, by Dan Simmons

* Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain

* My Sister's Keeper, by Jodi Picoult

* The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears, by Dinaw Mengestu

* Anything by Willa Cather, William Henry Lewis, Connie Willis, Ed Bryant, Joanne Greenberg, John Williams (all but Cather have local connections)

• February 10, 2008

  12:52 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  crebj writes:

  Anything by Willa Cather? Emphatically, no. Bores me to tears.

• February 11, 2008

  3:03 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Prority1159 writes:

  So Joy Hakim can't handle fiction. How sad for her. I get plenty of non-fiction daily and love a good novel. A detective story, a fantasy or the mystical reality of a Gabriel Garcia Marquez book is well worth the time. There is so much wonder in really good writing and so much music in language, it is sad to hear of someone whose ears have gone deaf and mind has gone rigid to the point that they cannot love a good work of fiction. Open up, you might learn something more important than facts.
  I am glad there is a controversy surrounding this choice! It probably means that they did a good job choosing a book.

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