When everyone in Philadelphia is reading the same book as part of the One Book, One Philadelphia program, how is that work chosen?

A small committee of Free Library staff, educators, and One Book volunteers drafts a long-list of potential titles, bringing their own ideas to the table as well as considering suggestions from the community.

The committee is guided by a set of criteria. The book has to

• be written by a living author,
• lend to dynamic programming,
• contain relatable and universal themes, and
• be of outstanding literary quality.

After meetings, committee members spend hours upon hours reading suggested titles. Library staff sometimes squeeze reading into lunch breaks, taking most of it home for a busy reading season. The list is then whittled down to a handful of titles on a shortlist. Following more deliberation and discussion, two or three titles are chosen. Then committee members vote!

It is a long and deliberate process, but an important one—the featured title is the cornerstone of One Book, One Philadelphia, engaging the city in a shared conversation and touching the lives of tens of thousands each year.

For a look back at our past picks, visit freelibrary.org/onebook.