Charlotte Botsford
Staff Writer
“One Book, One City” encourages people of all ages to connect as a community and choose a book, read it and discuss that book through an assortment of events and lectures. More than 200 cities across America have joined this program, which was initiated in 1998 by the Washington Center for the Book in Seattle, and now Malibu has as well.
The brain behind “One Book, One City — Malibu” is Alexis Deutsch-Adler, the chairperson of the program. She became passionate about starting it in Malibu after reading an article in The New York Times about Chicago’s “One Book, One City” program.
“It is such a small community, yet there are many of the typical issues which divide all of us,” said Adler. She also said she saw “One Book, One City” as a prospect for meeting others who shared her joy.
The program in Malibu began in 2003 when Ken Kearsley, Malibu’s mayor at the time, proclaimed March the “One Book, One City — Malibu” month.
The two books that have been read thus far are F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby,” and J.D. Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye”. Adler said she tries to include people from all over Malibu in the choosing of the year’s book. The people who participate in this process are the mayor, the Malibu Library and Malibu High School and potentially Pepperdine.
“The Catcher in the Rye,” which was the city’s first book to read as a community, was chosen primarily by a group of students at the Malibu High School. Adler agreed that “a book about a young man searching for his personal identity” would be powerful for everyone.
Equal in influence was Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby.” Adler said she believed that book was perfect because “Malibu serves as a microcosm for Fitzgerald’s ‘Gatsby.’” One of the book’s significant themes is “new money versus old money.” Adler said she feels that Gatsby faced this “external materialistic drive that was so ultimately unfulfilling.”
In April, Dr. James W. Thomas, professor of literature at Pepperdine, presented one of the lectures at the public library, titled “Gatsby’ Goes to the Movies: Why ‘the Great American Novel’ May Never be a Great American Film.” Thomas was enthusiastic about the program’s success. Members said Thomas’ participation in the program is an essential step not only in the involvement of the campus, but also in the contact of the town with the University.
The book to be read this March has not been chosen. Around January, Adler will contact Pepperdine for input on the book and is hopeful for participation.
One of the estimated 130 people who participate in “One Book, One City — Malibu” is city librarian, Winona Phillabaum.
“It is so great to have this one common reading experience with the whole community,” Phillabaum said.
11-11-2004