One Book, One Chicago Fall 2008
Introduction
Greetings,
As Mayor and on behalf of the City of Chicago, I invite you to participate in the 15th One Book, One Chicago program presented by the Chicago Public Library. This award-winning program encourages all Chicagoans to read the same book at the same time, and to come together with friends and neighbors to share and discuss a great work of literature.
This fall, we have selected The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe. One of today’s most respected writers of both fiction and nonfiction, Wolfe was a pioneer of the “new journalism” when he wrote The Right Stuff in 1979. In Wolfe’s distinct and energetic reportorial style, The Right Stuff tells of the lives of the seven astronauts chosen for Project Mercury, our nation’s first manned space-flight project. Not only do we applaud Wolfe’s legacy as a writer and the importance of this book in the canon of nonfiction, but by selecting a book about the early days of space travel we take part in celebrating the 50th anniversary of NASA this year, as well as the city-wide celebration of science and technology, “Science Chicago.”
You can find a copy of The Right Stuff at your neighborhood Chicago Public Library or local bookstore. Please take part in one of the many book discussions planned in libraries, bookstores, universities and community centers throughout October, and join us for any of the spectacular events celebrating the book this fall, including an appearance by Mr. Wolfe on October 16.
Sincerely,
Richard M. Daley
Mayor