Welcome

Dear Friends:

As Mayor and on behalf of the City of Chicago, I encourage you to celebrate a decade of the award-winning One Book, One Chicago program by taking part in its 10th anniversary celebration this fall. In September and October, we will acknowledge this landmark and come together around the great Chicago novel The Adventures of Augie March by Nobel Prize-winning author Saul Bellow.

Since its launch in fall 2001, One Book, One Chicago has engaged and challenged readers in Chicago with more than 20 book selections, hundreds of programs and discussions, and countless memorable encounters among readers. Twice a year, we see our fellow Chicagoans reading the same book on buses or trains, in parks or cafes, on campuses and in libraries. Lectures, author appearances, performances and more bring people together to immerse themselves in a great book, and to learn more about themselves and each other in the process.

What better way to celebrate this program, itself such a testament to Chicago’s dedication to reading and learning, than to read such an iconic Chicago book? Saul Bellow is a Chicago legend, and in Augie March he created a true son of Chicago. Along with his two brothers, Augie is raised by his mother in the 1920s and ’30s; but he is shaped just as much by the movement and struggles of the city around him. He travels between jobs, mentors, neighborhoods and friends, and throughout it all we see him, and his city, so clearly.

Join the Chicago Public Library this fall by reading The Adventures of Augie March. Take part in a discussion at your local library or attend any number of programs or performances. Stop by your local library or visit the website to learn more.

Sincerely,
Mayor Rahm Emanuel

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