By Linda Ball
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — KPBS announced the 2017 One Book, One San Diego book selection, The Sandcastle Girls, by Chris Bohjalian, the critically acclaimed novelist whose books frequently make the New York Times best-seller list.
“I am deeply honored by the selection,” Bohjalian said. “San Diego is a wonderful reading community. I’ve made appearances there off and on over the years, and I’ve always been dazzled by the bookstores and the libraries and the readers.”
One Book, One San Diego is community-wide reading program now in its 11th season and currently includes more than 20 community partners. Started in 2006 by KPBS, along with the San Diego Public Library, the program encourages everyone in the region to read and discuss the same book.
Bohjalian will make two One Book, One San Diego appearances on Tuesday, September 12 and Wednesday, September 13, the first of many One Book events held by KPBS and community partners that will run through December. KPBS will give away 300 copies of Bohjalian’s book at the inaugural San Diego Festival of Books, organized by The San Diego Union-Tribune in partnership with KPBS, at Liberty Station on Saturday, Aug. 26. In addition, KPBS will announce the One Book Sin Fronteras, One Book for Kids and One Book for Teens selections at the festival.
Bohjalian’s novel, a multi-generational tale that spans nearly 100 years, is initially set in Syria during World War I and focuses on the Armenian Genocide.