The New York City Mayor’s Office of Media has announced the five finalists for this year’s One Book, One New York public reading campaign. Now in its third year, and in partnership with BuzzFeed Book Club, this year’s program features five titles all written by women.
The Office of Media and Entertainment and BuzzFeed News’s book and culture editors consulted the New York Public Library and Center for Fiction for suggestions on which books to include. Beginning on April 1 and continuing throughout April, New Yorkers will be eligible to cast their votes at nyc.gov/onebook to determine the winner. The five nominated books by New York–based authors are:
- A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza
- Nilda by Nicholasa Mohr
- Just Kids by Patti Smith
- Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson
- Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee
“We’re thrilled to offer books by such a diverse group of women authors for New Yorkers to read, discuss with each other, and vote on this year,” Media and Entertainment acting commissioner Anne del Castillo, said in a statement.
The publishers of the five nominated books have collectively provided a total of 2,500 copies of the five books to each of New York City’s library branches in all five boroughs. The books will also be available for sale at bookstores throughout the city. In addition, for the first time this year, the winning book will be the monthly read for the national BuzzFeed Book Club in July.
On Tuesday, April 23 at 6:30 p.m., Fatima Farheen Mirza, Patti Smith, Jacqueline Woodson, and Min Jin Lee, along with David Mohr, the son of Nicholasa Mohr, will be featured as part of a panel discussion at the Celeste Bartos Forum at the NYPL on Fifth Avenue. The winning book will be announced on May 3, and a special event celebrating the winning author will take place on Friday, May 10 at Symphony Space on the Upper West Side of Manhattan as part of the Pen America World Voices Festival. In September, One Book, One New York will culminate with an event featuring the winning author at the new Center for Fiction in Brooklyn.