Public Information and Communication
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 25, 2021
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Tessa Terry
402-471-3434
800-307-2665
Bones of Paradise
Chosen as 2022 One Book One Nebraska
People across Nebraska are encouraged to read the work of a Nebraskan —and
then talk about it with their friends and neighbors.
The Bones of Paradise: A Novel
(William Morrow, 2016) by Jonis Agee is the 2022 One Book One Nebraska
selection.
The Bones of Paradise
is a multigenerational family saga set in the unforgiving Nebraska Sand
Hills in the years following the massacre at Wounded Knee—it is an ambitious
tale of history, vengeance, race, guilt, betrayal, family, and belonging,
filled with a vivid cast of characters shaped by violence, love, and a
desperate loyalty to the land. The One Book One Nebraska selection committee
enjoyed the intricate plot development and well developed characters. They
felt that the novel was a compelling read and contained a variety of themes
that would engage discussion on a number of topics. Jonis Agee is an
award-winning author of twelve books. Her awards include the John Gardner
Fiction Award, the George Garrett Award, a National Endowment for the Arts
grant in fiction, a Loft-McKnight Award, a Loft-McKnight Award of
Distinction, and two Nebraska Book Awards. A native of Nebraska, Agee
teaches at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
Libraries across Nebraska will join other literary and cultural
organizations in planning book discussions, activities, and events that will
encourage Nebraskans to read and discuss this book. Support materials to
assist with local reading/discussion activities will be available after
January 1, 2022 at
http://onebook.nebraska.gov.
Updates and activity listings will be posted on the One Book One Nebraska
Facebook page at
http://www.facebook.com/onebookonenebraska.
2022 will mark the eighteenth year of the One Book One Nebraska reading
program, sponsored by the Nebraska Center for the Book. It encourages
Nebraskans across the state to read and discuss one book, chosen from books
written by Nebraska authors or that have a Nebraska theme or setting. The
Nebraska Center for the Book invites recommendations for One Book One
Nebraska book selection year-round at
http://centerforthebook.nebraska.gov/obon-nomination.asp.
One Book One Nebraska is sponsored by Nebraska Center for the Book,
Humanities Nebraska, and Nebraska Library Commission. The Nebraska Center
for the Book brings together the state’s readers, writers, booksellers,
librarians, publishers, printers, educators, and scholars to build the
community of the book, supporting programs to celebrate and stimulate public
interest in books, reading, and the written word. The Nebraska Center for the Book
is supported by the national Center for the Book in the Library of Congress and the
Nebraska Library Commission.
As the state library agency, the Nebraska Library Commission is an advocate
for the library and information needs of all Nebraskans. The mission of the
Library Commission is statewide promotion, development, and coordination of
library and information services, “bringing together people and
information.”
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The most up-to-date news releases from the Nebraska Library Commission are
always available on the Library Commission website,
http://nlc.nebraska.gov/publications/newsreleases.