One Book, One Community Committee Seeks Nominations for 2012

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas One Book, One Community committee is asking for recommendations for the book to be read in the fall 2012 project. The committee has chosen a theme for the fourth annual event, “Economics and Contemporary Life.”

“We were looking for a theme that would be relevant in the presidential election year, without being partisan or even overly political,” said David Joliffe, co-chair of the committee and holder of the Brown Chair in English Literacy. “We believe the economy will be a major focus of the election campaigns. Many of our students will be voting in a presidential election for the first time, and we are looking for a book that will help them understand this important issue and make an informed decision, based on facts, not rhetoric.”

Everyone in the university community and the Northwest Arkansas community is invited to nominate a book, based on the following criteria:

• It must be nonfiction. 

• It must be relatively current — "fresh" enough so that not many readers will have already read it.

• It must be well written and be engaging to a variety of readers.

• It may be either an extended treatment by a single author or authorial team, or it may be a collection of essays by a variety of authors, but a single author is preferred.

• The author(s) must be willing to travel to Northwest Arkansas to engage the university and the community in lively discussion.

• The book must be capable of raising and addressing issues that can be considered in a variety of ancillary events: panel discussions, artistic performances, film series and so on.

• Ideally, it must be available in paperback, relatively inexpensive to buy and around (or under) 300 pages in length.

To nominate a book, send a brief email describing it and explaining how it meets the selection criteria to onebook@uark.edu by 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9. Any questions about the book selection process can be sent to the same address. The committee hopes to complete the selection process by early 2012.