All Together Now

One Minneapolis, One Read encourages residents to share a good book -- and a good conversation.

Image credit: Michele Norris

Recommended by the Editor

A Case for Books

Authors Out Loud

By: Morgan Halaska

Remember that conflict over a dog park last September—the one where the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board considered putting an off-leash dog area in Martin Luther King Park?

On the surface, it sounded like an innocuous proposal. Instead, it served to highlight lingering tensions in the community – and the discord was largely drawn along racial lines.  

“It ended up being an issue that highlighted a racial divide in the communities east and west of the freeway, and also generational issues,” council member Elizabeth Glidden says.

It was also, however, a learning opportunity, and a chance to improve relations. From the heated and emotional debate came a group of residents in south Minneapolis called Building Bridges. The group is dedicated to creating a community dialogue.

“Building Bridges came together because they wanted to find a way to talk to each other and bring the community along in trying to build stronger relationships across lines of race and culture,” Glidden says.

Now, officials want to continue the conversation with a city-wide reading program, One Minneapolis, One Read. The program – new this year – encourages all city residents to read the same book.

The book that has been chosen is The Grace of Silence by Minneapolis native and National Public Radio host Michele Norris. In the book, Norris describes her experience growing up in the first black family on a south-Minneapolis block.

Reading the memoir is just a starting point. The mission is to inspire people of all ages to get involved in their community to explore important issues together, organizers say.

“The crossover between students and adults will provide some interesting opportunities for family discussion,” Glidden says.

One Minneapolis, One Read kicks off on Monday, Oct. 3 when Norris joins Minnesota Public Radio’s Kerri Miller at the Guthrie Theatre to talk about her book. Tickets are $10 for general admission.

Events will continue through February, coinciding with Black History and I Love to Read month.

Author and NPR host Michele Norris will join MPR’s Kerri Miller at the Guthrie Theater for a discussion of The Grace of Silence on Monday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. A full list of One Minneapolis, One Read events – and a link to the first chapter of Norris’ book – can be found here.