One Book One Philadelphia 2012: Edwidge Danticat's "Create Dangerously: The Immigrant Artist at Work"

The Free Library's One Book, One Philadelphia Selection Committee has chosen Edwidge Danticat's Create Dangerously: The Immigrant Artist at Work for its 2012 selection. The Haitian American writer and MacArthur Genius Grant winner's collection of essays takes its name from Albert Camus's last published lecture in which he stated, "To create today is to create dangerously." The book illustrates the struggle of making art in exile—and what it's like to exist in a country constantly in conflict, where even the act of reading means taking a stand against oppression.

One Book, One Philadelphia is a joint project of the Mayor's Office and the Free Library of Philadelphia that promotes reading, literacy, library use, and community building by motivating tens of thousands of people to read an annual featured selection. Marking the tenth consecutive year for One Book, the 2012 program runs from January 25 to March 17, 2012.

In order to provide a complete reading experience for Philadelphians of all ages, One Book will also feature the teen companion book A Taste of Salt: A Story of Modern Haiti by Frances Temple, as well as Running the Road to ABC by Denizé Lauture for young children.

Stay tuned on the Free Library website, or sign up for a Free Library newsletter to read a complete list of One Book, One Philadelphia 2012 events, suggested supplemental reading and film lists, a comprehensive Resource Guide, and much more!