The 2018 Omaha Reads selection is The “Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas.
Emily Getzschman, Marketing & Media Relations Manager, explains books are nominated by the community. The library staff chooses its finalists by looking at how many formats the book is available in.
Once they’ve done that, Getzschman says they offer five books for the community to vote on.
She says this year’s winner touches on many different themes including racism, police violence, the pain of growing up and community.
"I know there are some people who have looked at it and said, ‘I don’t need to read it. I’ve ascertained what I think it’s about already,’ and I would say that’s probably not the case. We really want everyone to read it. Because, like I said, there is something that will resonate and it may not be what you think it is. I think the author has done an amazing job of representing so many different characters. And she builds them all with such depth that it would be nearly impossible for you not to recognize something of yourself in this book.”
Getzchman says “The Hate U Give” is available in multiple formats audiobook, Spanish-language and large print.
The library will host several public discussions about the book including dinner and dialogue event on October 12th. To register for or view events, the website is OmahaLibrary.org.