2024 One Book, One Michiana

One Book, One Michiana begins in April 2024.

Every year in April, the community comes together to read and discuss one book.

2024 Book Choice

Being Mortal by Atul Gawande 

Medicine has triumphed in modern times, transforming the dangers of childbirth, injury, and disease from harrowing to manageable. But when it comes to the inescapable realities of aging and death, Atul Gawande argues what medicine can do often runs counter to what it should. He argues against modern medical practices that extend life at the expense of quality of life while isolating the dying, outlining suggestions for freer, more fulfilling approaches to death that enable more dignified and comfortable choices. Riveting, honest, and humane, Being Mortal shows how the ultimate goal is not a good death but a good life – all the way to the very end.


Events

An Evening with Barbara Becker

Author of Heartwood: The Art of Living with the End in Mind

Monday, April 22 at 6:00 p.m.
Main Library, Community Learning Center

In her critically acclaimed debut memoir, author Barbara Becker sets off on a quest to immerse herself in what it means to be mortal. Can we live our lives more fully knowing some day we will die?

Learn More

Brain Care is Self Care and Our Mortality
German Township Branch, April 24 | 10:30 AM
Western Branch, April 17 | 5 PM
Self-Healing Communities of Greater Michiana will explore brain care through the discussion of compassion, human connection, and the enriching elements that art and nature bring to the exploration of mortality.

Understanding the Nervous System Can Help You Navigate Grief
Main Library, March 27 | 6 PM

Presented by the Self-Healing Communities of Greater Michiana. To better understand grief, this community gathering will focus on our “fight or flight” and “rest and digest” systems, also known as the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. Registration available online.

Breaking the Loss Silence – How a Loss Timeline Can Help Us Age with Dignity
North Liberty, April 6 | 10:30 AM
Tutt Branch, April 17 | 6:00 PM
Learn how loss impacts the aging process in this workshop led by Dr. Kathryn Lyndes, Associate Professor of Social Work and Gerontology at Saint Mary’s College.

A Victorian Celebration of Death
Leighton Auditorium, April 27 | 1:00 PM
Edwina, an Edwardian librarian, will take the stage to explain the rigid rules and customs of mourning during the Victorian Age that turned grief into a social status. Registration available online.

Understanding our Nervous System and Our Need for Connection
River Park Branch, March 19 | 11:30 AM
LaSalle Branch, March 25 | 4:00 PM

Have you heard of sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems? Join Self-Healing Communities of Greater Michiana to discuss how these systems play a crucial role in shaping our daily experiences, human connection and building resilience.

Breaking the Loss Silence – How a Loss Timeline Can Help Us Age with Dignity
North Liberty, April 6 | 10:30 AM
Tutt Branch, April 17 | 6:00 PM

Learn how loss impacts the aging process in this workshop led by Dr. Kathryn Lyndes, Associate Professor of Social Work and Gerontology at Saint Mary’s College.

Leave No Stone Unturned
Community Learning Center – Classroom D, April 27 | 10:00 AM

“Tombstone Tourist” Joy Neighbors will share advice for locating and learning from ancestors’ graves. The program will also cover finding cemetery records and sharing your discoveries. Registration available online.

Discuss

Book Discussion of Being Mortal
Lakeville Branch, April 9 | 6:00 PM
Centre Township, April 18 | 2:30 PM
Francis Branch, April 29 | 5:30 PM

Join fellow readers to discuss Being Mortal by Atul Gawande. Through his medical experience and his family’s story, Gawande asks us to consider what it means to be human at all stages.

Dinner and a Book
WNIT Studios, April 3 | 2 PM
Attend a taping of WNIT’s Dinner and A Book featuring Being Mortal, our 2024 One Book Michiana selection. Registration online is required!

Celebrate

Caregiver Appreciation Night
Community Learning Center, May 1 | 6:00 PM
We conclude our One Book, One Michiana community reading initiative with a celebration of caregivers. Join us as we recognize the dedication and commitment of the amazing caregivers in our community.


Further Reading


The Process

This year is the fourteenth annual One Book, One Michiana community reading program. Beginning in summer 2023, several One Book Committee members began discussing books from different categories.

Committee members diligently read and discussed the books together. With the help of community partners, the Library recruited eight community readers to read all five books and select the top three.

In September, the community readers met with the One Book Committee members to discuss the books, and they chose the three final titles. Finally, community members voted on the final three titles and chose the 2024 book.

Previous titles
2023 -Flamer
2022 – Just Mercy
2021 – True Grit
2019 – The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
2018 – The Distance Between Us
2017 – Devil In a Blue Dress
2016 – A Midsummer Night’s Dream
2015 – The Night Circus
2014 – Frankenstein
2013 – Killer Angels
2012 – Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
2011 – Rocket Boys
2010 – To Kill a Mockingbird

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