One Book One New Orleans announces selection

One Book One New Orleans (OBONO) announced that they have selected “Vengeance” by Zachary Lazar as the focus of their 2019 citywide reading and literacy campaign.  

"My book deals with some painful subjects, but it's also about loving New Orleans, not just falling in love with it, which are two different things," said Lazar.  "I am very honored to be embraced by this city in this way."

“Vengeance” chronicles the journey of a narrator who meets an incarcerated man, Kendrick, at Angola and becomes fascinated with Kendrick's story.  As the narrator becomes increasingly determined to get to the bottom of Kendrick's claim that he did not commit the crime, the lines between seemingly clear-cut concepts such as guilt and innocence begin to blur.  The book, a blend of fiction and nonfiction, encourages readers to see the humanity of people in prisons—a group that is often marginalized.  “Vengeance” sparks conversations about the relationships between those of us walking free and those of us behind bars, suggesting that we are not as different as it would seem.

"Working with our community partners to provide books to inmates has always been an integral part of our mission," said Dr. Megan Holt, OBONO's Executive Director. "We are looking forward to a year of discussions about our city's incarceration problem.  We also plan to focus on how literacy and the arts can serve as tools to combat incarceration."

OBONO urges everyone in New Orleans to read Vengeance with the goal of fostering a deeper sense of community through this shared reading experience. OBONO also partners with the New Orleans Public Library, the Literacy Alliance of Greater New Orleans, WRBH Radio for the Blind, Louisiana Books 2 Prisoners, the Center for Educational Excellence in Alternative Settings, and the Pirate's Alley Faulkner Society, who help reach those who would otherwise be excluded from a community of readers. Throughout the year, OBONO will host a series of events inspired by the book, each taking place in a different neighborhood in our city. These events are free and open to the public.

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To learn more about OBONO, visit their website.  You can keep up with them on a daily basis by following their Facebook page.  To contact them directly, email onebooknola@gmail.com. 

Louisiana Book News is written by award-winning author Chere Dastugue Coen, who writes Louisiana romances and mysteries under the pen name of Cherie Claire. Her first book in each series is FREE to download as an ebook, including "Emilie," book one of The Cajun Series, "Ticket to Paradise," book one of The Cajun Embassy series and "A Ghost of a Chance," the first Viola Valentine mystery.