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BETWEEN THE LINES: 'THREE CUPS' FOR ONE BOOK
By Allen Pierleoni - [email protected]
Sacramento Bee
September 22, 2008
USA
Story appeared in LIVING HERE section, Page D3
Circle Oct. 2 on your calendar. That's when The Bee Book Club will
team with the Sacramento Public Library to present the library's
fourth annual One Book Sacramento: Connecting Our Communities.
The featured book is "Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission To Promote
Peace, One School at a Time" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
(Penguin, $15, 368 pages).
A starred review in Publishers Weekly magazine said, "Some failures
lead to phenomenal successes, and this American's unsuccessful attempt
to climb K2, the world's second-highest mountain, is one of them.
"Dangerously ill when he finished his climb in 1993, Mortenson was
sheltered for seven weeks by the small Pakistani village of Korphe;
in return, he promised to build the impoverished town's first school,
a project that grew into the Central Asia Institute, which has since
constructed schools across rural Pakistan and Afghanistan.
"Relin recounts Mortenson's efforts in fascinating detail,
presenting compelling portraits of the village elders, con artists,
philanthropists, mujahedin, Taliban officials, ambitious schoolgirls
and upright Muslims."
One Book Sacramento asks everyone to read the same book and participate
in numerous related literary events that will happen online and at
library branches, schools and other venues in October.
"Three Cups of Tea" co-author Relin will appear at 6 p.m. Oct. 2 at
the Tsakopoulos Library Galleria, 828 I St. The event is free and
open to the public. First come, first seated. For more information
on One Book Sacramento: (916) 264-2711 or www.saclibrary.org.
These bookstores will offer a 30 percent discount on "Three Cups of
Tea" through Oct. 2: Borders, Barnes & Noble, Avid Reader at Tower
in Sacramento, Avid Reader in Davis, Time Tested Books, East-West
Bookstore, Underground Books, the Hornet Bookstore, the UC Davis
Bookstore and the Bookseller in Grass Valley.
An appearance by David Sedaris, former elf
David Sedaris has long been a funny guy, ever since he cracked up
National Public Radio listeners in 1992 by reading his hilarious
"SantaLand Diaries" on the air. That's where he recalled in
excruciating detail his Christmastime job as an elf at a Macy's
department store.
Since then, he has published numerous humor pieces in national
magazines and, of course, a number of books of essays. His latest is
"When You Are Engulfed in Flames" (Little, Brown, $25.99, 336 pages).
Sedaris will appear at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 23 at the Memorial Auditorium,
1400 J St., Sacramento. Tickets are at (916) 808-5181 and
www.tickets.com. Prices are $32.50, $39.50 and $47.50.
National Book Foundation to honor Maxine Hong Kingston
The folks at the National Book Foundation - who oversee the prestigious
National Book Awards - have a couple of things up their collective
sleeve.
First, Scott Turow will take the stage Oct. 15 in Chicago to announce
the 20 finalists. Turow, an attorney and novelist, is the best-selling
author of "Presumed Innocent" and "The Burden of Proof," among other
hits. A video of that ceremony can be seen at www.nationalbook.org
the next day.
Second, Oakland's own Maxine Hong Kingston will be awarded the
Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters on Nov. 19
at the National Book Awards Ceremony in New York City. That's for
"her outstanding achievements as a writer of fiction, memoir and
nonfiction," says the NBF. She won a National Book Award in 1981 for
"China Men" and appeared for The Bee Book Club in 2006.
Saroyan nonfiction prize for Folsom writer
Stanford University Libraries and the William Saroyan Foundation
announced the winners of the William Saroyan International Prize for
Writing. The winner in the fiction category is Nicole Krauss for "The
History of Love" (W.W. Norton, $13.95, 272 pages); for nonfiction, it's
Kiyo Sato for "Dandelion Through the Crack" (Willow Valley, $29.95,
416 pages). Each author will receive $12,500 in prize money. Sato
lives in Folsom.
"History" is an intricate story told over 60 years, featuring two
unusual characters whose lives are interwoven in myriad ways. Twists
and turns abound.
"Dandelion" follows the travails and triumphs of one Japanese family,
the Satos, through several generations.
The program was established to "encourage new and emerging writers,
and to honor the Saroyan literary legacy of originality, vitality and
stylistic innovation." Saroyan (1908-1981) was an Armenian American
novelist and playwright who was born in Fresno.
Finalists in the competition for fiction were Pamela Erens for "The
Understory" and Richard Lange for "Dead Boys." Finalists for nonfiction
were John Moir for "Return of the Condor" and Adam David Miller for
"Ticket to Exile."
By Allen Pierleoni - [email protected]
Sacramento Bee
September 22, 2008
USA
Story appeared in LIVING HERE section, Page D3
Circle Oct. 2 on your calendar. That's when The Bee Book Club will
team with the Sacramento Public Library to present the library's
fourth annual One Book Sacramento: Connecting Our Communities.
The featured book is "Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission To Promote
Peace, One School at a Time" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
(Penguin, $15, 368 pages).
A starred review in Publishers Weekly magazine said, "Some failures
lead to phenomenal successes, and this American's unsuccessful attempt
to climb K2, the world's second-highest mountain, is one of them.
"Dangerously ill when he finished his climb in 1993, Mortenson was
sheltered for seven weeks by the small Pakistani village of Korphe;
in return, he promised to build the impoverished town's first school,
a project that grew into the Central Asia Institute, which has since
constructed schools across rural Pakistan and Afghanistan.
"Relin recounts Mortenson's efforts in fascinating detail,
presenting compelling portraits of the village elders, con artists,
philanthropists, mujahedin, Taliban officials, ambitious schoolgirls
and upright Muslims."
One Book Sacramento asks everyone to read the same book and participate
in numerous related literary events that will happen online and at
library branches, schools and other venues in October.
"Three Cups of Tea" co-author Relin will appear at 6 p.m. Oct. 2 at
the Tsakopoulos Library Galleria, 828 I St. The event is free and
open to the public. First come, first seated. For more information
on One Book Sacramento: (916) 264-2711 or www.saclibrary.org.
These bookstores will offer a 30 percent discount on "Three Cups of
Tea" through Oct. 2: Borders, Barnes & Noble, Avid Reader at Tower
in Sacramento, Avid Reader in Davis, Time Tested Books, East-West
Bookstore, Underground Books, the Hornet Bookstore, the UC Davis
Bookstore and the Bookseller in Grass Valley.
An appearance by David Sedaris, former elf
David Sedaris has long been a funny guy, ever since he cracked up
National Public Radio listeners in 1992 by reading his hilarious
"SantaLand Diaries" on the air. That's where he recalled in
excruciating detail his Christmastime job as an elf at a Macy's
department store.
Since then, he has published numerous humor pieces in national
magazines and, of course, a number of books of essays. His latest is
"When You Are Engulfed in Flames" (Little, Brown, $25.99, 336 pages).
Sedaris will appear at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 23 at the Memorial Auditorium,
1400 J St., Sacramento. Tickets are at (916) 808-5181 and
www.tickets.com. Prices are $32.50, $39.50 and $47.50.
National Book Foundation to honor Maxine Hong Kingston
The folks at the National Book Foundation - who oversee the prestigious
National Book Awards - have a couple of things up their collective
sleeve.
First, Scott Turow will take the stage Oct. 15 in Chicago to announce
the 20 finalists. Turow, an attorney and novelist, is the best-selling
author of "Presumed Innocent" and "The Burden of Proof," among other
hits. A video of that ceremony can be seen at www.nationalbook.org
the next day.
Second, Oakland's own Maxine Hong Kingston will be awarded the
Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters on Nov. 19
at the National Book Awards Ceremony in New York City. That's for
"her outstanding achievements as a writer of fiction, memoir and
nonfiction," says the NBF. She won a National Book Award in 1981 for
"China Men" and appeared for The Bee Book Club in 2006.
Saroyan nonfiction prize for Folsom writer
Stanford University Libraries and the William Saroyan Foundation
announced the winners of the William Saroyan International Prize for
Writing. The winner in the fiction category is Nicole Krauss for "The
History of Love" (W.W. Norton, $13.95, 272 pages); for nonfiction, it's
Kiyo Sato for "Dandelion Through the Crack" (Willow Valley, $29.95,
416 pages). Each author will receive $12,500 in prize money. Sato
lives in Folsom.
"History" is an intricate story told over 60 years, featuring two
unusual characters whose lives are interwoven in myriad ways. Twists
and turns abound.
"Dandelion" follows the travails and triumphs of one Japanese family,
the Satos, through several generations.
The program was established to "encourage new and emerging writers,
and to honor the Saroyan literary legacy of originality, vitality and
stylistic innovation." Saroyan (1908-1981) was an Armenian American
novelist and playwright who was born in Fresno.
Finalists in the competition for fiction were Pamela Erens for "The
Understory" and Richard Lange for "Dead Boys." Finalists for nonfiction
were John Moir for "Return of the Condor" and Adam David Miller for
"Ticket to Exile."