One Book One Marin Launch Party Set For Feb. 27

PRESS RELEASE AND PHOTOS SUBMITTED FOR PUBLICATION BY COUNTY OF MARIN:

MARIN COUNTY, CA – Marin County’s biggest book club has chosen its selection for annual countywide discussion, and it’s guaranteed to spark a lively discussion … because it’s political.

Strangers In Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning of the American Right, by renowned Berkeley sociologist Arlie Russell Hochschild, has been selected as the 2018 honoree for One Book One Marin. The One Book One Marin Launch Party is set for Feb. 27.

Celebrating its 12th anniversary, One Book One Marin seeks to build a stronger, enriched community through community dialogue, and the exploration of literature and culture. Popular throughout the world, One Book programs take the idea of a local book discussion club and expand it to cover a whole city or county. The city, county and college libraries of Marin collaborate with community partners Book Passage and the Institute for Leadership Studies at Dominican University of California to fund the One Book One Marin program. There are also a large number of community sponsors.

A finalist for the 2016 National Book Award, Strangers In Their Own Land aims to explain the worldview of supporters of the Tea Party movement in Louisiana. Hochschild, a former UC Berkeley professor, seeks to understand why some American conservatives continue to vote for policies that ultimately harm them. She traveled to Louisiana to complete a five-year study, talking to members of the Tea Party and attempting to breach the “empathy wall” that stands between conservatives and liberals.

The One Book One Marin Launch Party will take place at Book Passage in Corte Madera at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 27, to kick off the celebration and introduce the author. The program will conclude with a special event at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 18, in Dominican University's Angelico Hall featuring Hochschild and KQED radio host Michael Krasny in conversation.

Between Feb. 27 and April 18, readers may attend a variety of stimulating programs and special events at locations throughout Marin. Visit a Marin County Free Library branch to join a book discussion, enjoy Cajun and old-time Creole music, and attend presentations by local professors on topics related to the book such as ideology vs. partisanship in the United States and the role of Christian evangelical groups in the environment. All One Book One Marin events are free and open to the public.

Sara Jones, Director of the Marin County Free Library, called Hochschild’s book “a timely read.”

“Community conversations about our current political situation and the deep divides in our country abound, so its timely to have a grounded sociological understanding of our current political climate,” Jones said. “Our hope is this community read helps us all better understand why our politics are so deeply divided.”

Pick up a copy of Strangers in Their Own Land at your local library. To learn more about participating in One Book One Marin, visit www.onebookonemarin.org.

Photo: Arlie Russell Hochschild, author of "Strangers In Their Own Land."