“This Blessed Earth” Selected For 2019 Omaha Reads

From the City of Omaha: Each year, Omaha Public Library encourages the community to vote for and read one book as a way to promote literacy and inspire discussion among Omaha and Douglas County residents. The selection is celebrated with book talks and other related programming.

“This Blessed Earth” follows the Hammond family as they navigate the ever-changing landscape of modern farming, exploring how one family struggles to preserve a fifth-generation family operation in the face of shifting trade policies, encroaching pipelines, climate change, and more.

“This year’s Omaha Reads selection is especially impactful because it is also the 2019 ‘One Book One Nebraska’ and ‘All Iowa Reads’ selection, providing our community with even more opportunities to discuss the book and explore its different themes,” said OPL Executive Director Laura Marlane.

Get involved with Omaha Reads by checking out the book at your local branch, participating in a program, and discussing the book with friends, family and neighbors. All programs are free to attend, but registration is required. Learn more about each program at omahalibrary.org/omaha-reads.

• Wednesday, Sept. 18, 7-8 p.m.: Book Discussion at Millard Branch, 13214 Westwood Ln., 402-444-4848. Join fellow community members for a discussion of this year’s Omaha Reads title.
• Sunday, Sept. 22, 4-5 p.m.: Farming, Natural Resources & You: A Panel Discussion at W. Dale Clark Main Library, 215 S. 15th St., 402-444-4800. Join Omaha Public Library and local experts to discuss topics from this year’s Omaha Reads selection.
• Wednesday, Oct. 9, 7-8 p.m.: Book Discussion at Milton R. Abrahams Branch, 5111 N. 90th St., 402-444-6284. Join fellow community members for a discussion of this year’s Omaha Reads title.
• Sunday, Oct. 13, 3-5 p.m.: Hear author Ted Genoways speak about "This Blessed Earth," at The Durham Museum, 801 S. 10th St. Genoways is the winner of the 2018 James Beard Foundation Award for Investigative Journalism. He is the author of five books, including "This Blessed Earth," winner of the Stubbendieck Great Plains Distinguished Book Prize, and "The Chain: Farm, Factory, and the Fate of Our Food," a finalist for the 2015 James Beard Foundation Award for Writing and Literature. Copies of "This Blessed Earth" will be available for purchase and signing following a Q&A session.
• Tuesday, Oct. 15, 7-8 p.m.: Stories From Nebraska's Agricultural History: Water at Benson Branch, 6015 Binney St., 402-444-4846. Jody Lamp honors Nebraska’s agricultural history with stories of the spaces, places, inventions, commodities, events, and people that made Nebraska one of the top agricultural states in the nation and gave rise to such slogans as “The Beef State” and “The Cornhusker State.” Lamp will enlighten and entertain with important and little-known stories about the role of water in the development of western Nebraska, the digging of our irrigation ditches and canals, and our state’s unique governance by local Natural Resource District boards. Lamp’s book "A History of Nebraska Agriculture: A Life Worth Living" will be available for purchase. This program is provided by Humanities Nebraska.

Learn more about author Ted Genoways at tedgenoways.com. Reserve your copy of “This Blessed Earth” today. Visit omahalibrary.org for information about additional programs and resources offered at Omaha Public Library’s 12 metro locations.

This press release was produced by the City of Omaha. The views expressed here are the author's own.