When Books In Common/Terra Com was founded in 2001, Community Reading Programs as envisioned by pioneering Seattle Librarian Nancy Pearl were in their infancy. Since then, BIC has connected with thousands of literary programs across the globe, helping event planners as they face the sometimes daunting task of selecting the perfect book for their communities, partnering with the author, and ensuring that their specific goals are met and exceeded – year after year. We focus on these important programs because we passionately believe that building common ground around literature is one of the best ways to bridge the divide among race, religion, socio-economics, sexual orientation, politics, and cultural identities.
Read More »Category Archives: Reyna Grande
Highlights from a Few BIC-Supported Events
Whitewashing of the Literary World and How it Can Change
An article published by the Washington Post last month about the “whitewashing” of the literary industry was shared on social media recently by Reyna Grande, speaker and author of The Distance Between Us, a memoir of her life as a Mexican immigrant. The article, written by freelance writer and native Australian Sunili Govinnage, detailed Govinnage’s decision to read only minority authors for an […]
Read More »Broadening the American Immigration Discussion with Outstanding Author Events
Create a special author event at your college, library or literary festival focused on the issue of immigration.
Read More »Books Reviews
BIC reviews, Wool, by Hugh Howey; Gaining Ground, by Forrest Pritchard and The Distance Between Us, by Reyna Grande.
Read More »Recent BIC Events
Christina Baker Kline at Moses Lake, WA
An excited crowd came out to meet #1 New York Times bestseller Christina Baker Kline in Moses Lake,WA this February, including a 12-year-old girl who checked out Orphan Train just before Christina’s arrival and decided to stay for the Orphan Train presentation. Said librarian Paula Walters: “She for sure will be a lifelong reader!! Also, I have been getting emails from members of our book clubs thanking me. Moses Lake was just thrilled.”
Read More »University of Iowa Chooses The Distance Between Us
Reyna Grande’s memoir, The Distance Between Us, has recently been chosen for University of Iowa’s One Community, One Book annual reading program. Books in Common helped arrange Reyna Grande’s events for the One Community, One Book program.
Read More »A Conversation with Reyna Grande, author of The Distance Between Us: How to Engage Your Readers
Reyna Grande, author of Across a Hundred Mountains, Dancing with Butterflies, and The Distance Between Us, is a sought-after speaker at middle/high schools, colleges and universities around the country. Born in Mexico, Reyna was raised by her grandparents after her parents left her behind while they worked in the US. She came to the US at the age of nine as an undocumented immigrant and went on to become the first person in her family to obtain a higher education. We spoke with Reyna about her most recent book, The Distance Between Us, and her thoughts about how to engage readers, particularly students.
Read More »Biographies vs. Beach Books: Trends in All Campus Reads Selections
In the last decade, common reading programs have become a mainstay for library programming, literary organizations, and college campuses. The rise in First Year Experience, Freshman Reads, and All Campus Reads programs seems to correspond to the decline of core curricula in higher education — as colleges distance themselves from core curricula they find that students still need to have something in common academically. Books in common type programs on campuses have been a convenient answer to that need.
Read More »Postcards to Monroe and Reyna Grande
One Book, One Community of Monroe will take a trip south next year, when the community of Monroe, MI will read The Distance Between Us together. Read More »