book cover " The Right Stuff" by Tom Wolfe

2002-03 Read – The Right Stuff

3rd One Book, One Bakersfield Read October, 2002 – May, 2003 The One Book Project was led community member Jillian Fritch and the One Book steering committee. An accompanying juvenile title, Basher Five-Two by Scott O’Grady, was available as well. The Kick Off was at the Kern County Airport.

book cover "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston & James D. Houston

2013 Read – Farewell to Manzanar

4th One Book, One Bakersfield Read May – October, 2013 The One Book Project was led community member Jillian Fritch and the One Book steering committee. An accompanying juvenile title, I Am An American by Jerry Stanley, was available as well. The Kick Off was at Bakersfield High School, where Jillian Fritch announced that the leadership of the […]

book cover "The Tortilla Curtain"

2003-04 Read – Tortilla Curtain

5th One Book, One Bakersfield Read October, 2003 – January, 2014 In the highly effective pairing of Tortilla Curtain along with juvenile companion title, Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan, the fifth One Book Project dealt with themes and stories about a family’s migration to California from Mexico. Both authors came to Bakersfield to present a conversation. The One Book […]

book cover "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury

2005 Read – Fahrenheit 451

7th One Book, One Bakersfield Read February – March, 2005 The One Book Project was lead by the Kern County Library and the Kern County Superintendent of Schools. This One Book was the first ever selected through community balloting. Fahrenheit 451 received the top vote, and the community was very excited about seeing author Ray Bradbury present the […]

book cover "Epitaph For a Peach: Four Seasons On My Family Farm" by David Mas Masumoto

2006 Read – Epitaph For a Peach

8th One Book, One Bakersfield Read February – March, 2006 The One Book Project was lead by the Kern County Library and the Kern County Superintendent of Schools. This One Book, Epitaph for a Peach, was also selected through community balloting.

book cover "All the King's Men" by Robert Penn Warren

2007 Read – All the King’s Men

9th One Book, One Bakersfield Read February – March, 2007 The One Book Project was lead by the Kern County Library and the Kern County Superintendent of Schools.

book cover " Fast Food Nation" by Eric Schosser

2008 Read – Fast Food Nation

10th One Book, One Bakersfield, One Kern Read January – April, 2008 The One Book Project was led by the Kern County Library, with the Kern County Superintendent of Schools as a supporting agency. The One Book Project adds Kern County to its title for the first time, to refelect the county-wide participation in the One […]

book cover "Their Eyes Were Watching God"by Zora Neale Hurston

2009 Big Read – Their Eyes Were Watching God

2009 – The Big Read January – February, 2009 Coordinated by the Bakersfield Museum of Art, with Kern County Library as a lead supporting partner, the museum staff wrote for a Big Read award from the National Endowment from the Arts and the Museum for Museum and Library Services for Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching […]

advertisement for the community-wide read of "Burro Genius" by Victor Villasenor

2010 Read – Burro Genius

11th One Book, One Bakersfield, One Kern Read September – November, 2010 This read was the first in which the Kern County Library and CSUB’s First Year Experience program became the lead coordinating partners. The Runner Reader program for the First Year Experience requires that the author be living and willing to present at a […]