Coming Up: Free Talk - Dave Eggers on book What is the What

October 1, 2008 at the San Mateo Performing Arts Center

One of the great things about the San Mateo County Library System, is the program One Book One Community. Community members are encouraged to read one book, this year What is the What by Dave Eggers, a fictionalized story of a Sudanese “lost boy” who escaped his home during the brutal civil war, to walk to Ethiopia and Kenya.

Eggers will be interviewed by KQED’s Michael Krasny at the San Mateo Performing Arts Center at 7:30 on October 1. And it’s free. If your child is old enough to read the book, this is a great teaching and learning opportunity for you both. Lots of high school kids attend. And if your kids are too young, get a babysitter and go yourself.

I went two years ago to hear Khaled Hosseini speak about the Kite Runner through the same program. Get there early! Mark and I made it a date night, but came in separate cars (he came straight from work). I had date night alone, since they ran out of seats and Mark couldn’t get into the building.

Even if you miss the Eggers/Krasny discussion, One Book One Community sponsors a ton of events (some are kid-friendly) including a film screening, African folktales, singing from the Dinka Tribe, Sudanese mask making, contemporary art relating to Darfur and more. There are too many events to list here, but the website has a full schedule, and everything is free, held at various county libraries.

Look for a post in early October specifically listing the kid-friendly events.