The second edition of One Book, One Denver, Mayor John Hickenlooper’s experiment with group reading, has concluded. And despite pockets of enthusiasm, a terrific book in “Caramelo” and dynamic presentations all over the city by author Sandra Cisneros, the question has to be why this worthwhile program has not caught on with the general public to a greater degree.
Of course, those involved directly with the program are giving it a different spin. Tiffany Tyson, the public relations dynamo hired by the city to run One Book, One Denver, notes that 2,150 people attended all sponsored events, and website visits totaled 15,000. About 6,000 copies of “Caramelo” were in circulation at the Denver Public Library and other library systems, and the book hovered in the upper regions of local best-seller lists for most of the month.
Of particular interest, considering the fact that Cisneros is a Hispanic writer, was the response of Denver’s large Hispanic community. An enthusiastic crowd turned out to hear Cisneros at North High School, and the DPL reports that 251 copies of the Spanish edition of her novel circulated through local libraries. There is no way to know how many of the participants at discussions were new and how many were returnees from 2004. It should also be noted that all such numbers are preliminary with final figures to be reported in a few weeks.
This is all well and good, but to quote Mark Twain, “There are lies, damnable lies, and then there are statistics.” No one would ever accuse the mayor or Tyson of lying, but in this case the numbers don’t really tell the story and, for that matter, aren’t very impressive in themselves. Last year’s events, for example, attracted a bit fewer than 2,000, this year’s only 200 more, which is a rather anemic increase considering the publicity, time and effort put in by all concerned, not least the mayor who was in enthusiastic attendance at many of Cisneros’ public presentations.
Last year, when he was about to launch One Book, Hickenlooper said he envisioned literary conversations on buses and across grocery counters in which clerk and customer would engage in discussions of the year’s book. I don’t know about your checkout person, but mine seems more interested in Brad and Jen’s break-up than in contemporary fiction.
Well, the mayor is a visionary and you’ve got to admire him for that, but more to the point, while I travel in a fairly literary crowd, over the past two years I have yet to hear one person not involved in One Book mention the program without prompting. And when I’ve asked the question directly, whether of friends, students, salespeople, waitresses, cab drivers, whomever, people generally express ignorance about One Book’s existence, though they do seem willing to learn more.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that people aren’t reading or that they aren’t reading “Caramelo.” It could be a matter of timing. One friend, for example, says, “I’m always reading, and I’ll probably get around to that one. I’m just not reading it right now.” Being independent sorts, Denverites may not like the idea of someone telling them not only what to read but when to read it.
One could say the program had accomplished something simply by increasing awareness of a literary writer. Some, however, feel that One Book would have been more successful in both years if the mayor’s committee had chosen a book published that year by a more commercial writer, though Cisneros’ novel, which was published in 2003, seems pretty current to me. Still others may simply consider reading an intensely personal experience and don’t feel the need to share a book with the larger community or a discussion group.
Certainly you can’t fault the mayor or the others involved for a lack of effort. Denver Public Schools has cooperated by making the books available to students, local bookstores have created in-store displays, and local media have cooperated in publicizing Cisneros and her novel. The only people who might have missed it are those who don’t read at all or thought mention of “Caramelo” referred to the Nuggets’ star forward, but that can’t be helped.
The stated goal of One Book, One Denver, which is to popularize reading among the general public, is unquestioningly laudable in an age when the printed word seems increasingly irrelevant to many. Laudable or not, however, it may well be that most people simply don’t consider reading and literature an important part of their lives, no matter what book is chosen or who is recommending it. Those of us in the business of promoting serious literature and writing don’t want to believe this, and, for what it’s worth, I don’t.
Despite the relative lack of growth this year, everyone associated with One Book is to be congratulated for their efforts on behalf of reading. It may be that lowering expectations would profit everyone, but I don’t really buy this. In a community like Denver with a city and county population of 573,000, participation of 2,000 in a citywide book program has to be considered less than ideal.
I think we can do better.
David Milofsky is a novelist and professor of English at Colorado State University.
