Mayor John Hickenlooper’s “One Book, One Denver” is a community program that attempts to spark public interest in reading.
It’s a praiseworthy idea – in theory.
But when I heard that Hick had picked the “The Milagro Beanfield War,” a novel about small-town New Mexico locals uniting against an evil real estate developer, I was perplexed.
The 32-year-old book, an entertaining work of agitprop, has absolutely nothing to do with Denver or Colorado and, though a one-time best seller, certainly doesn’t rise to the level of a classic.
More than one expert I spoke with, in fact, called the book “mediocre.”
The novel is among Hickenlooper’s favorites, however. The mayor told a trade magazine back in 2004 that he enjoyed the story of “the little guys against the big money interests.”
A confounding comment, as well, considering Hickenlooper oversees a city in which big-money interests are relentlessly building structures like hospitals, office buildings, museums – entire neighborhoods, actually.
How dare they?
Wait a minute … Hickenlooper is a big money interest. How many poor – or even middle class – Denverites can still afford to pay for a pad in LoDo? Talk about evil real estate developers pushing out the little guy.
I smell a book.
Those are my grievances. Yet, putting aside our personal tastes and political viewpoints, surely there are better choices for a come-together book in Denver.
Last year’s “One Book, One Denver” selection was “Caramelo” by Sandra Cisneros. Considered a success by the program, as about 2,000 Denverites participated in events and 6,000 copies of the book were circulating in Denver libraries.
I’m sure Caramelo is a wonderful read and Cisneros a talented author … but 6,000 copies?
In 1998, The Modern Library conducted a poll of the 100 best novels published in the English language since 1900.
The critics picked “Ulysses” by James Joyce No. 1. Curious to see how some of my personal favorites in the Top 10 fared, I looked it up.
There are only nine copies of “Catch-22” by Joseph Heller – and they are all checked out as of this writing. “Darkness at Noon” by Arthur Koestler deserves only three copies citywide.
Readers in same poll voted Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged (a novel that takes place, partly, in Colorado) first overall.
Do I expect the Denver library to stock 6,000 copies of a book celebrating radical individualism and capitalism – not to mention painfully stilted prose? No.
I’m sure there are those who are offended by Rand’s ideas. And as of today, there are about 30 copies of “Atlas Shrugged” available in Denver libraries. Which seems just about right for Rand – and a book like “The Milagro Beanfield War.”
So is there a contemporary work better suited in bringing Denver together?
I ask professor Cindy Taylor, who teaches literature at Colorado State University-Pueblo, if there are any worthy novels about Colorado.
She mentions the book “Plainsong” by Kent Haruf.
And so did everyone else I spoke with.
“At least three of the greatest (Colorado books) are by contemporary writers,” explains David Milofsky, a novelist, professor of English at Colorado State University and Post columnist, via e-mail. “Kent Haruf, whose wonderful ‘Plainsong’ was a finalist for the National Book Award.”
Milofsky, who tells me Hickenlooper’s choices for “One Book, One Denver” are, well, not exactly his favorites, also mentions “Butcher’s Crossing” by the late John Williams, a National Book Award finalist, and the author Joanne Greenberg.
More than one expert I spoke with suggested Colorado writer Laura Pritchett, author of the novel “Sky Bridge.”
I’m sure there are many others.
If we’re going to energize readership in Denver, shouldn’t we be introducing people to the best in literature?
Or at the very least, the best in local talent? Or are we missing something?
David Harsanyi’s column appears Monday and Thursday. He can be reached at 303-954-1255 or dharsanyi@denverpost.com.
