Copies of James McBride's "Song Yet Sung" Available by Request

If you are a Montgomery College faculty or staff member and plan to attend the upcoming One Maryland One Book event on the Rockville Campus on October 26, the Paul Peck Humanities Institute would be happy to provide you with a free desk copy of the book, compliments of The Penguin Group. The number of copies is limited. First come, first served. To request a copy, please write to esther.schwartz-mckinzie@montgomerycollege.edu. One copy per requestor. I look forward to hearing from you! More information about the event: The Paul Peck Humanities Institute is pleased to announce that Montgomery College will participate, for a second consecutive year, in Maryland's highly successful statewide community reading program, One Maryland One Book, highlighting great works of literature as a springboard for addressing issues that affect people's lives. This year's book, "Song Yet Sung," by award-winning author James McBride, is set in the swamps of Maryland's Eastern Shore in the 1850s, only 80 miles from freedom. Weaving the voices of escaped slaves, free blacks, and slave catchers, the narrative provides a compelling venue to discuss issues such as race, power, identity, and Maryland history. Mr. McBride will discuss his book on October 26 at 7 p.m. at the Theatre Arts Arena on the Rockville Campus, followed by a book signing where participants can meet and speak with Mr. McBride. Faculty who wish to place the event in their syllabi and wish to reserve blocks of seats, please email me at esther.schwartz-mckinzie@montgomerycollege.edu. The event is free and open to the public. Family and friends of the Montgomery College community members are encouraged to attend. Refreshments will be provided by The Friends of the Library. Please visit these Web sites for more information:

• James McBride's Web site (this is a great site, worth a visit): http://www.jamesmcbride.com/
• About the "One MD One Book" program: http://www.mdhc.org/programs/one-maryland-one-book/
• Reader resources, including a study guide and reviews: http://www.mdhc.org/programs/one-maryland-one-book/reader-resources/
• Book summary and additional media reviews: http://www.bookbrowse.com/reviews/index.cfm?book_number=2093

James McBride has been a staff writer for The Washington Post, People Magazine and The Boston Globe. His memoir and tribute to his mother, The Color of Water, A Black Man's Tribute to his White Mother, spent more than two years on the New York Times bestseller list, was published worldwide, and was the winner of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award. McBride won the American Music Theater Festival's Stephen Sondheim Award for his jazz/pop musical Bobos, and his novel, Miracle at St. Anna, was adapted into a motion picture directed by Spike Lee in 2008. This event is a collaboration of The Paul Peck Humanities Institute, the Maryland Humanities Council, Montgomery County Public Libraries, the Montgomery College Library, and the Montgomery College Honors Program. Last year's August event, featuring Cedric Jennings, whose life is chronicled in Ron Suskind's "A Hope in the Unseen: An American Odyssey from the Inner City to the Ivy League," drew a crowd of roughly 300 people to the Theatre Arts Arena. I hope to see you and your students on October 26! Best, Dr. Esther Schwartz-McKinzie Director, Paul Peck Humanities Institute Montgomery College 212 Macklin Tower 51 Mannakee Street Rockville, MD 20850 240-567-5170