2020’s ‘One Book, Many Communities’ Selection: ‘The Book of Disappearance’

The group Librarians and Archivists with Palestine have announced their 2020 “One Book, Many Communities” selection, and it is Ibtisam Azem’s The Book of Disappearance (سفر الاختفاء), translated to English by Sinan Antoon:

The project, which draws inspiration from “One Book, One Town” initiatives, is now in its fifth year. They started in 2015 with book events around Susan Abulhawa’s Mornings in Jenin, and chose new books every year, except 2019.

This year, “One Book, Many Communities” is back on, and Librarians and Archivists with Palestine “invites readers, librarians, and others to organize gatherings to discuss The Book of Disappearance by Ibtisam Azem.” According to organizers, the campaign has been designed “to introduce readers to the richness of Palestinian literature, and create a broader awareness and understanding of Palestinian history and the struggle for self-determination.”

Organizers encourage book groups at a wide variety of locations, particularly those that can schedule for May or June 2020. In that way, “you’ll be connected to readers across the globe who will be reading and discussing the book at the same time.”

There’s more about the campaign at the LAP website; as in previous years, the official hashtag for the campaign is: #lap1book.

Previous “One Book, Many Communities” books from LAP:

2018: Code Name Butterfly, by Ahlam Bsharat, translated by Nancy Roberts

2017: “Returning to Haifa” by Ghassan Kanafani, translated by Barbara Harlow and Karen Riley

2016: Sharon and My Mother-in-Law by Suad Amiry

2015: Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa.