One Book, One Barrio / "The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano" by Sonia Manzano

La Casa Azul Bookstore is proud to spearhead a community-wide reading campaign to promote literacy and foster community through literature in El Barrio.

Today we announce The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano, by Sonia Manzano as the very first book of the One Book, One Barrio project!

History: 

In 1998, Nancy Pearl from the Washington Center for the Book in the Seattle Public Library, launched the campaign "If All Seattle Read the Same Book," designed to unite the community of readers under the same book.
The goal of the campaign was to encourage the public to read one particular book and to participate in several educational and literature-based programs associated with the chosen book. Today, countless libraries, schools and bookstores across the United States have adopted their own version of "One Book" with the same enthusiasm and vision as it's original campaign. 

    

  

One Book, One Barrio will take over East Harlem with the critically acclaimed novel The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano by Sonia Manzano. 

The star of Sonia Manzano's latest work, Evelyn Serrano, a young girl growing up in East Harlem in 1969, finds herself in the quest to reconcile with her Puerto Rican heritage, all the while history is being made right outside her door in the streets of El Barrio.
In the summer of 1969, The Young Lords, a group of activists that sought to bring basic rights to the forgotten community of East Harlem, organizes their first action known as the "Garbage Offensive." In this bold move, The Young Lords, with the help of the community gathered piles of uncollected garbage that the Sanitation Department refused to pick up from the streets of El Barrio and set them ablaze on large street intersections of the city to protest the inequalities and neglect the community of Harlem was subject to. This urgency for change that prompted groups such as The Young Lords to rise is the same that would push Evelyn to find her voice and pride in her community. Evelyn Serrano is moved by the brave activist group and with the support of her abuela, joins the movement that captivated a generation of Latinos in East Harlem.
The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano by Sonia Manzano, not only draws attention to the pressures of growing up Latina but also captures the essence of a powerful time in the history of East Harlem.  

Sonia Manzano

Join us!
Launch of One Book, One Barrio  

Saturday, June 7, 2014  

1:00pm - 2:30pm  

La Casa Azul Bookstore welcomes Sonia Manzano to celebrate her literary contributions with a book reading, and signing of The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano. Free event.

For the next 12 months, the One Book, One Barrio calendar will feature a diverse collection of events that intersect with major themes in Sonia Manzano's The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano. 

Some of these events have been designed with the One Book, One Barrio project in mind, and others simply connect thematically with the book. Visit our website for a listing of One Book, One Barrio events.

One Book, One Barrio will be a success with your involvement and support, let's get inspired and make history through literature and let's make sure everyone in East Harlem picks up their very own copy of The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano.

 

Ready, set, go!