Alliance One Book One Community is pleased to announce that the 2020 program, featuring the novel Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline, will conclude with a virtual visit with the author. This event will take place on the evening of Thursday, October 1 at 7 p.m., and will be an opportunity to for readers to learn more about Kline and her New York Times best-selling novel Orphan Train.
Chelsea Shar, Media Arts Teacher at Alliance High School, will interview the author during this event, which will take place as a Zoom webinar. In addition, it will also be available to view on Rodman Public Library’s Facebook page using Facebook Live.
Those who participate via Zoom will need to download the Zoom software any time between now and the event on their computer by visiting zoom.us/download, or by downloading the app onto their smartphone or tablet using the appropriate app store. The web address for the webinar is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88962737535. To view the event using Facebook Live, users will do so by going to Rodman Public Library’s Facebook page. All who are unable view the event live will be able to view a recording of the interview, available on the Library’s Facebook page during the month of October.
No registration is needed for this event. Those who wish to participate and have questions may send their questions to Rodman Public Library by sending an email to rodmaninfo@rodmanlibrary.com, or by visiting the library. Please note that not all questions may be answered during this event due to time limitations. In addition, anyone who needs assistance downloading Zoom or understanding how to take part in the event may contact Rodman Public Library at 330.821.2665.
Kline’s book tells a fictional story that takes place on the real-life “orphan trains” of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These locomotives carried abandoned children from the East Coast to regular stops throughout America’s heartland, where they would be adopted by families both cruel and kind.
In the novel, an Irish immigrant, Vivian Daly, is a passenger aboard one of these trains. Her adoption experiences include long shifts in a sweatshop and mistreatment by an impoverished farm family. As an adult, Daly lives in Maine, where her past is uncovered by a contemporary teen, Molly Ayer, who is having her own challenges in the modern foster care system.
Kline’s website notes that 3.5 million copies of Orphan Train are in print, and that the novel is an international bestseller published in 40 countries. It spent five weeks at the top of the New York Times bestseller list, and remained on the list for more than two years.
Each year, the One Book One Community committee selects a book for an all-community read. This year’s committee is Marcia Addison, Nicole Brown, Steve Daskalov, JoAnn Jones, Cheryl Paine, Libby Patterson, Chris Schillig, Francis Schortgen, Gwen Schwartz, Louise Schwartz, Pat Stone, and Michael Zerbe. The chairman is Eric Taggart.
Past One Book One Community selections include The Color of Water by James McBride, Riding the Bus with My Sister by Rachel Simon, Lisa’s Story by Tom Batiuk, Blood Done Sign My Name by Timothy Tyson and What Stands in a Storm by Kim Cross.
Each year, the Greater Alliance Foundation funds the purchase of books for use by area schools, including Alliance High School, Marlington High School, West Branch High School and Sebring McKinley High School. While the author of the featured book makes a presentations to students at these schools, Christina Baker Kline will be visiting with students virtually this year due to COVID-19.
One Book One Community is a collaborative undertaking of Rodman Public Library, the Friends of Rodman Public Library, the University of Mount Union, the Greater Alliance Foundation and The Alliance Review.