Why Freedom Writers Diary?
Freedom Writers is the third book chosen since Brown County’s One Book One Community program began in 2006. For the first time, the coalition invited the community to help select the book. Flyers were distributed around the community and the Green Bay Press-Gazette ran several briefs, encouraging the public to vote.
Three other books were included on the ballot:
- The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child by Francisco Jimenez
- G-Dog and the Homeboys: Fr. Greg Boyle and the Gangs of East Los Angeles by Celeste Fremont
- Across a Hundred Mountains by Rayna Grande
The coalition had several criteria for narrowing the field to these four books. First, we wanted to focus on a book that would draw attention to diversity issues. Secondly, we wanted to select a book that would appeal to many different groups of people--from students to senior citizens, from all racial and ethnic backgrounds. The availability and affordability of the book were also important criteria.