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KPBS announced the 2017 One Book, One San Diego book selection, "The Sandcastle Girls," by Chris Bohjalian, the critically acclaimed novelist whose books frequently make the New York Times best-seller list. You're invited to discuss this book at the Chula Vista Library's "LOL" (Lots of Literature) Book Club, at the Civic Center Branch Library, 365 F St, on Friday, November 17, from 10:15 to 11:30 a.m. Copies are available for checkout at the library. The book discussion program is free of charge and open to the public.

"I am deeply honored by the selection," Bohjalian said. "San Diego is a wonderful reading community. I've made appearances there off and on over the years, and I've always been dazzled by the bookstores and the libraries and the readers."

One Book, One San Diego is community-wide reading program now in its 11th season and currently includes more than 20 community partners. Started in 2006 by KPBS, the program is a partnership of local libraries, schools and universities. KPBS encourages everyone in the region to read and discuss the same book.
Bohjalian's novel, a multi-generational tale that spans nearly 100 years, is initially set in Syria during World War I and focuses on the Armenian Genocide. Elizabeth Endicott arrives in Syria in 1915, with her college diploma and basic knowledge of nursing. She speaks little of the Armenian language and has volunteered to help deliver food and medical aid to refugees of the Armenian Genocide during the First World War. She meets Armen, a young Armenian engineer who has lost his wife and infant daughter. After joining the British Army, Armen begins to write letters to Elizabeth, realizing that he has fallen in love with her.

Years later, their American granddaughter takes a journey back through her family's history, and discovers a story of love and loss -- as well as a secret that has long been buried.

"These days it is very important for me to tell people that I am the grandson of two Middle Eastern immigrants," Bohjalian said. "We are a nation of refugees and immigrants. The novel is set in Aleppo -- yes, that Aleppo that has broken all of our hearts the last five years -- and the city as it appears in the novel exists now only in romance and memory."

Visit the Chula Vista Library branches and visit us on the web at www.chulavistalibrary.com.