The goal of One Book, One Wallingford is to bring the community together in reading and discussing the same book. One Book, One Wallingford is presented in memory of two women who were devoted to the Wallingford Public Library and inspired a love of reading: Patricia “Pat” Juliano & Patricia “Trish” Niece. In 2025 we will be reading...How to Read a Book by Monica Wood.
Books are available to borrow from the library or purchase for $20 at the Information Desk.
What's Happening This Year!
Set in Portland, Maine, How to Read a Book opens during a book club meeting in a women’s prison. The attendees are inmates, and their discussions are filled with dark humor and sorely-tested compassion. One of the club’s most engaging members is a young woman named Violet, who has been convicted of manslaughter for the drunk driving accident that caused a woman’s death.
Soon, we are introduced to the woman’s widower, a handyman named Frank who works at an independent bookstore in the city that is frequented by foster cats and the prison book club’s moderator, a retired English teacher named Harriet. After Violet is released from prison, Harriet helps her to make a fresh start, and she stumbles into a job working as an assistant at a research lab focused on the cognitive abilities of African grey parrots. But Violet still has to face Frank and the ramifications of the tragedy she helped to cause.
2024’s How to Read a Book was a national bestseller. The New York Times described the novel as “a reminder that goodness, and books, can still win in this world,” and Kirkus calls it “a finely wrought story, beautifully told, with deeply memorable characters.”
Meet Monica Wood
Tuesday, April 29th | 7pm
Dag Hammarskjold Middle School | 106 Pond Hill Road
Meet Monica Wood as she discusses her newest novel How to Read a Book. Books will be available for purchase and signing at the event. Register online to attend in person or on Zoom.
Monica Wood is a novelist, memoirist and playwright and the 2024 recipient of the Sara Josepha Hale award for excellence in New England literary arts. She is the author of four previous novels: My Only Story (2000), Secret Language (2002), Any Bitter Thing (2005) and The One in a Million Boy (2016). She is also the author of the memoir When We Were the Kennedys, which won the May Sarton Memoir Award and the Maine Literary Award, and the short story collection Ernie’s Ark (2002). Her widely anthologized short stories have won a Pushcart Prize and been featured on public radio. She also writes books for writers and teachers. She lives in Portland, Maine, with her husband, Dan Abbott, and their cat Susie.
Truth Be Told Nonfiction Book Club Tie-in
Couldn’t Keep It to Myself: Testimonies from Our Imprisoned Sisters by Wally Lamb and the Women of York Correctional Institute
Thursday March 27th | 7pm | Collins Room & Zoom
Moderated by Educator Susan Gomes
Book Discussion for Ashlar Village Residents
Thursday, April 3rd | 1:30pm | 74 Cheshire Road, Auditorium A
Thursday Night Book Club
Thursday, April 17th | 6:30 pm | Collins Room & Zoom
Wallingford Senior Center
Thursday, April 24th | 1:30 pm | 238 Washington Street
Challenging the System: A Community Conversation on Youth Justice & Race
Wednesday, Feb 19th | 6:30-8pm | Spanish Community of Wallingford
Join us for an engaging conversation at the Spanish Community of Wallingford to discuss the lived experiences of incarcerated teens & youth in the U.S. and how racial identity impacts this issue. This discussion is part of our ongoing series of open and empathetic conversations about race, community, and opportunities for change and healing. All are welcome.
Untold History: Prince Mortimer & the Legacy of New-Gate Prison
Wednesday, Feb 26th | 7-8pm | Zoom
John Mills, a local historian, genealogist, & founder of Alex Breanne Corporation, has done extensive research into the fascinating life of Connecticut’s Prince Mortimer and his 11 decades of enslavement. In 1811, at the age of 87, Prince was falsely convicted of attempting to murder his enslaver and sentenced to life in prison. He was sent to New-Gate Prison in East Granby, CT, one of the most notorious penitentiaries in the country. In 1834, he died in prison at over 100 years of age; his burial site remains unknown. In this compelling presentation, John Mills will discuss his own family history of enslavement, his research into Prince Mortimer and his incarceration, and how we present the narratives of the formerly enslaved today. Mills will also delve into other formerly incarcerated individuals of the 18th & 19th century who shared a common plight with Prince.
Bird Brains: Inside the Minds of American Raptors
Wednesday, Mar 5th | 7-8pm | Community Room & Zoom
In How to Read a Book, we get a glimpse into the cognitive abilities of African Grey Parrots. Now, join us to learn all about the cognitive abilities of our own native birds of prey! Rose Crisci of Blue Moon Raptors will introduce us to four rescue birds, including a great-horned owl, a peregrine falcon, a red-shouldered hawk, and an eastern-screech owl, and discuss how their cognition shapes their behavior. You will get to see how these intelligent creatures respond to their environments and perceive the world around them.
Supporting Incarcerated Youth: A RACCE Community Letter Writing Session
Saturday, Mar 8th | 10:30am-12:30pm | Community Room
Join Racial Advocates for Cross-Cultural Education (RACCE) for a letter-writing session at the Wallingford Public Library. RACCE’s Community Letter Writing Program promotes supportive social connections between local adults and incarcerated youth across Connecticut by exchanging letters of support, kind messages, and creative writing or artwork. Our guest speaker for the workshop will be Miguel Delvalle, a Hartford barber & small business owner who has organized “Haircuts for the Homeless” for the past two years. These events, which provide free haircuts and access to resources to those in need, have served over 600 people within the last year.
Healing with Books: From Elvis’s Self-Help Shelf to Oprah’s Book Club
Tuesday, Mar 18th | 7-8pm | Community Room & Zoom
Join us to learn all about the recent history of book therapy! In this fascinating presentation, historian Mary Mahoney will explore the practice of bibliotherapy—the use of books as medicine. From Elvis Presley’s personal obsession with self-help books to the rise of Oprah’s Book Club as a cultural phenomenon and the therapeutic value of poetry, books have long been a source of solace, transformation, and healing. Have you ever turned to a novel for comfort, escaped into a comic book, or found clarity in a newspaper or self-help guide? This talk will examine the fascinating history and enduring relevance of books as medicine, shedding light on how we read to heal. Attendees will also be invited to reflect on their own experiences as readers and the role books play in their lives.
Applying for a Pardon: A Workshop by the Yale Undergraduate Prison Project
Saturday, March 29th | 2:30-3:30pm | Community Room
If you have a criminal record in Connecticut and are interested in applying to erase it with an absolute pardon, this workshop is right for you. You are eligible for absolute pardon if it has been 5 years from your last felony conviction and 3 years from your last misdemeanor conviction. We will discuss every step of the absolute pardon application, explain expungement under Clean Slate, and provide ongoing 1-on-1 assistance for this process.
Doggerel: A Poetry Reading by Reginald Dwayne Betts
Tuesday, Apr 1st | 7-8pm | Community Room & Zoom
Join us for a celebration of verse from one of America’s greatest living poets! Reginald Dwayne Betts, a MacArthur Fellow and the founder & director of Freedom Reads, will perform an interpretive reading from his new poetry collection Doggerel. Simultaneously philosophical and playful, these poems are a meditation on family, falling in love, friendship, and those who accompany us on our walk through life. Copies of Doggerel will be available for purchase and signing.
Zines for Liberation: A Teen Craft Workshop
Thursday, April 3rd | 6-7:30pm | Community Room
”Zines for Liberation” is a hands-on workshop where teens explore the power of zines as tools for protest, abolition, and liberation. Under the guidance of local artist Tyasha/Ty Pace, participants will learn about the history of zines in social justice movements, create their own zines, and engage in a discussion featuring works by incarcerated zine creators. Through art and storytelling, teens will discover how to share their stories, challenge oppression, and envision a world beyond prisons.
Feathers & Friendship: Inside the World of Rescue Parrots
Saturday, April 12th | 10:30am-12pm | Community Room & Zoom
Feathers & Friendship is a program by Rhode Island Parrot Rescue that focuses on the plight of domesticated parrots in need. Our mission is to educate the public on the origins, habitats, behavior, training, nutrition, health, and cognition of these incredible birds, many of
whom came to us through international rescue organizations. Whether you’re new to the world of parrots or a seasoned enthusiast, this presentation will offer a new way of understanding our feathered friends. You will have the chance to see live parrots up close and witness a demonstration of their vocal abilities & other guided responses. RIPR will also provide expert advice on caretaking and adoption if you are interested in bringing a companion parrot into your home. All are welcome to attend!
Libraries & Literature in Prison Cellblocks: A Conversation about Freedom Reads
Tuesday, Apr 15th | 6:30-8pm | Community Room & Zoom
Freedom Reads, a national nonprofit based in Hamden, Connecticut, opens carefully-curated, 500-book, handcrafted libraries in prison cellblocks across the nation. As of the start of 2025, it has opened more than 400 Freedom Libraries in 44 adult and youth prisons across 12 states, including Connecticut and California. Its vision is to open a Freedom Library in every cellblock in every prison in the nation. Our panelists will share the perspectives of Freedom Reads, nearly half of whose staff are formerly incarcerated individuals, and a California prison system that has worked with Freedom Reads and witnessed its impact upon those serving time.
Bespoke Bookends: A Craft Workshop for Adults
Saturday, April 26th | 10:30am-12:30pm | Community Room
Join us for a special workshop hosted by Matt Yanarella from My Productions CT! You’ll have the opportunity to decorate and assemble your own pair of wooden DIY bookends to reflect your unique personality. We invite you to get creative with your friends and neighbors in this one-of-a-kind adult workshop! (No woodcutting or sharp tools will be involved.)
Thematic Book Displays
We hope that by reading How to Read a Book you will become interested in learning more about some of the subjects explored in the book. To coincide with One Book One Wallingford, the library book display by the stairwell window will feature materials on different topics thematically related to our One Book selection. Here’s the schedule of what to expect and when:
February—How Animals Think
March—Prison Re-Entry
April—How to Read a Poem
Book Cover Recreation!
As you exit the building towards the parking lot, take a look in the lower vestibule window to see a three-dimensional recreation of the book cover of How to Read a Book created entirely by library staff members!
Community Bookends Display
In How to Read a Book, Frank creates bookends for the book store where he is employed as a handyman. Bookends are a unique visual representation of the personality of the bookshelf they are on as well as the readers who own them. We’d love to share the variety of bookends found on the bookshelves of our community members! Bring your favorite bookend to the Information Desk during the month of February and fill in a small notecard with your name and the story behind the book end. We will then display all of the community bookends received in the library’s front lobby during the months of March and April.
Books for Sale
We will have many copies of How to Read a Book available to borrow from the library, but we anticipate most copies will be checked out during the months of February and March. Copies of the book will be available for sale at the Information Desk for $20.
Lawn Signs
Let everyone know you are a library supporter and that you are reading the One Book One Wallingford selection! Stop by the Information Desk to pick up a free One Book One Wallingford lawn sign to display on your property. We will only have 100 lawn signs, and they are available on a first-come, first-served basis.