Due to the indefinite closure of Duluth Public Library and in line with the Clayton, Jackson, McGhie Memorial Committee's postponement of many of the 2020 Day of Remembrance events, the One Book Northland Committee has regretfully decided to cancel all One Book Northland related events.
One Book Northland Coordinator, Renee Zurn, says she hopes all of the events that had been scheduled for this year's One Book event can be rescheduled for next year to coincide with CJMM's postponement of the commemoration, and choose a One Book title with themes that relate to Just Mercy and the CJMM Event.
One Book Northland Announces 2020 Book Choice:
Just Mercy
by Bryan Stevenson
DULUTH, MN - 2020 marks the 19th year the One Book project has brought Northland communities together to celebrate reading. The One Book Northland committee is pleased to announce their partnership with the Clayton Jackson McGhie Memorial and the selection of New York Times bestseller, Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson as the 2020 One Book Northland title.
Bryan Stevenson is a best-selling author, lawyer, and the Director of the Equal Justice Initiative. He has dedicated his life to ensure justice for those targeted by injustice, racism, violence, and inequality.
In 2020, the Duluth Public Library, along with the Cloquet Public Library, Superior Public Library, Two Harbors Public Library, Barnes & Noble, Bookstore at Fitger’s, the Alworth Center for Peace and Justice at the College of St. Scholastica, UMD Kathryn A. Martin Library and Zenith Bookstore will host events leading up to the CJMM's Day of Remembrance.
The One Book Northland author event will feature Author Michael Fedo and a discussion related to his book, The Lynchings in Duluth, on April 20 at Fitger’s.
On June 15, 2020, the Day of Remembrance, the entire community is invited to the intersection of the Clayton Jackson McGhie Memorial and in the surrounding streets for Keynote Speaker and Just Mercy author, Bryan Stevenson. All are invited to welcome him to our community, honor the three men, and acknowledge our history.
Look for a complete program guide this spring at any of these locations: Duluth Public Library, Cloquet Public Library, Superior Public Library, Two Harbors Public Library, UMD Kathryn A. Martin Library, Bookstore at Fitger’s, Barnes & Noble, and Zenith Bookstore.
The One Book Northland committee includes representatives from the community, Duluth Public Library, Cloquet Public Library, Superior Public Library, Two Harbors Public Library, Clayton Jackson McGhie Memorial, University of Minnesota Duluth, the College of St. Scholastica, North Save the Kids, Barnes & Noble, Bookstore at Fitger’s, and Zenith Bookstore.
About Just Mercy: Bryan Stevenson was a young lawyer when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated to defending those most desperate and in need: the poor, the wrongly condemned, and women and children trapped in the farthest reaches of our criminal justice system. One of his first cases was that of Walter McMillian, a young man who was sentenced to die for a notorious murder he insisted he didn’t commit. The case drew Bryan into a tangle of conspiracy, political machination, and legal brinkmanship—and transformed his understanding of mercy and justice forever.
Just Mercy is at once an unforgettable account of an idealistic, gifted young lawyer’s coming of age, a moving window into the lives of those he has defended, and an inspiring argument for compassion in the pursuit of true justice.