Public Information and Communication
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 23, 2020
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Tessa Terry
402-471-3434
800-307-2665
Prairie Forge: The Extraordinary Story of the Nebraska Scrap
Metal Drive of World War II
Chosen as 2021 One Book One Nebraska
People across Nebraska are encouraged to read the work of a Nebraskan —and
then talk about it with their friends and neighbors. Prairie Forge: The
Extraordinary Story of the Nebraska Scrap Metal Drive of World War II
(Bison Books, 2014) by James J. Kimble is the 2021 One Book One Nebraska
selection.
Prairie Forge: The Extraordinary Story of the Nebraska Scrap Metal Drive of
World War II
takes readers across the entire state of Nebraska during the scrap metal
drive early in America's involvement in World War II. When Henry Doorly
initially developed a plan to urge citizens to donate scrap metal to help
with arms production, he had no idea that his plan would expand from Omaha
to the entire state and then be used as a model for a national scrap drive.
Readers from the selection committee felt that this book would draw readers
into good discussions about the entire state's participation in the
challenge to provide scrap metal. Readers were impressed that the book
covered every county's participation in the Nebraska Plan, and how this fit
into the larger effort on a national level.
Libraries across Nebraska will join other literary and cultural
organizations in planning book discussions, activities, and events that will
encourage Nebraskans to read and discuss this book. Support materials to
assist with local reading/discussion activities will be available after
January 1, 2021 at
http://onebook.nebraska.gov.
Updates and activity listings will be posted on the One Book One Nebraska
Facebook page at
http://www.facebook.com/onebookonenebraska.
2021 will mark the seventeenth year of the One Book One Nebraska reading
program, sponsored by the Nebraska Center for the Book. It encourages
Nebraskans across the state to read and discuss one book, chosen from books
written by Nebraska authors or that have a Nebraska theme or setting. The
Nebraska Center for the Book invites recommendations for One Book One
Nebraska book selection year-round at
http://centerforthebook.nebraska.gov/obon-nomination.asp.
One Book One Nebraska is sponsored by the Nebraska Center for the Book,
Humanities Nebraska, and the Nebraska Library Commission. The Nebraska
Center for the Book brings together the state’s readers, writers,
booksellers, librarians, publishers, printers, educators, and scholars to
build the community of the book, supporting programs to celebrate and
stimulate public interest in books, reading, and the written word. The
Nebraska Center for the Book is housed at and supported by the Nebraska
Library Commission.
As the state library agency, the Nebraska Library Commission is an advocate
for the library and information needs of all Nebraskans. The mission of the
Library Commission is statewide promotion, development, and coordination of
library and information services, “bringing together people and
information.”
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The most up-to-date news releases from the Nebraska Library Commission are
always available on the Library Commission website,
http://nlc.nebraska.gov/publications/newsreleases.