Join us Tuesday, April 4 at 7 pm for a book discussion of 2023 Reading Across Rhode Island selection, True Biz by Sara Nović. We will meet in the Trustee Room (library, second floor). Please register below, at the Reference Desk, or call 401-247-1920 x2.

We have ten copies available to borrow at the Reference Desk for those who join the book discussion group. Copies are first-come, first-served. These copies must be returned to the Reference Desk after the program. The book is also available from the library catalog here.

Summary: TRUE BIZ (adj./exclamation; American Sign Language): really, seriously, definitely, real-talk
True biz? The students at the River Valley School for the Deaf just want to hook up, pass their history finals, and have politicians, doctors, and their parents stop telling them what to do with their bodies. This revelatory novel plunges readers into the halls of a residential school for the deaf, where they'll meet Charlie, a rebellious transfer student who's never met another deaf person before; Austin, the school's golden boy, whose world is rocked when his baby sister is born hearing; and February, the headmistress, who is fighting to keep her school open and her marriage intact, but might not be able to do both. As a series of crises both personal and political threaten to unravel each of them, Charlie, Austin, and February find their lives inextricable from one another's—and changed forever. This is a story of sign language and lip-reading, disability and civil rights, isolation and injustice, first love and loss, and, above all, great persistence, daring, and joy. Absorbing and assured, idiosyncratic and relatable, this is an unforgettable journey into the Deaf community and a universal celebration of human connection. (from the publisher)

About Reading Across Rhode Island: For over 15 years, Rhode Island’s only One Book, One State program focuses on a single book selected to stimulate meaningful discussions across our state. Once the selection is made, bookstores, schools, and libraries spread the word and build up momentum toward our concluding event featuring sold-out addresses by the author. The Center provides thousands of books at no cost to schools and readers to fuel discourse that flows from connecting over a shared story and then bolsters the program with an in-depth resource guide compiled by experienced teachers. The Center integrates dramatic and visual arts to enrich the reading experience. RARI penetrates every city and town in Rhode Island across all generations and classes of citizens. Reading Across Rhode Island is a statewide program run by the Rhode Island Center for the Book. 

Please visit Rhode Island Center for the Book's website for more information about Reading Across Rhode Island and other events and programs, including the author event, An Evening with Sara Nović, on Thursday, April 27, 2023, at the Rhode Island School for the Deaf in Providence, RI. Registration for this author event is forthcoming in March.