One Book Westchester is a literacy initiative designed to bring the community of Westchester County together through books written by local authors. This project is being sponsored by the Westchester County Executive’s Office, Westchester Library System, the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival and BOCES.
Our goal: To promote literacy in our Westchester County community by focusing on local authors who highlight the history of our County as well as celebrate its diversity and shared vision of a better life.
The books chosen for this initiative were selected by librarians from Westchester Library System and voted on by members of the One Book Westchester Committee.
The committee decided to offer three reading selections in order to target three different age groups, thus widening the appeal of the project.
Adult Novel
Dear George, Dear Mary: A Novel of George Washington’s First Love, by Mary Calvi
The story of George Washington’s relationship with New York heiress Mary Philipse, crafted from hundreds of letters, journal entries and witness accounts. Mary lives in Yonkers, NY.
Young Adult/Middle School Novel
The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani
Written in diary form, the book tells the story of 12 year old Nisha, who is fleeing India with her family in 1947 after the country becomes independent of British rule. Veera lives in Hastings, NY.
Elementary School Author
Eric Velasquez
Author and illustrator Eric Velasquez uses his beautifully drawn books to detail the immigrant experience. Many of his books are written in English and Spanish. Eric lives in Hartsdale, NY.