ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. (January 22, 2025) – OC Public Libraries is pleased to announce One County, One Book – a community reading program centered around the book The Sympathizer by author Viet Thanh Nguyen. Through One County, One Book OC Public Libraries strives to unite our Orange County communities around a shared reading experience. 

From January through early March, readers of all ages are invited to celebrate The Sympathizer with a film screening, cooking demonstrations, cultural presentations, storytimes, and book club discussions, all culminating in a speaking engagement with Viet Thanh Nguyen on Thursday, March 6th at 6:30 pm at the Norma Hertzog Community Center in Costa Mesa. 

In addition, Viet Thanh Nguyen is the author of The Committed, which continues the story of The Sympathizer, awarded the 2016 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction, alongside seven other prizes. He is a University Professor and the Aerol Arnold Professor of English and American Studies and Ethnicity at the University of Southern California and recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim and MacArthur foundations.

One County, One Book is presented by OC Public Libraries in partnership with the Orange County Office on Aging. This project is funded in part through a grant from the California Department of Aging and administered locally by the Orange County Office on Aging.

To participate in One County, One Book check out a copy of the book or place the book on hold at your local branch or by visiting ocpl.org. Borrow ebooks using the Libby app by OverDrive.