Celebrate a decade of the award-winning One Book, One Chicago program by taking part in its tenth anniversary celebration this fall. Attend a discussion of The Adventures of Augie March by Nobel Prize-winning author Saul Bellow at this WBEZ Community Bureau, facilitated by station staff.

Since its launch in fall 2001, One Book, One Chicago has engaged and challenged readers in Chicago with more than 20 book selections, hundreds of programs and discussions, and countless memorable encounters among readers. Twice a year, we see our fellow Chicagoans reading the same book on buses or trains, in parks or cafés, on campuses and in libraries. Lectures, author appearances, performances and more bring people together to immerse themselves in a great book, and to learn more about themselves and each other in the process.

What better way to celebrate this program, itself such a testament to Chicago’s dedication to reading and learning, than to read such an iconic Chicago book? Saul Bellow is a Chicago legend, and in Augie March he created a true son of Chicago. Along with his two brothers, Augie is raised by his mother in the 1920’s and 30’s; but he is shaped just as much by the movement and struggles of the city around him. He travels between jobs, mentors, neighborhoods and friends, and throughout it all we see him, and his city, so clearly.